What’s New in SAS®9 M9 Q&A, Slides, and On-Demand Recording

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Watch this Ask the Expert session to learn about a number of updates to the SAS platform as part of our continuing support for SAS®9 users. 

Watch the Webinar

You will learn about the SAS 9.4 M9 updates including:

• SAS 9.4 supported operating systems.
• Security enhancements.
• Updated third-party components.
• Grid manager for platform.
• SAS/ACCESS interfaces.

The questions from the Q&A segment held at the end of the webinar are listed below and the slides from the webinar are attached.

Q&A

Any changes in WebReportStudio?

Web Report Studio 4.4M9 is anticipated for SAS release with SAS 9.4M9

Any changes in Full-Clients like EG, or DI-Studio with M9?

Not that we are aware of.  Updates to these clients will be delivered with SAS 9.4M9.

What about RHEL 8x?

It will be supported. Our baseline for M9 is RHEL 8.10.

Release date for M9 GA? Only if you have it available.

End of June 2025

MFA is only for z/os or for Linux and Windows environments too?

For all environments.

Is Enterprise Guide considered in the future for MFA logon?

Yes, in the future.

Access engine for Iceberg? Any plans to develop an engine for this?

Support for Iceberg is being considered for Viya but not for SAS 9.4 at this time.  SAS 9.4 has not validated but it may be the case that the use of the SAS ODBC or JDBC driver may be allow for Iceberg access.

When will Parquet file format be supported?

There are no SAS 9.4 plans to add or replace the SAS7BDAT file format with Parquet.

I have a number of customers updating to M8, principally on Grid (Platform), since M7 went to Limited Support. Should we ask to wait?

That is up to you.

Will Windows 2025 be supported?

Yes.

When can we expect the compatibility matrix for SAS M9? What are the supported versions of LSF and PPM on M9? IDP portal is back available in SAS M9?

SAS Clients for specific products have a one-to-one correlation between that client and the SAS Platform Release. I know that the client release numbers are not easily correlated with the SAS 9 Platform release number, but one can be assured that upon receipt of a Software Depot, the client and server-side components are those that are tested and validated to operate as documented.

The exception is Enterprise Guide that is not bound to a SAS 9 Platform Release schedule. The Enterprise Guide System Requirements (see SAS® Enterprise Guide® 8.5 for the latest) states:

Additional Requirements for Compatibility

Note: SAS Enterprise Guide 8.5 supports SAS 9.2, SAS 9.3, SAS 9.4, SAS Viya 3.4, SAS Viya 3.5, and SAS Viya 4.

SAS is considering documenting a matrix in our product text that correlates SAS product and solution releases with the SAS 9.4 Platform releases on which they are validated to operate as designed.  Specific to the question:

• SAS KB0036260 Support matrices for SAS® clients with SAS®9
• See the note in this article describing that the details presented ae now replaced with the following rules starting with SAS 9.4M8:
  • Note: Starting in SAS® 9.4M8 (TS1M8) all client applications—with the exception of SAS® Enterprise Guide® and SAS® Add-In for Microsoft Office—must be installed using the same software order that is currently deployed on the SAS server environment. The information in the tables below is correct up to SAS® 9.4M7 (TS1M7).
• SAS KB0036215, ""SAS® Enterprise Guide® support matrix""
• SAS Technical Support intends to update this article with subsequent SAS Releases.
• SAS KB0036499, ""Managing multiple installations of the SAS® Add-In for Microsoft Office""
• SAS Technical Support intends to update this article with subsequent SAS Releases.
• SAS Note 44040, ""Base SAS®, SAS® Enterprise Miner™, SAS® Text Miner, and Credit Scoring Add-on for SAS® Enterprise Miner™ release numbers""
• SAS Technical Support intends to update this article with subsequent SAS Releases."

Any improvements to SAS Environment Manager for custom monitoring in SAS M9?

No.

SAS M9 will support LSF/PPM version 10.1?

Yes.

9.4M9 Targets

SAS Release Version 14.1

IBM Spectrum LSF 10.1.0.14

IBM Spectrum Process Manager PM10.2.0.14 (FP14)

Platform Web Services TBD 10.1.0.14

Base SAS enhancements in SAS 9.4M9?

Only security enhancements.

SAS variable length limit > 32 characters. Is this implemented in SAS 9.4M9?

No.

What about the OAuth authentication to databases via Access Interfaces? Like for Azure SQL database?

No. There is some support for OAuth for SAS/ACCESS Interface to BigQuery but not for other SAS 9.4 supported databases.  For BigQuery in the April 2020 release of SAS/ACCESS for SAS 9.4M6 and SAS Viya 3.5, the following LIBNAME options were added to support OAuth authentication: CLIENT_ID=, CLIENT_SECRET=, and REFRESH_TOKEN=. The PROXY= LIBNAME option was added to support using a connection proxy. Support was also added for the DBCLIENT_MAX_BYTES= LIBNAME option.

We have seen a lot of very nice "platform updates" (dedicated for admins). Are there any plans for new features for SAS as the programming languages (for programmers)?

Please work with SAS Tech Support with what you would like to see added to the programming language of SAS.

Any plan in SAS9 support Azure AD Account without the needs of Az ADDS?

I do not believe this is a SAS9 issue, but an Azure one.

Will options FASTLOAD=YES and TPT=YES still work in SAS 9.4M9 for Teradata FASTLOAD?

No. These are being depreciated to only use TPT features. When specified in submitted code, SAS will execute the Teradata TPT methods replacing these capabilities.

Can SAS be accessed via SAS EG on Windows machine when SAS is deployed in Public cloud?

Yes.

I came late. Did you mention any changes to SWO?

Nothing major.

Is there any change in SAS Web Report Studio & Add-in for Microsoft Office?

Not that we are aware of.

How many SAS Viya deployments do you have? Viya 3.5 vs Viya 4.0.

This is beyond the scope of this webinar.

Is the list of changes and new features available online on the SAS website?

There is a What's New is SAS 9.4M9 document in the works.

How TPT going to replace fastexport, multiload, and other options?

TD has deprecated those old utilities. Please address your question to TD.

Anything new for SAS/STAT?

SAS/STAT 15.4 releases with SAS 9.4M9.  No major new capabilities are anticipated.

Will ODS WORD be available in M9 (productive state)?

The state of the ODS WORD Statement remains Pre-Producing.  See https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/pgmsascdc/9.4_3.5/odsug/p10mxeb6wxqfjgn1p5u0w4t8qf20.htm

Does SAS still support DMS on its different OS'es (Win, MVS)?

Yes.

SAS/Studio - is SAS moving towards equivalency with Viya version?

No.  With exception some Studio capabilities in Viya are brought back to SAS 9.4M9 but this is not a standard practice.

What is PostgreSQL version bundled with M9 release?

Version 16.

Will there be new release for SAS Financial Management with M9 release?

In Quarters following the initial release of SAS 9.4 M9, SAS Financial Management will release on this Platform update.

M9 brings some news on Content Assessment tools? Or is the tool invariant respect the Maintenance?

Yes, SAS Content Assessment tool is being expanded to support M9.

In M7 we are experiencing Metadata is getting freeze during metadata activities like Metadata delete, update, import, export. Is this addressed in M9?

Please open a ticket with SAS Tech Support.

If we are using M6, will all the product suite I have be supported in M9?

That is a complicated question to answer without knowing what all you are using. Please work with your SAS Customer Support Manager and run the SAS Content Assessment tool to determine the answer.

Whether any CECL component has been changed to M9 vs M6?

I am not sure if things have changed since M6, but there are no changes from M8 to M9.

Can I upgrade from M7 to M9 directly?

Can we directly upgrade from SAS M7 to M9?

If you are currently running M7on RHEL 8.10 or later, then yes.

Any updates for SAS SG procs?

Not that we are aware of.

Will other third-party authentication apps eventually be available, such as Microsoft Authenticator?

Eventually.

Will ACCESS interfaces support MFA now or eventually?

Maybe in the future.

Will Java 21 JRE be delivered as part of SAS?

Yes.

Will you bring back the Information Delivery Portal? At GitHub, there is the "SAS Portal App". This seems to be still vividly used.

No, there are no plans to bring back IDP.

When will SAS Base 9.4 TM9 be available? By end of June 2025? Or is there a concrete timepoint?

25week25

Are there any new features for EG / DIS in M9?

SAS Enterprise Guide 8.6 and Data Integration Studio 4.10 is scheduled to release with SAS 9.4M9.

Can you go into detail about precode execution in DIS?

Updates are released that will prohibit the entry of SAS code to change the pre/post code for SAS Jobs when the user submitting that code does not have Write Metadata permission for that Jo. Under some circumstances, this issue existed in Data Integration Studio, Enterprise Guide, Batch etc.

In SAS EG 7.x, we have SAS Personal Login manager under tools, but in 8.x we don't have the option.

SAS login services were consolidated in the 2019 timeframe and with that action, the Personal Login Manager was removed from Enterprise Guide.

I guess SAS 9.4 TS1M9 still will be supporting SAS/Connect (and consequently SAS Connect Spawner)?

Yes.

Are there major changes in code optimization or new proc (procedure step) in 9M9?

None that we are aware of.

Hello, thank you for this presentation. For technical update in SAS 9M4 to 9M9. Can I use SAS deployment wizard, and can I create a new level in configuration?

You will be able to do an UIP on the same version of the OS.

It looks like in-place upgrades from M8 to M9 will be supported according to the one slide. Will there be full documentation provided on the process?

Yes. It works the same as always.

Can we update SAS 9.4M7 to M9 by using standard procedure or something different?

Provided your M7 system is running on a supported version of the operating system for M9.

What is the END of support for SAS9.4M9?

There is no "End of Support" for SAS 9.4 releases. Rather, there is the delineation of Standard Support that is available for a 5-year period after its release at which time it enters Limited Support.

Any support for authentication towards EntraID for SAS EG users?

With a SAS 9.4 deployment, SAS does not provide all the software required to integrate SAS 9.4 into an identity provider system like Microsoft Entra ID or Google SSO. SAS 9.4 platforms include a feature for "SAS Web Server Authentication" where the web server can be left to handle the authentication of the user. https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/bicdc/9.4/bimtag/n0k64m6cvfcvy1n181b3cwn659kx.htm

What would be the timeframe (approx.) for SAS 9.4 M10 (release)? We're trying to plan for the future before we jump into Viya eventually.

1.5 to 2 years after M9 is released.

Any changes on SAS Studio with constrained delegation?

No. In a constrained delegation environment, SAS Studio will continue to be able to connect. See How to Configure Kerberos Constrained Delegation. https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/bicdc/9.4/bisecag/p1jg2eif6qym5qn1co79sdclcyt7.htm

Will Kerberos constrained delegation be available?

If it is available in M8, then it will be in M9.

Does the mainframe SAS version need to be updated for zMFA?

No. Only if you would like to use it.

In September of this year, I think Microsoft will stop supporting Basic Authentication on SMTP applications, and from that moment on, one will be forced to use Modern authentication like OAUTH2 upon SMTP. This will have impact for all SAS users sending emails from SAS by means of FILENAME EMAIL statement method, as this method only accepts Basic Auth (at least it is the case with SAS 9.4 TS1M7). Does SAS 9.4 TS1M9 addresses these issues?

SAS 9.4 is aware of the following and identifying all uses of Basic Email authentication and fixes to address them

Microsoft Office365:

Basic Authentication will be fully deprecated by September 2025.

OAuth 2.0 implementation details: Microsoft OAuth Documentation

Google Gmail:

Google has announced that starting January 2025, access to less secure apps will be turned off for all Google Accounts. Protocols such as CalDAV, CardDAV, IMAP, SMTP, and POP will no longer work with legacy passwords (Basic Authentication).

OAuth 2.0 implementation details: Google OAuth Documentation

Transition from less secure apps to OAuth - Google Workspace Admin Help

Apple Mail:

Apple, in collaboration with Microsoft, is transitioning to Modern Authentication (OAuth 2.0) for Exchange Online. This change enhances security for Apple Mail users accessing Exchange accounts.

Apple requires OAuth for third-party apps to access iCloud Mail securely.

OAuth 2.0 implementation details: Implementing

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/microsoft-and-apple-working-together-to-improve-ex..."

Will Enterprise Guide be affected by this?

I really hope SAS Enterprise Guide will be supported. Thanks!

SAS Enterprise Guide 8.6 is scheduled to release with SAS 9.4M9.

Any Changes in Dataflux Dataquality?

Data Management Platform Data Packs and an update to Data Management Studio and Data Management Server 2.10 are anticipated for SAS release with SAS 9.4M9.

Is there any sas7bdat dataset conversion needed?

No conversion is needed for sas7bdat files running on the same platform.

Any work on the radar for SAS supporting password managers like Vault? For storing SAS install passwords or call them on demand?

SAS 9.4 support for third party password vault providers is under consideration pending customer demand.

Any SAS/STAT updates?

SAS/STAT 15.4 releases with SAS 9.4M9.  No major new capabilities are anticipated.

Will SAS/CONNECT support for MFA be extended to other OS besides z/OS?

Yes.

Will we be able to connect to other data sources that use MFA, like synapse?

I SAS/ACCESS interoperability with Multi-Factor Authentication is the primary responsibility of the data source being accessed.

Can we migrate SAS 9.4 to cloud?

Yes.  It works the same

We can still use the SAS Migration Utility (SMU) to migrate to m9 from m8/m7?

Yes, to migrate. 

The slide highlighted 9.4 M9 would support Teradata 17.20. I'm not sure if I heard correctly, did the presenter say Teradata and TTU 20.xx would also be supported?

We will be testing SAS 9.4M9 on TTU 20 post the shipment of M9.

Will it be possible to connect from vs code to metadata not workspace? We are using SAS token to start workspace.

No.  See the following statement from the SAS Communities SAS Extension for Visual Studio Code from June 2024.  https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Communities-Library/SAS-Extension-for-Visual-Studio-Code/ta-p/819...

The IOM connection is for the Workspace (compute) server -- bypasses the metadata server. The SAS extension is not metadata-aware (at this point, not sure if that's something we'll pursue).

If you can use IOM that will give you more features than SSH. See the matrix of connection capabilities here.

Can we access the M7 environment with SAS M9 clients? Downward compatibility will work?

It's not tested and validated. Not saying it won't work. You might get lucky, and it may work, but that's not a scenario that we test and validate. If you had issues, you'd be hard pressed to get answers.

RTM on SAS Grid will upgrade to another platform? I see on slide IBM Spectrum. I didn't understand.

The version of RTM that was available as a download for use with SAS Grid Manager is in Limited Support. See SAS Technical Support Services and Policies for more information about Limited Support. Contact SAS Technical Support for information about RTM.

Any plans of adding Proc Python to M9 or future maintenances?

SAS 9.4 support for Proc Python is being considered and Customer demand for this feature measured at this time.

Can you describe how the SSO works today before upgrade and how it works after M9 is installed?

The context of the discussion was around Multi Factor Authentication. From that perspective, see the SAS Middle Tier Administration documentation in the section labeled Administer SAS Logon Manager available at https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/bicdc/9.4/bimtag/p07m9t6rftwm1xn197tt4l5f7c37.htm

Know that SAS 9.4 Single Sign On capabilities are also available using Site Minder, WebSEAL or IWA.

Will MFA be available for SAS Studio Basic?

Eventually.  

What about CITRIX? Will the SAS Products be functional further also under CITRIX?

Yes.

Will SAS/AF and STPs work on M9?

Yes.  It works the same as it does in M8.

Is there any way to connect CyberArk to pull the password details to run Connections to databases from SAS environment?

No. SAS 9.4 support for third party password vault providers is under consideration pending customer demand.

Will we have a SAS personal Login Manager integrated to SAS EG?

SAS login services were consolidated in the 2019 timeframe and with that action, the Personal Login Manager was removed from Enterprise Guide.

Are there any planned upgrades for generating outputs like PDF, RTF, DOCX etc.?

No specific updates are planned.

Integrating SEGExplorer to SAS EG client tools section?

The SAS Enterprise Guide Explorer continues to be a separately installed capability and is not integrated into the Enterprise Guide client. See https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/egamoexplorer/latest/n1by4u7pml8jhjn11lps6or5xs5e.htm

Will the new TLS automation only be available for new installations or also work for upgraded M8 (with manually configured TLS)?

The SAS 9.4M9 TLS capabilities are new and the ability to migrate manually configured to those capabilities is not available.

Will there be SAS Studio 3.83 or 3.84 or similar with SAS 9.4 M9?

Will an update to SAS Studio be released at the same time as M9?

SAS Studio 3.83 will release with SAS 9.4M9.

Will SCL (SAS Component Language, formerly SAS Screen Control Language) also be supported under M9?

Yes, the same way it was in M8

Is M7 to M9 parallel upgrade using current hardware with M7 down Lev1 possible?

If your M7 is running on a version of the operating system supported by M9, then you can do an upgrade in place. If not, please refer to this page on what needs to happen.  https://communities.sas.com/t5/Administration-and-Deployment/Are-you-planning-an-upgrade-from-RHEL-7...

Is there a new Add in to MSO going to be released with this too?

SAS Add-In to Microsoft Office 8.6 is scheduled to release with SAS 9.4M9.

SiteMinder is available as a part of SASM9?

If it is available in M8, then it will be in M9

Bulkload is available via FedSQL with SAS/ACCESS Snowflake. Can FedSQL be run in SAS EG?

FedSQL may be used in Enterprise Guide when programming. There is no task that uses PROC FedSQL.

Will SAML SSO support with Okta be added for SAS Studio with SAS 9.4M9?

Does SAS M9 support Okta MFA?

No. Additional work beyond the SAS 9.4M9 Logon Service support for Multi-Factor Authentication is planned to allow for the support of OKTA for the SAS Web Application Server.  Today, as a customer customization for the SAS Web Server (not the Web Application Server) there is some documented support for integration with third party identity providers.  See SAS Web Server Authentication https://go.documentation.sas.com/doc/en/bicdc/9.4/bimtag/n0k64m6cvfcvy1n181b3cwn659kx.htm

What is the minimum level of Windows needed for Windows desktop SAS? Windows 11?

Windows 10

I thought both Windows 10 & 11 were supported?

They are.

Is there an integration with "Microsoft Entra identity" and "Microsoft Graph" implemented in M9?

No.

Will Customer Intelligence Studio support be added back to M9?

The following will be delivered in quarters following the initial release of SAS 9.4M9 Campaign Management Server

Marketing Automation Server

Marketing Optimization Server

Real-Time Decision Manager

Will parquet file format be supported?

There are no SAS 9.4 plans to add or replace the SAS7BDAT file format with Parquet.

What is SAS commitment to providing SAS9 in the future? We have completed a VIYA POC in Azure with Customer Success and it failed our test. It is unlikely we will ever move to VIYA. Our POC completes on AIX, but it just takes longer.

The SAS Vision is Viya. At the same time, we want to allow our customers to transition on their own timeline without any concerns about support along the way.

SAS 9 is dedicated to building on existing customer loyalty that will endure for generations of SAS solutions and products. By prioritizing our customers’ needs and delivering on promises, we will continue to prove SAS is a trusted partner when our customers make future business decisions.

Recommended Resources

SAS Product Documentation

SAS 9.4 System Requirements

SAS Technical Support Policy for SAS® 9.4 & Earlier Releases

SAS Administration and Deployment Community

Please see additional resources in the attached slide deck.

Want more tips? Be sure to subscribe to the Ask the Expert board to receive follow up Q&A, slides and recordings from other SAS Ask the Expert webinars.

[AhmedAl_Attar]

"When will Parquet file format be supported? There are no SAS 9.4 plans to add or replace the SAS7BDAT file format with Parquet."
Sadly, this is really disappointing to hear!

Back in the days with the Data Loader for Hadoop, SAS 9 had support for Parquet files, as Parquet was one of the underlying file formats stored on HDFS.

With various SAS 9 clients moving to the cloud, and having the storage footprint of the *.sas7bdat files being 70%+ greater than its Parquet copy, as highlighted in this SAS Community article Unlocking the Power of Open File Formats: Freedom, Flexibility, and Fierce File Compression , total cost of operations in the cloud could sky rocket due to overall total storage cost (S3 + EBS) 😞