What migration path is available for SPDS users?

Do you need to replace your end-of-life SPD Server (SPDS) implementation? SPDS, while still supported by SAS, has transitioned into a no new sales position since 2021. Consequently, no further updates or enhancements will be made to the platform. This naturally prompts the question: What migration path is available for SPDS users?

The good news is that we now have a clear migration path: SAS Viya integrated with SingleStore.

SPDS was developed over 30 years ago and has remained a very strong performance option for customers wanting to optimize access to SAS datasets. We now have an option for SAS to operate directly on SQL tables in SingleStore (no need to move data to a SAS dataset). We refer to this as our SAS with SingleStore solution under SAS Viya.

SPDS or SPD Server has several benefits...

Parallel Processing: SPD Server employs a threaded system that performs concurrent processing tasks across multiple processors. This parallelization enhances performance for tasks like loads, index creation and queries.

Partitioned Structure: SPD Server utilizes a partitioned, component file structure, allowing efficient data organization and management.

High-Performance Queries: SPDS enables rapid access to SAS data for intensive processing by applications, making it suitable for scenarios with large enterprise data stores.

Scalable Performance: The SPD Engine and SPD Server deliver data to applications rapidly by organizing the data into a streamlined file format that takes advantage of multiple CPUs and I/O channels to perform parallel input and output functions.

However, it also has challenges...

Dedicated Server Requirement: SPD Server works best when its host computer is dedicated to its operation.

High availability hardware: SPDS tables are stored as Hot data utilizing higher cost data storage

Platform Limitations: SPD Server is not available on Linux (LNX), OS/390 (MVS), HP/UX for the Itanium Processor Family (H6I), or OpenVMS Alpha (ALP).

Utilizing Sas with SingleStore lets us address and improve upon historical SPDS functionality. Below is a chart highlighting the capability in SPDS and how it has been addressed in our SAS with SingleStore solution:

SPDS | SAS with SingleStore
Clustered Tables | S2 Sharding enables similar clustering
SQL Optimization | Next-gen SQL performance
Pre-sorting for performance | Pre-sort by setting sort keys on tables
Hyper Indexing options | Columnar datastore with inherent indexing
SPDS Partition Files / Data distribution | Multi-tier massively parallel architecture
Optimized table structure for analytics | Columnar table structure optimized for analytics
Proprietary SAS format | Open ANSI standard SQL access
Basic file permissions | Advanced access controls

By leveraging our SAS with SingleStore solution we can deliver all the capabilities offered by our SPDS solution and at the same time deliver significant benefits...

Performance

Data Ingestion: SingleStore efficiently ingests data using parallel, high-scale streaming utilities.

Latency: SingleStore delivers sub-second latency, even during periods of high concurrency.

Compared with SPDS: We’ve demonstrated superior performance of SAS with SingleStore over SPDS, with significantly faster reading of data.

Availability and Scalability

High Availability: SingleStore ensures full high availability, including disaster recovery replication capabilities.

Scalability: Transparent automated storage tiering allows exabyte scalability and the ability to leverage blob storage for cooler data.

Infrastructure Reduction

Data Compression: SAS data sets converted to SingleStore tables experience a remarkable 75%+ compression rate.

Stream data for Processing: SAS with SingleStore streams data from SingleStore leveraging in-database processing, leading to a 60% reduction in RAM requirements for Viya (a feature exclusive to SingleStore).

Compute and Storage Independence: Decoupling compute and storage enables flexible scaling.

Storage Cost Reduction: SingleStore’s bottomless technology contributes to a 20-40% reduction in storage costs.

Deployment Flexibility

On-Premises, Cloud, or Hybrid: SAS with SingleStore can be deployed in various environments, including on-premises, cloud, or hybrid setups.

Data Format Transition: SAS with SingleStore replaces data stored in SAS proprietary formats.

Standard SQL Access: SingleStore allows access via standard SQL, facilitating integration with non-SAS applications.

Security

Enhanced Controls: SingleStore provides enhanced security controls, including support for encryption with compression.

Single Sign-On (SSO): Integration with SAS Viya enables seamless SSO for users.

To summarize, our migration solution enables you to harness the rapid performance of SAS Viya alongside cutting-edge SQL-based technologies. Simultaneously, it streamlines data storage costs by optimizing hot, warm and cold data tiers, enhancing the efficiency of your analytical processes.

If you’re looking for a long-term solution with a strong future vision that evolves your SAS environment, we have the answer: SAS Viya (aka Viya 4), with our SAS with SingleStore embedded process capabilities.

Learn more

The Scalable Performance Data Server: Real World Experiences

Mapping SPD Server Features to SingleStore

SAS Scalable Performance Data Server and SAS Scalable Performance Data Engine

Benefits of SPD Server

What migration path is available for SPDS users? was published on SAS Users.