SAS INSTITUTE has delivered significant new-function with recent releases (and even maintenance updates), so it would be worthwhile for CA MICS clients who depend on SAS feature/function capabilities to encourage the SAS z/OS software admin to make an effort to keep reasonably up-to-date with SAS software upgrades...
And by doing so, these SAS reporting-capabilities and operational improvements can be leveraged as soon as CA MICS software is ready to take advantage as well, and even without waiting for CA to react.
Here are a few items:
1) SAS 9.4 TS1M2 delivers full-support for SAS tape-directed data libraries and LBI (Large Block Interface) support / CONFIG option DLLBI | NODLLBI -- significant performance gain observed with tape-related MICS operational jobs, much like IBM / ISV utilities have also seen similar performance gains (e.g., z/OS V2R1 and IDCAMS REPRO support for LBI).
2) SAS 9.2 delivers external/sequential dataset support for LBI, as CONFIG option FILELBI | NOFILELBI.
3) SAS 9.2 delivers SG* GRAPHICS PROCs, however as part of SAS/Graph (optional licensed).
4) SAS 9.3 re-assigns SG* GRAPHICS PROCs to SAS BASE (i.e., SAS/Graph not required).
And as you upgrade SAS software, it's worthwhile to check-in with CA MICS SUPPORT to determine how MICS interacts with a given enhancement, or at least to let CA know clients are interested in seeing CA MICS leverage / support these new features for all the right reasons.
Also, with recent CA MICS BASE maintenance (post r12.9), sites will need to setup a true MICS test complex in order to properly test / exercise a new SAS distribution/install environment.
Scott Barry
SBBWorks, Inc.