SPSS Tips & Tricks #1

Hi, Gunilla Rudander here. As I have a lot contact with SPSS users I sometimes get SPSS Statistics questions about commands or methods. So why not share this with you? I will call this tips & tricks.

#1 Copy Data Properties

Question: I often open Excel data files and have to put on value labels, missing values and so on. How can I reuse this labels, as I repeat exactly the same every week?

Answer: There are 2 answers. You can use the syntax language, but I will show you the other answer: to reuse all properties from one file to another like a template.

1. First time you have to fix the data file within the variable view with the labels, missing value defintions and so on:

2. When you are ready with all your labels and definition within the variable view, save this data file.
Example of my preparation: Have a look of my yellow markings for the attitude question (att1):
I have put a variable label (Label), value labels (Values) and missing definition 6 (Missing).

3. Now open your new data file that doesn’t have any prepared information (meta data).

4. Now I can copy the properties from the first data file (the meta data) easily from this command:
Data – Copy Data Properties

5. First choose the data file you will copy from (the “template”)

Then just go further and all variables with same variable names as the template will appear and be copied. Just click on “next”, “next”… and so on and finally “Finish”.

6. The result you see here: you have automatically got the same labels, missing value definition and even the measurement level (nominal, ordinal, scale) as the first data file.

Hopes that will help you!
/Gunilla