IBM SPSS Essentials, 2nd Edition

17Other Tricks of the Trade

Chapter Menu

• Chapter Learning Objectives
• Salvaging Old Syntax
• Tricking SPSS To “Think” Across Rows
• “Do If” and “End If”
• Summary

Chapter Learning Objectives

1. Using Notepad
2. Doing manipulations across rows
3. Scanning for duplicate cases
4. Introducing conditional statements: “do if”, “end if”

This chapter contains miscellany that didn't quite fit into the other chapters and continues your progress toward black‐belt SPSS status. It basically contains commands and techniques that will make your syntax writing more efficient.

Salvaging Old Syntax

In Chapter 2, an analogy was made between: (1) syntax files and Microsoft Word, and (2) data files and Microsoft Excel. Excel (and other spreadsheet) files can be directly imported into SPSS (see Chapter 5). Similarly, word processor information can be cut and paste into syntax files (and vice versa).

The Importance of Notepad

Notepad is a stripped‐down word processing program that is packaged with Microsoft Windows (you can find it at the Start menu if you search for “notepad”). If you do not have Windows, any standard word processor will do. Notepad is particularly useful because it does not support formatting functions such as tables (syntax files do not support these formatting functions either). Notepad can be used to change variable names or analytical commands from one application to another (for ...