SPSS Statistics Workbook For Dummies

Chapter 15

Working with Pasted SPSS Syntax

IN THIS CHAPTER

Using the Paste feature to generate Syntax

Understanding procedures and transformations

Making variable view specifications with Syntax

In this chapter, you use the Paste button to write SPSS Syntax for you. Then you learn a bit about how to work with and modify the code, right in the Syntax window.

With a bit of knowledge and practice, you’ll save a lot of time because once you have some code in the Syntax window, it's often much easier to work with it there than going back to the menus and dialogs. Even if Syntax is new to you, dive in and give it a try.

Pasting Procedures

Anything that produces output is a procedure. In this section, you start with procedure commands. The most common ones are in the Analyze and Graphs menus:

1. Choose File  ⇒    Open  ⇒    Data and load the GSS2018.sav file.

   You can download the file from the book’s companion website at www.dummies.com/go/spssstatisticsworkbookfd.

2. Choose Analyze  ⇒    Descriptive Statistics  ⇒    Descriptives.
3. Select the variables INTECON, INTEDUC, INTENVIR, and INTFARM and place them in the Variable(s) box.

4. Click Paste.

   The Syntax window appears with the resulting ...