Add Cases or Variables: Rename

You can rename variables from either the active dataset or the other dataset before moving them from the unpaired list to the list of variables to be included in the merged data file. Renaming variables enables you to:

• Use the variable name from the other dataset rather than the name from the active dataset for variable pairs (Add Cases)
• Include two variables with the same name but of unmatched types or different string widths (Add Cases), or include two variables with the same name that contain different information (Add Variables). For example, to include both the numeric variable sex from the active dataset and the string variable sex from the other dataset, one of them must be renamed first

Renaming Variables for Merged Data Files

1. Open one of the data files.
2. From the menus choose:

   Data > Merge Files > Add Cases...

   or

   Data > Merge Files > Add Variables...

3. Select the variable in the Unpaired (Add Cases) or Excluded (Add Variables) list.
4. Click Rename.
5. Enter the new variable name. For information on variable naming rules, see Variable Names.