Selecting Source and Target Variables

In this step, you can specify the source variables containing the variable properties that you want to copy and the target variables that will receive those variable properties.

Apply properties from selected source dataset variables to matching active dataset variables. Variable properties are copied from one or more selected source variables to matching variables in the active dataset. Variables "match" if both the variable name and type (string or numeric) are the same. For string variables, the defined length must also be the same. By default, only matching variables are displayed in the two variable lists.

• Create matching variables in the active dataset if they do not already exist. This updates the source list to display all variables in the source data file. If you select source variables that do not exist in the active dataset (based on variable name), new variables will be created in the active dataset with the variable names and properties from the source data file.

If the active dataset contains no variables (a blank, new dataset), all variables in the source data file are displayed and new variables based on the selected source variables are automatically created in the active dataset.

Apply properties from a single source variable to selected active dataset variables of the same type. Variable properties from a single selected variable in the source list can be applied to one or more selected variables in the active dataset list. Only variables of the same type (numeric or string) as the selected variable in the source list are displayed in the active dataset list. For string variables, only strings of the same defined length as the source variable are displayed. This option is not available if the active dataset contains no variables.

Note: You cannot create new variables in the active dataset with this option.

Apply dataset properties only--no variable selection. Only file properties (for example, documents, file label, weight) will be applied to the active dataset. No variable properties will be applied. This option is not available if the active dataset is also the source data file.