Overview (GET TRANSLATE command)

GET TRANSLATE reads dBASE files, Excel files prior to release 5, Lotus 1-2-3, Symphony, and Multiplan files. To read more recent version of Excel or text data files, use GET DATA.

Options

Variable Subsets. You can use the DROP and KEEP subcommands to specify variables to omit or retain in the resulting active dataset.

Variable Names. You can rename variables as they are translated using the RENAME subcommand.

Variable Map. To confirm the names and order of the variables in the active dataset, use the MAP subcommand. MAP displays the variables in the active dataset and their corresponding names in the other application.

Spreadsheet Files. You can use the RANGE subcommand to translate a subset of cells from a spreadsheet file. You can use the FIELDNAMES subcommand to translate field names in the spreadsheet file to variable names.

Basic Specification

• The basic specification is FILE with a file specification enclosed in apostrophes.
• If the file’s extension is not the default for the type of file you are reading, TYPE must also be specified.

Subcommand Order

Subcommands can be named in any order.

Limitations

The maximum number of variables that can be translated into the active dataset depends on the maximum number of variables that the other software application can handle: