Overview (COMPARE DATASETS command)

COMPARE DATASETS compares the active dataset to another dataset in the current session or an external file in IBM® SPSS® Statistics format. Features include:

  • Comparison of data values for the specified variables
  • Comparison of selected variable attributes, such as measurement level, user-missing values, and value labels
  • Summary output tables that describe the file differences
  • Creation of new datasets that contain only matched cases or only mismatched cases

Syntax

  • The COMPDATASET and VARIABLES subcommand are required. All other subcommands are optional.
  • All subcommands must be spelled out in full. Abbreviation is not allowed.

Operations

  • Split file and filter status are ignored.
  • This command only compares IBM SPSS Statistics data files or datasets already open in the current session.