Input Programs (INPUT PROGRAM-END INPUT PROGRAM command)

The program builds the active dataset dictionary when it encounters commands that create and define variables. At the same time, the program builds an input program that constructs cases and an optional transformation program that modifies cases prior to analysis or display. By the time the program encounters a procedure command that tells it to read the data, the active dataset dictionary is ready, and the programs that construct and modify the cases in the active dataset are built.

The internal input program is usually built from either a single DATA LIST command or from any of the commands that read or combine IBM® SPSS® Statistics data files (for example, GET, ADD FILES, MATCH FILES, UPDATE, and so on). The input program can also be built from the FILE TYPE-END FILE TYPE structure used to define nested, mixed, or grouped files. The third type of input program is specified with the INPUT PROGRAM-END INPUT PROGRAM commands.

With INPUT PROGRAM-END INPUT PROGRAM, you can create your own input program to perform many different operations on raw data. You can use transformation commands to build cases. You can read nonrectangular files, concatenate raw data files, and build cases selectively. You can also create an active dataset without reading any data at all.