Routing output to IBM SPSS Statistics data files

A data file in IBM® SPSS® Statistics format consists of variables in the columns and cases in the rows, which is essentially the format in which pivot tables are converted to data files:

• Columns in the table are variables in the data file. Valid variable names are constructed from the column labels.
• Row labels in the table become variables with generic variable names (Var1, Var2, Var3, and so on) in the data file. The values of these variables are the row labels in the table.
• Three table-identifier variables are automatically included in the data file: Command_, Subtype_, and Label_. All three are string variables. The first two variables correspond to the command and subtype identifiers. See the topic Command identifiers and table subtypes for more information. Label_ contains the table title text.
• Rows in the table become cases in the data file.

The following topics show some basic examples of IBM SPSS Statistics data files generated from pivot tables:

• Multiple Tables
• Controlling Column Elements to Control Variables in the Data File