Troubleshooting
Problem
I am using SPSS Base. I'd like a simple way to generate syntax when I define my variable properties. Is there a way to do this in SPSS?
Resolving The Problem
Define Variable Properties is designed to assist you in the process of creating descriptive value labels for categorical (nominal, ordinal) variables.
From the menus choose:
Data->Define Variable Properties...
Select the numeric or short string variables for which you want to create value labels or define or change other variable properties, such as missing values or descriptive variable labels.
Note: Long string variables (string variables with a defined width of more than eight characters) are not displayed in the variable list. Long string variables cannot have defined value labels or missing values categories.
Specify the number of cases to scan to generate the list of unique values. This is particularly useful for data files with a large number of cases for which a scan of the complete data file might take a significant amount of time.
Specify an upper limit for the number of unique values to display. This is primarily useful to prevent listing hundreds, thousands, or even millions of values for scale (continuous interval, ratio) variables.
Click Continue to open the main Define Variable Properties dialog box.
Select a variable for which you want to create value labels or define or change other variable properties.
Enter the label text for any unlabeled values that are displayed in the Value Label grid.
If there are values for which you want to create value labels but those values are not displayed, you can enter values in the Value column below the last scanned value.
Repeat this process for each listed variable for which you want to create value labels.
Click OK to apply the value labels and other variable properties.
Optionally, you can:
Automatically determine an appropriate measurement level for a variable.
Copy value labels and the measurement level from another variable to the selected variable.
Copy value labels and the measurement level from the selected variable to multiple other variables.
Auto-label values that don't have value labels, using the data value as the label.
Designate categories as containing missing values.
Change the variable label and/or display format
Related Information
Historical Number
54093
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Document Information
More support for:
IBM SPSS Statistics
Software version:
Not Applicable
Operating system(s):
iOS, Windows
Document number:
421235
Modified date:
16 April 2020
UID
swg21480881