SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

Matrix Input
PROXIMITIES 1289
• The matrices PROXIMITIES writes can be used by PROXIMITIES or other procedures.
Procedures CLUSTER and ALSCAL can read a proximity matrix directly. Procedure
FACTOR can read a correlation matrix written by PROXIMITIES, but RECODE must first
be used to change the ROWTYPE_ value PROX to ROWTYPE_ value CORR. Also, the ID
subcommand cannot be used on PROXIMITIES if the matrix will be used in FACTOR. For
more information, see “Universals” on p. 3 in Volume I.
• If VIEW=VARIABLE, the variables in the matrix file will have the names and labels of the
original variables.
• If VIEW=CASE (the default), the variables in the matrix file will be named VAR1, VAR2,
...VARn, where n is the sequential number of the variable in the new file. The numeric
suffix n is consecutive and does not necessarily match the number of the actual case. If
there are no split files, the case number appears in the variable label in the form CASE m.
The numeric suffix m is the actual case number and may not be consecutive (for example,
if cases were selected before PROXIMITIES was executed).
• If VIEW=CASE, a numeric variable CASENO_ is added to the matrix file. Values of
CASENO_ are the case numbers in the original file.
• The new file preserves the names and values of any split-file variables in effect. When
split-file processing is in effect, no labels are generated for variables in the new file. The
actual case number is retained by the variable ID.
• Any documents contained in the working data file are not transferred to the matrix file.
• PROXIMITIES can read a matrix file written by a previous PROXIMITIES procedure.
• Values for split-file variables should precede values for ROWTYPE_. CASENO_ and the
labeling variable (if present) should come after ROWTYPE_ and before VARNAME_.
• If CASENO_ is of type string rather than numeric, it will be considered unavailable and
a warning is issued.
• If CASENO_ appears on a variable list, a syntax error results.
• PROXIMITIES ignores unrecognized ROWTYPE_ values. In addition, it ignores variables
present in the matrix file that are not specified (or used by default) on the PROXIMITIES
variable list.
• The program reads variable names, variable and value labels, and print and write formats
from the dictionary of the matrix data file.
• MATRIX=IN cannot be used unless a working data file has already been defined. To read
an existing matrix data file at the beginning of a session, first use GET to retrieve the
matrix file and then specify IN(*) on MATRIX.
• When you read a matrix created with MATRIX DATA, you should supply a value label for
PROX of either SIMILARITY or DISSIMILARITY so the matrix is correctly identified. If
you do not supply a label, PROXIMITIES assumes DISSIMILARITY. (See “Format of the
Matrix Data File” below.)
• The variable list on PROXIMITIES can be omitted when a matrix file is used as input.
When the variable list is omitted, all variables in the matrix data file are used in the