SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

1290 PROXIMITIES
analysis. If a variable list is specified, the specified variables can be a subset of the variables
in the matrix file.
• With a large number of variables, the matrix data file will wrap when it is displayed (as
with LIST) and will be difficult to read. Nonetheless, the matrix values are accurate and
can be used as matrix input.
Format of the Matrix Data File
Split Files
Example
• The matrix data file includes three special variables created by the program: ROWTYPE_
and VARNAME_. Variable ROWTYPE_ is a short string variable with value PROX (for
proximity measure). PROX is assigned value labels containing the distance measure used
to create the matrix and either SIMILARITY or DISSIMILARITY as an identifier. Variable
VARNAME_ is a short string variable whose values are the names of the new variables.
Variable CASENO_ is a numeric variable with values equal to the original case numbers.
• The matrix file includes the string variable named on the ID subcommand. This variable
is used to identify cases. Up to 20 characters can be displayed for the identifier variable;
longer values are truncated. The identifier variable is present only when VIEW=CASE (the
default) and when the ID subcommand is used.
• The remaining variables in the matrix file are the variables used to form the matrix.
• When split-file processing is in effect, the first variables in the matrix system file are the
split variables, followed by ROWTYPE_, the case-identifier variable (if VIEW=CASE and
ID are used), VARNAME_, and the variables that make up the matrix.
• A full set of matrix materials is written for each split-file group defined by the split variables.
• A split variable cannot have the same name as any other variable written to the matrix
data file.
• If split-file processing is in effect when a matrix is written, the same split file must be in
effect when that matrix is read by any procedure.
PROXIMITIES V1 TO V20
/MATRIX=OUT(DISTOUT).
• PROXIMITIES produces a default Euclidean distance matrix for cases using variables V1
through V20 and saves the matrix in the SPSS-format file DISTOUT.
• The names of the variables on the matrix file will be VAR1, VAR2, ...VARn.