SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

UPDATE
UPDATE FILE={master file}
{* }
[/RENAME=(old varnames=new varnames)...]
[/IN=varname]
/FILE={transaction file1}
{* }
[/FILE=transaction file2]
/BY key variables
[/MAP]
[/KEEP={ALL** }] [/DROP=varlist]
{varlist}
**Default if the subcommand is omitted.
Example
UPDATE FILE=MAILIST /FILE=NEWLIST /BY=ID.
Overview
Options
UPDATE replaces values in a master file with updated values recorded in one or more files
called transaction files. Cases in the master file and transaction file are matched according
to a key variable.
The master file and the transaction files must be SPSS-format data files created with the
SAVE or XSAVE commands or the working data file. UPDATE replaces values and creates a
new working data file, which replaces the original working file. Use the SAVE or XSAVE
commands to save the updated file on disk as an SPSS-format data file.
UPDATE is designed to update values of existing variables for existing cases. Use MATCH
FILES to add new variables to an SPSS-format data file and ADD FILES to add new cases.
Variable Selection. You can specify which variables from each input file are included in the
new working file using the DROP and KEEP subcommands.
Variable Names. You can rename variables in each input file before combining the files
using the RENAME subcommand. This permits you to combine variables that are the same
but whose names differ in different input files, or to separate variables that are different but
have the same name.
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