SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

184 CASESTOVARS
INDEX Subcommand
In the original data, a variable appears in a single column. In the new data file, that variable
will appear in multiple new columns. The INDEX subcommand names the variables in the
original data that should be used to create the new columns. INDEX variables are also used to
name the new columns.
Optionally, with the GROUPBY subcommand, INDEX variables can be used to determine
the order of the new columns, and, with the VIND subcommand, INDEX variables can be used
to create indicator variables.
• String variables can be used as index variables. They cannot contain blank values for rows
in the original data that qualify for inclusion in the new data file.
• Numeric variables can be used as index variables. They must contain only non-negative
integer values and cannot have system-missing or blank values.
• Within each row group in the original file, each row must have a different combination
of values of the index variables.
• If the INDEX subcommand is not used, the index starts with 1 within each row group and
increments each time a new value is encountered in the original variable.
• Variables listed on the INDEX subcommand may not appear on the ID, FIXED, or DROP
subcommands.
• Index variables are not are not candidates to become a variable group in the new data file.
VIND Subcommand
The VIND subcommand creates indicator variables in the new data file. An indicator variable
indicates the presence or absence of a value for a case. An indicator variable has the value of
1 if the case has a value; otherwise, it is 0.
• One new indicator variable is created for each unique value of the variables specified on
the INDEX subcommand.
• If the INDEX subcommand is not used, an indicator variable is created each time a new
value is encountered within a row group.
• An optional rootname can be specified after the ROOT keyword on the subcommand. The
default rootname is ind.
• The format for the new indicator variables is F1.0.
Example
If the original variables are:
insure caseid month bps bpd
and the data are as shown in the first example, the commands:
SPLIT FILE BY insure.
CASESTOVARS
/ID=caseid
/INDEX=month
/VIND
/DROP=caseid bpd.