SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

FILE TYPE—END FILE TYPE 573
GROUPED Grouped file type. GROUPED defines a file in which cases are defined by
grouping together record types with the same identification number. Each
case usually has one record of each type. All records for a single case must
be together in the file. By default, the program assumes that the records are
in the same sequence within each case.
NESTED Nested file type. NESTED defines a file in which the record types are related
to each other hierarchically. The record types are grouped together by a case
identification number that identifies the highest level—the first record
type—of the hierarchy. Usually, the last record type specified—the lowest
level of the hierarchy—defines a case. For example, in a file containing
household records and records for each person living in the household, each
person record defines a case. Information from higher record types may be
spread to each case. For example, the value for a variable on the household
record, such as CITY, can be spread to the records for each person in the
household.
Subcommands and Their Defaults for Each File Type
The specifications on the FILE TYPE differ for each type of file. Table 1 shows whether each
subcommand is required or optional and, where applicable, what the default specification is
for each file type. N/A indicates that the subcommand is not applicable to that type of file.
Table 1 Summary of FILE TYPE subcommands for different file types
Subcommand Mixed Grouped Nested
FILE Conditional Conditional Conditional
RECORD Required Required Required
CASE Not Applicable Required Optional
WILD NOWARN WARN NOWARN
DUPLICATE N/A WARN NOWARN
MISSING N/A WARN NOWARN
ORDERED N/A YES N/A
• FILE is required unless data are inline (included between BEGIN DATA—END DATA).
• RECORD is always required.
• CASE is required for grouped files.
• The subcommands CASE, DUPLICATE, and MISSING can also be specified on the associated
RECORD TYPE commands for grouped files. However, DUPLICATE=CASE is invalid.
• For nested files, CASE and MISSING can be specified on the associated RECORD TYPE
commands.
• If the subcommands CASE, DUPLICATE, or MISSING are specified on a RECORD TYPE
command, the specification on the FILE TYPE command (or the default) is overridden
only for the record types listed on that RECORD TYPE command. The FILE TYPE specification
or default applies to all other record types.