SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

FLIP
FLIP [[VARIABLES=] {ALL }]
{varlist}
[/NEWNAMES=variable]
Example
FLIP VARIABLES=WEEK1 TO WEEK52 /NEWNAMES=DEPT.
Overview
Options
The program requires a file structure in which the variables are the columns and observations
(cases) are the rows. If a file is organized such that variables are in rows and observations are
in columns, you need to use FLIP to reorganize it. FLIP transposes the rows and columns of the
data in the working data file so that, for example, row 1, column 2 becomes row 2, column 1,
and so forth.
Variable Subsets. You can transpose specific variables (columns) from the original file using
the VARIABLES subcommand.
Variable Names. You can use the values of one of the variables from the original file as the
variable names in the new file, using the NEWNAMES subcommand.
Basic Specification
The basic specification is the command keyword FLIP, which transposes all rows and columns.
• By default, FLIP assigns variable names VAR001 to VARn to the variables in the new file.
It also creates the new variable CASE_LBL, whose values are the variable names that
existed before transposition.
Subcommand Order
VARIABLES must precede NEWNAMES.
Operations
• FLIP replaces the working data file with the transposed file and displays a list of variable
names in the transposed file.
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