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SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

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638 GET TRANSLATE<br />

Databases<br />

Database files are logically very similar to SPSS-format data files.<br />

• By default, all fields and records from dBASE II, dBASE III, or dBASE IV files are<br />

included in the working data file.<br />

• Field names are automatically translated into variable names. If the FIELDNAMES<br />

subcommand is used with database files, it is ignored.<br />

• Field names are converted to valid SPSS variable names. For information on variable<br />

naming rules, see “Variable Names” on p. 21<br />

• Colons used in dBASE II field names are translated to underscores.<br />

• Records in dBASE II, dBASE III, or dBASE IV that have been marked for deletion but<br />

that have not actually been purged are included in the working data file. To differentiate<br />

these cases, GET TRANSLATE creates a new string variable D_R, which contains an asterisk<br />

for cases marked for deletion. Other cases contain a blank for D_R.<br />

• Character, floating, and numeric fields are transferred directly to variables. Logical fields<br />

are converted into string variables. Memo fields are ignored.<br />

dBASE formats are translated as follows:<br />

dBASE SPSS<br />

Character String<br />

Logical String<br />

Date Date<br />

Numeric Number<br />

Floating Number<br />

Memo Ignored<br />

Tab-delimited ASCII Files<br />

Tab-delimited ASCII files are simple spreadsheets produced by a text editor, with the<br />

columns delimited by tabs and rows by carriage returns. The first row is usually occupied by<br />

column headings.<br />

• By default all columns of all rows are treated as data. Default variable names VAR1, VAR2,<br />

and so on are assigned to each column. The data type (numeric or string) for each variable<br />

is determined by the first data value in the column.<br />

• If FIELDNAMES is specified, the program reads in the first row as variable names and<br />

determines data type by the values in from the second row.<br />

• Any value that contains non-numeric characters is considered a string value. Dollar and date<br />

formats are not recognized and are treated as strings. When string values are encountered<br />

for a numeric variable, they are converted to the system-missing value.<br />

• For numeric variables, the assigned format is F8.2 or the format of the first data value in<br />

the column, whichever is wider. Values that exceed the defined width are rounded for<br />

display, but the entire value is stored internally.

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