SPSS® 12.0 Command Syntax Reference

950 MATRIX—END MATRIX
• If more than one SAVE statement writes to the working data file in a single matrix program,
the dictionary of the new working data file is written on the basis of the information given
by the first such SAVE. All the subsequently saved matrices are appended to the new
working data file as additional cases. If the number of columns differs, an error occurs.
• When you execute a matrix program with the INCLUDE command, the SAVE statement
creates a new SPSS data file at the end of the matrix program’s execution, so any attempt
to GET the data file obtains the original data file, if any.
• When you execute a matrix program from a syntax window, SAVE creates a new SPSS data
file immediately, but the file remains open, so you cannot GET it until after the END MATRIX
statement.
VARIABLES Specification
You can provide variable names for the SPSS data file with the VARIABLES specification.
The variable list is a list of valid SPSS variable names separated by commas.
• You can use the TO convention, as shown in the example below.
• You can also use the NAMES specification, discussed below, to provide variable names.
Example
SAVE {A,B,X,Y} /OUTFILE=*
/VARIABLES = A,B,X1 TO X50,Y1,Y2.
• The matrix expression on the SAVE statement constructs a matrix from two column vectors
A and B and two matrices X and Y. All four matrix variables must have the same number of
rows so that this matrix construction will be valid.
• The VARIABLES specification provides descriptive names so that the SPSS variable names
in the new working data file will resemble the names used in the matrix program.
NAMES Specification
As an alternative to the explicit list on the VARIABLES specification, you can specify a name
list with a matrix expression that evaluates to a vector containing string values. The elements
of this vector are used as names for the variables.
• The NAMES specification on SAVE is designed to complement the NAMES specification on
the GET statement. Names extracted from an SPSS data file can be used in a new data file
by specifying the same vector name on both NAMES specifications.
• If you specify both VARIABLES and NAMES, a warning message is displayed and the
VARIABLES specification is used.
• If you omit both the VARIABLES and NAMES specifications, or if you do not specify names
for all columns of the matrix, the MATRIX procedure creates default names. The names have
the form COLn, where n is the column number.