How can I use Sociometrics SPSS command files with SPSS for Windows?
SPSS Windows command files are available for nearly
all of Sociometrics data archives (DAAPPP datasets 01-B1 are not included).
You can download SPSS Windows command files from our public ftp site
(ftp://www.socio.com/pub/SPSS_win).
All of the SPSS Windows files are grouped together by archive. Go to
the archive of interest, e.g., MDA for Maternal Drug Abuse data archive,
then shift + click on the command file you wish to download. For example,
the SPSS windows command file for MDA dataset 13 is MDA13.SPW.
Users of the classic DAAPPP datasets (01-B1) can edit SPSS command files
by hand to use with SPSS for Windows. If you have purchased a single
Sociometrics data set, the SPSS command file labeled with the .SPX extension
can be used in SPSS Windows. If you are using Sociometrics Search &
Retrieval/Extract Software, create your extract command file for SPSSx
(the "mainframe" version of SPSS).
Step 1. Rename (or name) your syntax file with the extension SPS e.g., dap01.sps.
Step 2. Start SPSS Windows. Click on the FILE pulldown menu. Select OPEN, then select SPSS SYNTAX from the option box on the right.
Step 3. Type in the name and path location of the
SPSS program statement file you want to use in the window, OR use the
mouse to highlight and double click on the file. Press Enter
or click on the
OK button to read the file into the window.
Step 4. The program statement file should appear in the syntax window. Some lines in the file must be edited; you may edit the file directly in the syntax window. The following lines should be modified (older datasets use antiquated SPSS command language):
- Delete the line: SET PRINTBACK / WIDTH = 80
- Delete the line: FILE HANDLE input / FILE = filename.dat
- Edit the line "DATA LIST FILE input RECORDS = N"
as follows:
DATA LIST FILE = "filename.raw" RECORDS = N
Replace the word "input" with the name of the raw data file. Include the drive designation or path name when the raw data file is located in another directory, on a CD-ROM, or on a floppy disk
d:\filename.raw
c:\test\filename.raw
b:\filename.raw
Be sure to enclose the name in quotes.
- Add the command terminator . (a period) to the
end the complete data list file command, after the last variable
in the data list. (Hint: A new section of command syntax will
always be aligned to the farthest left text column; all indented
text that follows is still part of that same command.)
In Sociometrics' SPSS syntax files, the following commands are used: DATA LIST FILE, VARIABLE LABELS, and VALUE LABELS. Frequently, the commands Missing DATA and RECODE are used as well.
-
For example, the command "variable labels" includes syntax that labels variables defined in the data list command. A period should be added after the last label, outside the quotation marks:
VARIABLE LABELS
MEX11001 "* RESPONDENT ID "
HVL11002 "* MONTH HTLV3/HIV TEST "
HVL11003 "* DAY HTLV3/HIV TEST "
HVL11004 "* YEAR HTLV3/HIV TEST "
SAB11295 "* SHOT OTHER DRUGS LAST 1 YR "
SAB11296 "* SHARED OTHER DRUGS LAST 1 YR "
SAB11297 "* # TIMES USED OTHER DRUGS LAST 5 YRS "
SAB11298 "* # TIMES USED OTHER DRUGS LAST 1 YR ".
This command delimiter tells SPSS For Windows that it has reached the end of the variable label list.
- To create a permanent system file, add the following command
line to the bottom of the file:
save outfile = "/path/filename.sav".
Step 5. To run the program, highlight the entire
syntax file by pressing CTRL+A or clicking on Edit,
Select, All. The entire file should be highlighted.
Click the RUN button on the upper left part of the
syntax window. The progress of the run will be echoed in the output
window. The permanent system file will be saved in the c:\spsswin subdirectory
unless otherwise specified.
