user manual

43
Building Streams
A runnable node that processes stream data is known as a terminal node. A modeling or
output node is
a ter minal node if it is located at the end of a strea m o r stream branch. You cannot
connec t further nodes to a terminal node.
Note: You can customize the Nodes palette. For more inform ation, see the topic Customizing
the Nodes Palette in Chapter 12 on p. 223.
Adding Nodes to a Stream
There ar e several ways to add nodes to a stream from the nodes palette:
 Doub le-click a node on the palette. Note: Double-clicking a node automatically connects it
to the current stream. For more information, see th e topic Connecting Nodes in a Stream
on p. 43.
 Drag and dr op a node from the palette to the stream canvas.
 Click a node on the palette, a nd then click the stream canvas.
 Select an appropriate option from the Insert menu of IBM® SPSS® Modeler.
Once you have added a node to the stream canvas, double - click the node to display its dia log box.
The available options depend on the type of node that you ar e adding. For information about
specific controls within the dialog box, c lick its Help button.
Removing Nodes
To remove a node from the data s tream, click it a nd either press the Delete key, or right-click and
select Delete from the menu.
Connecting Nodes in a Stream
Nodes added to the stream canvas do not form a data stream unti l they have been connected.
Connections between the nodes ind icate the direction of the data as it flows from one operation
to the next. There are a number o f ways to connect nodes to form a stream: double - clicking ,
using the middle mouse button, or manually.
To Add and Connect Nodes by Double-Clicking
The simplest way to form a stream is to double-c lick no des on the palet te. This method
automatically connects the new node to the selected node on the stream canvas. For exam ple, if
the canvas contains a Database node, you can select this node and then double-click the next node
from the palette, such as a Derive node. This action a utomatically connects the Derive node to
the existing Database node. You can repeat this process until you have reached a terminal nod e,
such as a Histogram or Table node, at which point an y new nod es will be conn ected to the last
non-terminal node upstream.