User Guide

85
Data Editor
The \n is not displayed in pivot tables or charts; it is interpreted as a line break
character.
Missing Values
Missing Values defines specified data values as user-missing.Itisoftenuseful
to know why information is missing. For example, you might want to distinguish
between da
ta missing because a respondent refused to answer and data missing
because the question didn’t apply to that respondent. Data values specified
as user-missing are flagged for special treatment and are excluded from most
calculati
ons.
Figure 5-6
Missing Values dialog box
 You can enter up to three discrete (individual) missing values, a range of missing
values, or a range plus one discrete value.
 Ranges can be specified only for numeric variables.
 You cannot define missing values for long string variables (string variables longer
than eight characters).
Missing values for string variables. All string values, including null or blank values,
are considered to be valid unless you explicitly define them as missing. To define
null or blank values as missing for a string variable, enter a single space in one of
the fields under the
Discrete missing values selection.
To Define Missing Values
E Click the button in the Missing cell for the variable that you want to define.