User Guide

107
Data Preparati
on

The measurement level for the target variable(s) is always replaced.
 If either the source or target variable has a defined range of missing values,
missing valu
es definitions are not copied.
Copying Data Properties
The Copy Data Properties Wizard provides the ability to use an external SPSS data
file as a tem
plate for defining file and variable properties in the working data file.
You can also use variables in the working data file as templates for other variables in
the working data file. You can:
 Copy selected file properties from an external data file to the working data file.
File properties include documents, file labels, multiple response sets, variable
sets, and w
eighting.
 Copy sele
cted variable properties from an external data file to matching variables
in the working data file. Variable properties include value labels, missing values,
level of measurement, variable labels, print and write formats, alignment, and
column wi
dth(intheDataEditor).
 Copy sel
ected variable properties from one variable in either an external data file
or the working data file to many variables in the working data file.
 Create new variables in the working data file based on selected variables in
an external data file.
When copying data properties, the following general rules apply:
 If you use an external data file as the source data file, it must be an SPSS-format
data file
.
 If you us
e the working data file as the source data file, it must contain at least
one variable. You cannot use a completely blank working data file as the source
data file.
 Undefined (empty) properties in the source data file do not overwrite defined
propert
ies in the working data file.
 Var ia b
le properties are copied from the source variable only to target variables
of a matching type—string (alphanumeric) or numeric (including numeric,
date, and currency).