User Guide

185
File Handling a
nd Fi le Transformations
Figure 8-5
Aggregate Data dialog box
Break Variable(s). Cases are grouped together based on the values of the break
variables. Each unique combination of break variable values defines a group. When
creating a new, aggregated data file, all break variables are saved in the new file with
their existing names and dictionary information. The break variable can be either
numeric or string.
Aggregate Variable(s). Source variables are used with aggregate functions to create
new aggregate variables. The aggregate variable name is followed by an optional
variable label in quotes, the name of the aggregate function, and the source variable
name in parentheses. Source variables for aggregate functions must be numeric.
You can override the default aggregate variable names with new variable names,
provide descriptive variable labels, and change the functions used to compute the
aggregated data values. You can also create a variable that contains the number
of cases in each break group.