Have you ever needed to do some major data management in SPSS and ended up with a syntax program that’s pages long? This is the kind you couldn’t even do with the menus, because you’d tear your hair out with frustration because it took you four weeks to create some new variables.
I hope you’ve gotten started using Syntax, which not only gives you a record of how you’ve recoded and created all those new variables and exactly which options you chose in the data analysis you’ve done.
But once you get started, you start to realize that some things feel a little clunky. You have to run the same descriptive analysis on 47 different variables. And while cutting and pasting is a heck of a lot easier than doing that in the menus, you wonder if there isn’t a better way.
There is.
SPSS syntax actually has a number of ways to increase programming efficiency, including macros, do loops, repeats.
I admit I haven’t used this stuff a lot, but I’m increasingly seeing just how useful it can be. I’m much better trained in doing these kinds of things in SAS, so I admit I have been known to just import data into SAS to run manipulations.
But I just came across a great resources on doing sophisticated SPSS Syntax Programming, and it looks like some fabulous bedtime reading. (Seriously).
And the best part is you can download it (or order it, if you’d like a copy to take to bed) from the author’s website, Raynald’s SPSS Tools, itself a great source of info on mastering SPSS.
So once you’ve gotten into the habit of hitting Paste instead of Okay, and gotten a bit used to SPSS syntax, and you’re ready to step your skills up a notch, this looks like a fabulous book.
[Edit]: As per Jon Peck in the comments below, the most recent version is now available at www.ibm.com/developerworks/spssdevcentral under Books and Articles.
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