Data View

Many of the features of Data View are similar to the features that are found in spreadsheet applications. There are, however, several important distinctions:

• Rows are cases. Each row represents a case or an observation. For example, each individual respondent to a questionnaire is a case.
• Columns are variables. Each column represents a variable or characteristic that is being measured. For example, each item on a questionnaire is a variable.
• Cells contain values. Each cell contains a single value of a variable for a case. The cell is where the case and the variable intersect. Cells contain only data values. Unlike spreadsheet programs, cells in the Data Editor cannot contain formulas.
• The data file is rectangular. The dimensions of the data file are determined by the number of cases and variables. You can enter data in any cell. If you enter data in a cell outside the boundaries of the defined data file, the data rectangle is extended to include any rows and/or columns between that cell and the file boundaries. There are no "empty" cells within the boundaries of the data file. For numeric variables, blank cells are converted to the system-missing value. For string variables, a blank is considered a valid value.