Text Wizard: Step 2

This step provides information about variables. A variable is similar to a field in a database. For example, each item in a questionnaire is a variable.

How are your variables arranged? To read your data properly, the Text Wizard needs to know how to determine where the data value for one variable ends and the data value for the next variable begins. The arrangement of variables defines the method used to differentiate one variable from the next.

• Delimited. Spaces, commas, tabs, or other characters are used to separate variables. The variables are recorded in the same order for each case but not necessarily in the same column locations.
• Fixed width. Each variable is recorded in the same column location on the same record (line) for each case in the data file. No delimiter is required between variables. In fact, in many text data files generated by computer programs, data values may appear to run together without even spaces separating them. The column location determines which variable is being read.

  Note: The Text Wizard cannot read fixed-width Unicode text files. You can use the DATA LIST command to read fixed-width Unicode files. See the topic DATA LIST for more information.

Are variable names included at the top of your file? If the first row of the data file contains descriptive labels for each variable, you can use these labels as variable names. Values that don't conform to variable naming rules are converted to valid variable names. For information on variable naming rules, see Variable Names.