I have a dataset with preliminary data that I am looking at. I have hidden variables that are extraneous, and have set my variable/column attributes for the set I wish to work with. Is it possible to then apply these settings to a new dataset (e.g., another, identical dataset with more cases), or will I have to reclean/format my data when that time comes?
Thank you!
There are a number of approaches to doing this. Some get quite scripty. A quick and dirty way to do this is to take your template file, delete all the data (this becomes your "headers only file"). With the headers only file active, concatenate the new data (Tables/Concatenate). As long as the new data has the same column names as the headers file this works pretty well.
Thank you. I will give that a try. Will that maintain grouped variables as well?
ummm ... this is really a reminder to myself. I end doing this all the time when I am preparing datasets for predictive modelling. I always end up building simple scripts to do it. It's a good candidate for an addin, so I'll take a look it when I'm getting abit tired of eating turkey.
Dave