Flip command and string vars

[Maguin, Eugene]

Given a dataset of only string vars of the same dimension, e.g., a5, I’m curious as to why the Flip command returns sysmis for the rearranged dataset. I understand that this is a very specific situation and maybe that’s a good enough reason. And I understand why flip won’t work for a mixed dataset of either strings and numeric or strings of varying dimensions.

Gene Maguin

[Albert-Jan Roskam]

It's documented by I have no idea why it behaves this way. In R you can use t(), so with a string-only dataset you can do:

begin program r.
cases = spssdata.GetCaseCount()
dta <- as.data.frame(t(spssdata.GetDataFromSPSS()))
varName <- paste("v", 1:cases, sep="")
varLabel <- rep("", cases)
varType <- rep(8, cases)  # assume only A8 vars
varFormat <- rep("A8", cases)
varMeasurementLevel <- rep("nominal", cases)
dict <- as.data.frame(t(data.frame(varName, varLabel, varType, varFormat, varMeasurementLevel)))
rownames(dict)  <- c("varName", "varLabel", "varType", "varFormat", "varMeasurementLevel")
names(dict) <- varName
spssdictionary.SetDictionaryToSPSS("transposed", dict)
spssdata.SetDataToSPSS("transposed", dta)
spssdictionary.EndDataStep()
end program.

Regards,

Albert-Jan



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a

fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 11/19/13, Maguin, Eugene <[hidden email]> wrote:

 Subject: [SPSSX-L] Flip command and string vars
 To: [hidden email]
 Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 4:28 PM









 Given a dataset of only
 string vars of the same dimension, e.g., a5, I’m
 curious as to why the Flip command returns sysmis for the
 rearranged dataset. I understand that this is a very
 specific situation and maybe that’s a good enough
 reason.
  And I understand why flip won’t work for a mixed
 dataset of either strings and numeric or strings of varying
 dimensions.

 Gene Maguin

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[David Marso]

In all likelihood because FLIP is a brain-dead procedure and all the smart people were on vacation when they had the design meetings (FLIP is certainly pre 1990).  
Hint Gene:  Both VARSTOCASES and CASESTOVARS respect strings.
Furthermore they can use mixed length strings (setting the result to maximum).
In response to many angry callers and faxes, I created a 'workaround' in the early 90's using XSAVE in a loop followed by a VECTOR/AGGREGATE combo.  IIRC it was a pain because VECTOR also requires same size strings. To make it flexible required building a new set of variables with a known max-size and tossing those into the XSAVE loop.
That is now happily long obsolete since VARSTOCASES and CASESTOVARS (circa 2000 or so).  

DATA LIST FREE / a b (2A1) c d z (3A6).
BEGIN DATA
a b c d z
z d c b a
END DATA.

VARSTOCASES /ID=id /MAKE stack FROM a TO z /INDEX=oldvar(stack) .
ALTER TYPE  id (a10).
COMPUTE id=CONCAT("Case_",LTRIM(id)).
SORT CASES BY oldvar id.
CASESTOVARS /ID=oldvar/INDEX=id /GROUPBY=VARIABLE.

Maguin, Eugene wrote

Given a dataset of only string vars of the same dimension, e.g., a5, I'm curious as to why the Flip command returns sysmis for the rearranged dataset. I understand that this is a very specific situation and maybe that's a good enough reason. And I understand why flip won't work for a mixed dataset of either strings and numeric or strings of varying dimensions.
Gene Maguin

[David Marso]

Where is my sharpened spoon ;-)

Albert-Jan Roskam wrote

It's documented by I have no idea why it behaves this way. In R you can use t(), so with a string-only dataset you can do:

begin program r.
cases = spssdata.GetCaseCount()
dta <- as.data.frame(t(spssdata.GetDataFromSPSS()))
varName <- paste("v", 1:cases, sep="")
varLabel <- rep("", cases)
varType <- rep(8, cases)  # assume only A8 vars
varFormat <- rep("A8", cases)
varMeasurementLevel <- rep("nominal", cases)
dict <- as.data.frame(t(data.frame(varName, varLabel, varType, varFormat, varMeasurementLevel)))
rownames(dict)  <- c("varName", "varLabel", "varType", "varFormat", "varMeasurementLevel")
names(dict) <- varName
spssdictionary.SetDictionaryToSPSS("transposed", dict)
spssdata.SetDataToSPSS("transposed", dta)
spssdictionary.EndDataStep()
end program.

Regards,

Albert-Jan



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a

fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 11/19/13, Maguin, Eugene <[hidden email]> wrote:

 Subject: [SPSSX-L] Flip command and string vars
 To: [hidden email]
 Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 4:28 PM









 Given a dataset of only
 string vars of the same dimension, e.g., a5, I’m
 curious as to why the Flip command returns sysmis for the
 rearranged dataset. I understand that this is a very
 specific situation and maybe that’s a good enough
 reason.
  And I understand why flip won’t work for a mixed
 dataset of either strings and numeric or strings of varying
 dimensions.

 Gene Maguin

=====================
To manage your subscription to SPSSX-L, send a message to
[hidden email] (not to SPSSX-L), with no body text except the
command. To leave the list, send the command
SIGNOFF SPSSX-L
For a list of commands to manage subscriptions, send the command
INFO REFCARD