Opening older SPSS files

[Franson, Jessica Leigh]

Hi everyone,

I have an SPSS file that was created in v. 11. I'm not trying to open it in v.14 and can only view the variables. None of the data appear when I open the file. Does anyone have any suggestions for accessing the data?

Thanks,
Jessica

Jessica L. Franson
Instructional Technologist/Statistical Software Consultant
Network for Excellence in Teaching
Learning & Technology Services
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
(p) 715.836.4734
(f) 715.836.6001
http://www.uwec.edu/net

[Richard Ristow]

At 12:52 PM 4/4/2007, Franson, Jessica Leigh wrote:

>I have an SPSS file that was created in v. 11. I'm not trying to open
>it in v.14 and can only view the variables. None of the data appear
>when I open the file. Does anyone have any suggestions for accessing
>the data?

Assuming that these are both Windows versions of SPSS, files are
supposed to be backward compatible that far, and several releases
farther (to 7, I think).

However, SPSS doesn't always populate the data editor, or fully
populate it, when it opens a file; I think that 14 and 15 are
particularly prone to this.

So, one thing to try: open the file, and run a simple analysis, like a
FREQUNCIES. Of course, if it's a variable whose frequencies you know
already, so you can check that it came through correctly, so much the
better.

If it turns out that the frequency table is correct, and that you can
then see everything in the data editor, you've hit the problem I wrote
of, or something similar, and forcing SPSS to read the whole file,
fixed it. (Every procedure reads the whole file.)

If that doesn't work, post the full log with the GET FILE and the
FREQUENCIES.

-Good luck and good wishes,
  Richard Ristow