This is just a guess, but for text data files, Get Data and Data List column locations and variable widths represent bytes, not characters; so for double-byte string values it's possible to accidently specify a variable column span or variable width that cuts off a value in the middle of a double-byte character. SPSS doesn't know what to do with half a character; so you get a warning and an exclamation point.
-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:
[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Sam Ballard
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 5:03 PM
To:
[hidden email]
Subject: Strange Error Message
Dear Listserve,
I'm processing a DAT file and I'm getting the error below. The case that
the error references appears to be blank in the raw file. I guess it is
possible there is a ghost character in the cell.
Has anyone encountered this problem?
Does anyone have a solution?
Why would the software insert an exclamation point?
>Warning # 1158
>An invalid character was encountered in a field read under an A format.
In
>double-byte data such as Japanese, Chinese, or Korean text, this could be
>caused by a single character being split between two fields. The
character
>will be treated as an exclamation point.
>Command line: 14049 Current case: 1026 Current splitfile group: 1
>Field contents: '!!!!!'
>Record number: 1026 Starting column: 240 Record length: 8192
Thanks,
Sam Ballard
SDCCD
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