id nums

[DianeG Cohen]

Hi all,

I have a list of 300 residents, and each needs a unique id number for a
software data entry program I use.

I create the data base in SPSS then save it in Excel.

Numbering scheme - variable is called USERID.
 RES differentiates this testing group as Residents.  I also have NUR
(nurses) MEDS (medical students), etc.
RES08001 is the first resident; RES08300 is the last resident.
08 indicates this year's group - last year the first resident was RES07001.


I copied and pasted all of the RES07001 id numbers into the RES08001 data
base.  I am now going into each id num and deleting the 7 and replacing it
with an 8.  But I'd sure love it if I could have a syntax to change the 7 to
an 8 without changing the rest of the id nums...any ideas?

I think one of the problems is that I use alpha and numeric in the id
number, right?

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[Maguin, Eugene]

Diane,

Look at the substr function in the universals section of the syntax
reference. You can do this, which is what you want with it.

Compute substr(userid,5,1)='7'.

You might find this usefule for other things as well.


>>Numbering scheme - variable is called USERID.
 RES differentiates this testing group as Residents.  I also have NUR
(nurses) MEDS (medical students), etc.
RES08001 is the first resident; RES08300 is the last resident.
08 indicates this year's group - last year the first resident was RES07001.

>>I copied and pasted all of the RES07001 id numbers into the RES08001 data
base.  I am now going into each id num and deleting the 7 and replacing it
with an 8.  But I'd sure love it if I could have a syntax to change the 7 to
an 8 without changing the rest of the id nums...any ideas?

Gene Maguin

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[Bob Walker-2]