recoding a second missing value

[Govind Acharya]

Hi all,

I have a very large data file (915 variables, 17,000 cases) and our
client wants the following: if it is truly missing, we have a 9.  But,
our software that reads the forms rendered a second missing data that I
want coded as an 8 as a blank.  That's fine, but now I am stuck with
having to recode all of the blanks into an 8.  When I use the "Recode
into Same Variable" and use the option "System or User Missing" as the
Old Value and enter the value of 8, it changes the blanks *and* the 9 to
an 8.  That's not good!  So, is there a way to do this using a script or
drop down that can allow me to recode blank values as an 8 but preserve
the 9 as it is?  I suppose I could change the 9 to nonmissing and then
make the 8 missing, then recode the blanks as an 8, but I frankly don't
know how to do that in a script.

Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

Govind

--
-
Govind Acharya
Assistant Director/Senior Research Associate
Survey Research Institute, Cornell University
391 Pine Tree Rd.
Ithaca, NY 14850
phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]
http://www.sri.cornell.edu

[Hector Maletta]

         You have to recode only the system missing values. For that, use
the syntax window to write the following command:

                RECODE varname (SYSMIS=8).

         That would do the trick, I expect, leaving the 9s untouched.

         Another approach is temporarily designating the 9 as a valid value,
then do as you did before (only system-missing values would be recoded),
then restate the 9 (and the 8) as missing values.

         Hector

         -----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of
Govind Acharya
Sent: 24 June 2007 15:39
To: [hidden email]
Subject: recoding a second missing value

         Hi all,

         I have a very large data file (915 variables, 17,000 cases) and our
         client wants the following: if it is truly missing, we have a 9.
But,
         our software that reads the forms rendered a second missing data
that I
         want coded as an 8 as a blank.  That's fine, but now I am stuck
with
         having to recode all of the blanks into an 8.  When I use the
"Recode
         into Same Variable" and use the option "System or User Missing" as
the
         Old Value and enter the value of 8, it changes the blanks *and* the
9 to
         an 8.  That's not good!  So, is there a way to do this using a
script or
         drop down that can allow me to recode blank values as an 8 but
preserve
         the 9 as it is?  I suppose I could change the 9 to nonmissing and
then
         make the 8 missing, then recode the blanks as an 8, but I frankly
don't
         know how to do that in a script.

         Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

         Govind

         --
         -
         Govind Acharya
         Assistant Director/Senior Research Associate
         Survey Research Institute, Cornell University
         391 Pine Tree Rd.
         Ithaca, NY 14850
         phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]
         http://www.sri.cornell.edu