Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Manual data entry
• Method 2 of 2: Importing data
• What do you need

SPSS is a static analysis software that is used in a variety of industries, from market research to government agencies. It allows you to perform a number of different functions on the data, but before starting the analysis itself, you first need to enter this data. There are several ways to enter data into SPSS, from manual entry to import from another file.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Manual data entry

1. 1 Define your variables. In order to enter data into SPSS, you need several variables. These are the columns in the table that you enter using the Data View option, each of which will contain data in the same format.
   • In order to define your variables, you must double-click on the column heading "Data View". This will bring up a menu where you can define variables.
   • When entering a variable name, you must start with a letter, and capitalization will be ignored.
   • When choosing a type, you can choose between "String" (characters) and a number of digital formats.
   • Read this article for more information on defining variables.
2. 2 Create a multiple choice variable. When defining a variable that has two or more sets of possibilities, you can enter labels for other values. For example, if one of your variables is active, the only two choices for that variable would be "Active" and "Former".
   • Open the Labels section of the Define Variable menu and create a numeric value for each probability (eg 1, 2, etc.).
   • Give each value an appropriate label (for example "Active" or "Former").
   • When entering data for this variable, you only have to enter "1" or "2" to select the desired option.
3. 3 Enter the first case. Click on the empty cell immediately below the leftmost column. Enter a value in the cell that corresponds to the type of the variable. For example, if the column is titled "Name", you can enter the employee's name in the cell.
   • Each line has its own "case". In other database programs, this is called a record.
4. 4 Continue typing variables. Move to the next blank cell to the right and enter the appropriate value. Always enter a complete entry at a time. For example, if you enter employee details, you must first enter the first employee's name, home address, phone number, and salary before moving on to another employee.
   • Check that the values ​​you enter match the format. For example, entering a dollar value into a column for dates will result in an error.
5. 5 Finish entering cases. After you enter each case, move to the next row and enter the following details. Make sure each case has an entry for each variable.
   • If you decide to add a new variable, double-click the next column heading and create the variable.
6. 6 Data manipulation. Once you are done entering all your data, you can use the built-in SPSS tool to start managing your data. Here are some possible examples of control:
   • Create a frequency table
   • Perform regression analysis
   • Perform analysis of variance
   • Create a scatter plot

Method 2 of 2: Importing data

1. 1 Importing an Excel file. When importing data from an Excel file, you will automatically create variables that will be based on the first row of the table. The values ​​of this series will become the names of the variables. You can also enter variables manually.
   • Click File → Open → Data ...
   • Select the .xls format for the File Type.
   • Find and open the Excel file.
   • Check the box next to the "Read variable names from the first data row" option if you want the variable names to be generated automatically.
2. 2 Import a file with values ​​separated by commas. This will be a plain text .csv format with comma delimited entries. You can have variables created automatically based on the first line of the .csv file.
   • Click File → Read Text Data ...
   • Select "All Files ( *. *)" As the file type.
   • Find and open the .csv file.
   • Follow the directions to import the file. When the program asks you, do not forget to indicate that the names of the variables are at the top, and the first case is on line 2.

What do you need

• IBM SPSS Statistics