The IBM SPSS has two main windows (i) Data View and (ii) Variable View. Data View in SPSS is one of the primary ways of looking at a data file in Data View so that you can see each row as a source of data and each column as a variable. The data view in SPSS is the most useful way to look at the actual values of the data presented in the data set.
By default, SPSS launches in Data View mode.
Data View in SPSS
The following diagram of the SPSS workplace highlights the data view in SPSS and the variable view in SPSS.
If you are not in Data View, click the Data View Tab to enter the data view and the data edit mode. Typically, one should enter the data after establishing the names and other properties of the variables in a data set. Many of the features of Data View are similar to the features that are found in spreadsheet-like applications (such as MS Excel). There are, however, several important distinctions:
- Rows are cases: Each row in a data view represents a case or an observation. For example, each respondent to a questionnaire is a case.
- Columns are variables: Each column represents a variable or characteristic being measured. For example, each item on a questionnaire is a variable.
- Cells contain values. The cross-section of the row and column makes a cell. Each cell contains a single value of a variable for a case. The cell is where the case and the variable intersect. Cells contain only data values. Unlike spreadsheet programs, cells in the Data Editor cannot contain formulas.
In summary, the Data View in SPSS is the primary workspace for viewing, manipulating, and understanding the actual values in the dataset. It plays a vital role in data exploration, cleaning, and analysis.
