Date:         Fri, 11 Aug 2006 10:06:52 -1000
Reply-To:     Bob Schacht <schacht@hawaii.edu>
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Bob Schacht <schacht@hawaii.edu>
Subject:      Text fields
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

Seems to me that I recall that someone mentioned that SPSS can do variable
length text fields, like Microsoft Access does. Is this true, and if so, is
this capability available in ver. 12?

Also, I have heard that SPSS can do more "relational" database things than
it used to be able to handle, like linking two databases (at least 1:1)
without merging them. Is this true, and if so, is this capability available
in ver. 12?

The basic reason for my question is that I'm working with a survey that is
mostly fixed response (Yes/No; multiple choice), but has some open-ended
fields. The problem with old-style flat tables, of course, is that you had
to make every field wide enough to hold the widest data for that field, so
that if you have an open-ended response item that 90% never answer, 9%
provide a short answer, and 1% provide a really long answer, then you still
have to allocate space for the field based on the longest answer, which of
course wastes a lot of space, and impairs the use of flat tables for
qualitative analysis.

How are others handling these problems now?

Thanks,
Bob

Robert M. Schacht, Ph.D. <schacht@hawaii.edu>
Pacific Basin Rehabilitation Research & Training Center
1268 Young Street, Suite #204
Research Center, University of Hawaii
Honolulu, HI 96814