Date:         Tue, 1 May 2007 16:50:44 -0500
Reply-To:     "Peck, Jon" <peck@spss.com>
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Peck, Jon" <peck@spss.com>
Subject:      Re: "Active" dataset
Comments: To: Richard Ristow <wrristow@mindspring.com>
In-Reply-To:  A<7.0.1.0.2.20070401160737.031f8fa0@mindspring.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

If I understand the situation below, the gui is working correctly.

In the add/match dialogs, you are always merging one dataset (or file) TO the currently active dataset (*) - whether from a file or another open dataset.  The syntax generated by the dialog does not change the active dataset.  There is no gui equivalent to your syntax below, where you are merging two datasets to make a new active dataset and naming it merged.

Also,

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Richard Ristow
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2007 5:59 PM
To: SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: [SPSSX-L] "Active" dataset

This continues a thread started under heading "version 15.0.1 bug?".
Richard, thank you!

At 12:06 AM 4/1/2007, Oliver, Richard wrote:

>If you use command syntax to create [a] merged dataset, and then use
>the menus and dialogs to perform subsequent actions, there is an
>inconsistency in what [SPSS] thinks is the active dataset. To
>illustrate:
>
>[variables 'id', 'var1']
>dataset name one.
>[variables 'id', 'var2']
>dataset name two.
>match files file=one /file=two /by id.
>dataset name merged.
>dataset activate merged.
>frequencies var=all.
>
>You would expect this to produce frequency tables for three variables:
>id, var1, and var2 -- and that's exactly what it does in syntax. But
>to the menus and dialogs, the "active" dataset is still dataset one.

Thank you. I don't know whether I can get away with calling this a
'bug', but it's a pretty severe 'glitch'. (A 'bug' is a deviation of
the program from its specification. A 'glitch' is a deviation from what
the specifications ought to have been.)

It seems obvious that the 'current' dataset, the one that shows up as
primary in the menus, should be the active dataset. Could this be put
on the list, as a deficiency to be fixed?

I did write 'obvious' deliberately. "'Obvious' is almost synonymous
with 'inadequately examined.'"  Perhaps there's a considered reason why
the 'current' dataset is not always the active dataset. But if so,
could the philosophy of how the 'current' dataset is determined, be
given in the documentation?

-With many thanks,
  Richard