David: You indeed won't be able to read the file without running it through some sort of Mac-PC conversion. Note also that there are two ".sys" options on current (7.5 at least) SPSS File Open menus -- one for SYSTAT files and one for SPSS PC+ system files. Opening a SYSTAT ".sys" file will actually invoke a different command than opening an SPSS PC+ ".sys" file (GET TRANSLATE versus GET). Incidentally, you can un-hide .sys file types in Windows 95 by selecting View...Options in your Explorer and deselecting the radio button under "View" which says "hide these file types."

I think the conversion utility to which Christina refers is a DOS executable file called MACPC.EXE, and was bundled only with the SYSTAT 5.x for DOS and for Windows. If you have access to any of these versions of SYSTAT, you can get a hold of the utility and translate the file into a SYSTAT for Windows format. Current versions of SPSS for Windows should be able to read this, as well as the various spreadsheet and database formats in which you can save a SYSTAT for Windows file, most of which having the option to preserve filenames as variable names.

If these intermediary conversion options aren't available, a text file will be about the only other option in SYSTAT 5.x for Macintosh. This would then require that you read the file as an ASCII file in SPSS, and will mean that you'll need to redefine variable names with a DATA LIST (or via the Define ASCII Data menus), since they won't be preserved in an ASCII file.

I hope this information helps,

Ed Tverdek SPSS Technical Support

>---------- >From: Christina D. Sparks, M.A.[SMTP:CSPARKS@UTMEM1.UTMEM.EDU] >Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 1997 4:20 AM >To: SPSSX-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU >Subject: Re: Mac SYSTAT 5.1 -> Win95 SPSS 7.5 ??? > >When I had to go from Systat for Windows 3.1 to Mac 6.0.1 under Mac OS 7.5.3 >I had to use a >conversion program in DOS before I could use the files in SPSS. I cannot >recall the program but it >comes with Systat I believe. Look at your directory with Systat in it; I >beleive the name suggested its >function. It might work the same in reverse. If you can you may want to save >the Systat Mac files as >SPSS Windows files first. Sorry I cannot give more details; it has been a >long time since I did this. > >>I have some Mac SYSTAT files that I would like to import into SPSS. I >>gather from the File: Open window in SPSS that SYSTAT files have a .sys >>extension. Ironically, when I rename the file with a .sys extension, its >>attributes turn invisible since .sys is an extension also shared by Win95. >>Never-the-less, I was able to specify my SYSTAT file and got gobbledegook >>in my data window. >> >>Ideas? >> >>TIA >> >>BTW, Exporting to ASCII is not a good option because SYSTAT does not >>preserve variable names. >>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >>= David M. Fresco Internet: fresco@cattell.psych.upenn.edu = >>= Social Phobia Program fresco@astro.ocis.temple.edu = >>= Department of Psychology fresco@unc.edu = >>= 13th St. & C. B. Moore Ave. __o = >>= Philadelphia, PA 19122 \<, = >>= `,/'(*) = >>= Voice: (215) 204-3738 (*) . ./""" = >>= Fax: (215) 204-2155 """" = >>= http://www.psych.upenn.edu/~fresco/helplessness.html = >>= http://www.psych.upenn.edu/~fresco = >>= = >>= Co-ListOwner of Helplessness helplessness@freud.apa.org = >>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >