Setting up your SDA File in SPSS
Leora Lawton
TechSociety Research
2006
This document contains step-by-step instructions for creating a customized dataset from SDA, resulting
in an SPSS system file.
Downloading:
Downloading datasets from the Survey Documentation Center
http://sda.berkeley.edu.
First, you’ll need to identify the variables you need to operationalize your model.
Click on the SDA Archive tab
Choose from one of the surveys, for example, the General Social Survey (GSS).
Click on Open Extra Codebook Window
Click on Codebook (for GSS, by Year of Interview)
Click on Variable Groups
Click on individual variables to see complete description, including
frequencies.
Do these variables work to operationalize your concepts? If so, or even if you aren’t quite clear, write down the
variable names (e.g., UNPROG). Or, you can just select the entire group (which is easier). Note that there are
standard questions asked every year, and some special topics (modules) that are only asked once or occasionally.
Now, to create your own customized data set and download it, follow this procedure.
Go back to the window that had the button for Open Extra Codebook Window.
Click on the option for Download a customized dataset and hit Start
Make sure that under Select FILE you have Data file checked, along with a
Comma delimiter.
Also click on Data Definitions for SPSS.
You may just enter in your variable list in the box, or, you may select All for a certain module, or Some. If you
select Some for any module, and then Continue, you will be prompted to select the variables you actually
want by highlighting them (using CTRL-left_click_mouse to highlight more than one). Then click on Continue and
proceed to Download Screen. If you click on All for your selected modules, and click Continue, you will get to
the Download Screen.
At the download screen verify that you have the desired variables.
Then click on Create the Files.
Save the codebook (right click, save as) and the dataset as well
(which at this point are .txt files). Hint: give these files consistent, clear names (e.g., sda_example_codebook,
sda_example_data)
Setting up the SPSS .sav file:
1. Save your SPSS syntax file as a .txt file, e.g., sda_example_spsssyntax.txt. Save it to a folder, not to your
desktop, for example, to c:\Data.
2. In SPSS, Click on FILE – OPEN – SYNTAX, and then open up your spss file.
3. /* Replace 'x' with full path name of your input data file.
In other words, change the X in the path to the data file to your actual data file name, e.g.,
FILE="c:\Data\sda_example_data.txt"
4. Click on RUN-ALL. Let it chug away.
5. If you find that you get errors, then highlight just the first part of the syntax, up to, but not including, the
line VARIABLE LABELS and then click on RUN-SELECTION. This is the only place you might run
into trouble.
6. Save your datafile in your own directory.