Dropping missing values in SPSS

(This needs some more thought and cleaning up)

The SELECT command with the SYSMIS() function can drop all missing cases from the current SPSS data set. Consider the following:

SELECT IF NOT (SYSMIS (amount)). SAVE OUTFILE= 'newfile.sav'.


This example drops all cases whose value of the variable amount is missing, and then saves this data to an SPSS system file called newfile.sav.


If the dataset has more than one coding for missing values, as is often the case for survey data, select all of the different codings for missing values with the AND operator:

SELECT IF NOT (SYSMIS(amount1)) AND NOT (SYSMIS(amount2)). SAVE OUTFILE= 'newfile.sav'.



http://kb.iu.edu/data/afay.html

look at this post (multi variate anal)

http://core.ecu.edu/psyc/wuenschk/spss/SPSS-MV.htm

little issue with Excel sorting

I was going nuts trying to sort a little table in Excel which was created using some formulas... Excel was just sorting based on the formula in the cell rather than the cell value.... after googling a lot, I found out that in Excel 2007 the "Calculation" default option is set to "Automatic".... To avoid my problem, I just needed to turn if OFF and switch it to Manual. The option is in "Formulas" tab in Excel 2007, the right most choice "Calculation Options."

Found the answer on a Excel discussion board.

Remove ALL spaces from cells in MS Excel

This blog pertains to data cleaning after you download data from surveyshare.com.

One more thing you MAY have to do when you download your data from surveyshare.com is to remove all unnecessary spaces from certain fields, especially if they happen to be your index variable. I my case I had to do it from the email field  which was used to match the responses to other surveys!!! Here is the macro

 I have found:

Sub TrimEText()
' This module will trim extra spaces from BOTH SIDES and excessive spaces from inside the text.
Dim MyCell As Range
On Error Resume Next
For Each MyCell In Selection.Cells
MyCell.Value = Application.WorksheetFunction.Substitute(Trim(MyCell.Value), " ", " ")
MyCell.Value = Application.WorksheetFunction.Substitute(Trim(MyCell.Value), " ", " ")
MyCell.Value = Application.WorksheetFunction.Substitute(Trim(MyCell.Value), " ", " ")
MyCell.Value = Application.WorksheetFunction.Substitute(Trim(MyCell.Value), " ", "")
Next
On Error GoTo 0
End Sub


Really grateful to the author of the macro!!

Excel Macro to convert the CASE of a range of TEXT

Really useful macro. I used it to clean up surveyshare data file before bringing it to SPSS.

Before using:
"Uncomment" (remove the apostrophe from) the line of code that changes the text to the case you want. For example I needed everything to converted to lower case and hence I removed the apostrophe from "' Rng.Value = StrConv(Rng.Text, vbLowerCase)"


Sub ChangeCase()
Dim Rng As Range
On Error Resume Next
Err.Clear
Application.EnableEvents = False
For Each Rng In Selection.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeConstants, _
xlTextValues).Cells
If Err.Number = 0 Then
' Rng.Value = StrConv(Rng.Text, vbUpperCase)
' Rng.Value = StrConv(Rng.Text, vbLowerCase)
' Rng.Value = StrConv(Rng.Text, vbProperCase)
End If
Next Rng
Application.EnableEvents = True
End Sub

Source: http://www.cpearson.com/excel/ChangingCase.aspx

What is the difference between causation and correlation?

What is the difference between causation and correlation?

One of the most common errors we find in the press is the confusion between correlation and causation in scientific and health-related studies. In theory, these are easy to distinguish — an action or occurrence can cause another (such as smoking causes lung cancer), or it can correlate with another (such as smoking is correlated with alcoholism). If one action causes another, then they are most certainly correlated. But just because two things occur together does not mean that one caused the other, even if it seems to make sense.

World's baby No. 7 billion could be born in UP - Times Of India

World's baby No. 7 billion could be born in UP - Times Of India