| How To Omit Variables |
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| Opening Files | Find Info | Cross Tabs | Control Variables | Plot Charts | Chart Transfers | Combine Variables | Omit Variables |
Sometimes you will want to simplify a variable by "combining" two or more of its values (e.g., for the variable "Race," you might have "white," "black," "asian," and "other"; and you may want to, say, omit the values of "asian" and "other"). First we must "Open" a data set file. For this tutorial, we will use "Born9.dat" in the Cen1990 folder. We then go to "Modify," and then to "Omit," as shown below.
Next, the variable screen below will appear. This is where you must choose the variable you wish to modify. For this example, we will use "RaceLat."
Then, the category screen will appear as shown below. Say we do not need the category of "NLOther" and wish to "Omit" it. Simply highlight "NLOther" and click on "Select."
The category should be gone. If you have done this correctly, the category screen for "RaceLat" will look like this:
You can now plot charts or create crosstabulations using the variable "RaceLat" with the "NLOther" category omitted. This is not a permanent change. The changes to variable categories will reset by simply opening the "Born9.dat" data set. So, if you mess up, just reopen the file and try again.
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