SAVE TRANSLATE

SAVE TRANSLATE
        /OUTFILE={'FILE_NAME',FILE_HANDLE}
        /TYPE={CSV,TAB}
        [/REPLACE]
        [/MISSING={IGNORE,RECODE}]

        [/DROP=VAR_LIST]
        [/KEEP=VAR_LIST]
        [/RENAME=(SRC_NAMES=TARGET_NAMES)...]
        [/UNSELECTED={RETAIN,DELETE}]
        [/MAP]

        ...additional subcommands depending on TYPE...

The SAVE TRANSLATE command is used to save data into various formats understood by other applications.

The OUTFILE and TYPE subcommands are mandatory. OUTFILE specifies the file to be written, as a string file name or a file handle. TYPE determines the type of the file or source to read. It must be one of the following:

• CSV
  Comma-separated value format,

• TAB
  Tab-delimited format.

By default, SAVE TRANSLATE does not overwrite an existing file. Use REPLACE to force an existing file to be overwritten.

With MISSING=IGNORE, the default, SAVE TRANSLATE treats user-missing values as if they were not missing. Specify MISSING=RECODE to output numeric user-missing values like system-missing values and string user-missing values as all spaces.

By default, all the variables in the active dataset dictionary are saved to the system file, but DROP or KEEP can select a subset of variable to save. The RENAME subcommand can also be used to change the names under which variables are saved; because they are used only in the output, these names do not have to conform to the usual PSPP variable naming rules. UNSELECTED determines whether cases filtered out by the FILTER command are written to the output file. These subcommands have the same syntax and meaning as on the SAVE command.

Each supported file type has additional subcommands, explained in separate sections below.

SAVE TRANSLATE causes the data to be read. It is a procedure.

Comma- and Tab-Separated Data Files

SAVE TRANSLATE
        /OUTFILE={'FILE_NAME',FILE_HANDLE}
        /TYPE=CSV
        [/REPLACE]
        [/MISSING={IGNORE,RECODE}]

        [/DROP=VAR_LIST]
        [/KEEP=VAR_LIST]
        [/RENAME=(SRC_NAMES=TARGET_NAMES)...]
        [/UNSELECTED={RETAIN,DELETE}]

        [/FIELDNAMES]
        [/CELLS={VALUES,LABELS}]
        [/TEXTOPTIONS DELIMITER='DELIMITER']
        [/TEXTOPTIONS QUALIFIER='QUALIFIER']
        [/TEXTOPTIONS DECIMAL={DOT,COMMA}]
        [/TEXTOPTIONS FORMAT={PLAIN,VARIABLE}]

The SAVE TRANSLATE command with TYPE=CSV or TYPE=TAB writes data in a comma- or tab-separated value format similar to that described by RFC 4180. Each variable becomes one output column, and each case becomes one line of output. If FIELDNAMES is specified, an additional line at the top of the output file lists variable names.

The CELLS and TEXTOPTIONS FORMAT settings determine how values are written to the output file:

• CELLS=VALUES FORMAT=PLAIN (the default settings)
  Writes variables to the output in "plain" formats that ignore the details of variable formats. Numeric values are written as plain decimal numbers with enough digits to indicate their exact values in machine representation. Numeric values include e followed by an exponent if the exponent value would be less than -4 or greater than 16. Dates are written in MM/DD/YYYY format and times in HH:MM:SS format. WKDAY and MONTH values are written as decimal numbers.

  Numeric values use, by default, the decimal point character set with SET DECIMAL. Use DECIMAL=DOT or DECIMAL=COMMA to force a particular decimal point character.

• CELLS=VALUES FORMAT=VARIABLE
  Writes variables using their print formats. Leading and trailing spaces are removed from numeric values, and trailing spaces are removed from string values.

• CELLS=LABEL FORMAT=PLAIN
CELLS=LABEL FORMAT=VARIABLE
  Writes value labels where they exist, and otherwise writes the values themselves as described above.

  Regardless of CELLS and TEXTOPTIONS FORMAT, numeric system-missing values are output as a single space.

  For TYPE=TAB, tab characters delimit values. For TYPE=CSV, the TEXTOPTIONS DELIMITER and DECIMAL settings determine the character that separate values within a line. If DELIMITER is specified, then the specified string separate values. If DELIMITER is not specified, then the default is a comma with DECIMAL=DOT or a semicolon with DECIMAL=COMMA. If DECIMAL is not given either, it is inferred from the decimal point character set with SET DECIMAL.

  The TEXTOPTIONS QUALIFIER setting specifies a character that is output before and after a value that contains the delimiter character or the qualifier character. The default is a double quote ("). A qualifier character that appears within a value is doubled.