Date:         Tue, 3 May 2005 18:51:08 -0700
Reply-To:     neilanessa@MSN.COM
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         neilanessa@MSN.COM
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Subject:      Re: Syntax Question
Comments: To: sas-l@uga.edu
In-Reply-To:  <jyUde.20583$0X6.1956@edtnps90>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Ah, I see what happened.  You pasted the sin-tax from the GUI.
Of course the GUI defaults assume the least efficient
approach to program execution possible(the reason it pastes EXECUTE,
is so that newbies won't freak out thinking that the program is
broken).
I suspect it was a marketing decision ;-)

Now,  if you take about 6 no-doze and can keep your eyes open through
the entire Appendix A of the SPSS Sin Tax Hair Removal Guide .  Maybe I
will write a parody of that one of these days -keeping it real as far
as the technical issues, but spice it up Laural and Hardy style/ or
Cheech and Chong - Yeah, I'll go with C&C.
Tokkkeeee:  Hey Tommy, look at this, all our varybibbles went up in
smoke...
Yeah Man, hey can you make it do that again.... Tokkkkeeee-...
Moral: Don't get stoned before you try to program SPSS
-and may the goddess show pity if you are condemned to use SAS;-))

If and when you thoroughly understand Appendix A, You will have
achieved SPSS enlightenment, but will have done so at the probable
sacrifice of all of your hair and most of your sanity.

-SPSS Teksport?
   I am running this gobbly-gook sintax and my variables aren't showing
up.
Whazzup Wasabi????

-Wrong answer:  Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling SPSS?.
/*it works.... BUT ??? ;-(((( */.
-Wrong answer.  Have you tried an EXE after EACH compute?
-Wrong Answer: What do you mean by Syntax?
-Wrong Answer: Sin tax?? Yer a goin to hell boy... Ooops wrong
number...!!
-Right answer. Have you placed an EXE (or a Procedure) after the LAST
compute,
but BEFORE any SELECT based on Lagged variables?  Bzzzt? Take a deep
breath!

Yeah, LAGS can bite you on the Butt!, Also, NEVER  build any sort of
SELECT from $CASENUM derived variables without an EXE
(unless you really know what -you are/SPSS is- doing).
For example:
GET FILE "bigdatawithonerecordperhydrogenatomintheuniverse" .
SELECT IF $CASENUM>1.
SAVE OUTFILE "bigdatawithonerecordperhydrogenatomintheuniverse" .
Look mom, Spot and I cleaned off the harddrive ;-)))



*THE FOLLOWING WORKS.
compute ID=$CASENUM.
EXE.
select if MOD(ID,2)=0.
LIST.

*THE FOLLOWING FAILS .
compute ID=$CASENUM.
select if MOD(ID,2)=0.
LIST.
HTH, Neila