NOTICE TO SPSS FOR CMS USERS:
Beginning October 1, 1999, the CMS version of SPSS will no longer be supported at the University of North Texas. For more details regarding the termination of support service of this software, please read the Benchmarks article by Dr. Philip Baczewski, Associate Director of Academic Computing Services, on the August 1999 issue.
It is strongly recommended that all files on CMS be converted to SPSS portable file format by October 1, 1999. SPSS portable files can be transported to other versions of SPSS on other platforms including OS/MVS, UNIX, Windows and Mac OS. However, SPSS system files created using the CMS version of SPSS will not be supported in and transportable to other platforms. The following Q&A's should address the questions of how to deal with the SPSS system files in CMS.
Question: What is an SPSS system file?
Answer: If you use the SAVE FILE command to save the file or use the GET FILE command to read in the file, regardless of the file name and file type you assign, the file is in SPSS system file format. The file is in binary format so if you use xedit or browse to view it, it will be composed of some strange characters.
Question: What should I do with the SPSS system files created in CMS?
Answer: Convert the system files into portable files using the following command:
GET FILE 'filename filetype a1'.
EXPORT OUTFILE 'filename por a1'.
Question:How do I move to the files to other platforms?
Answer:
To download the portable files from CMS to PC, please consult:
How to transfer files from CMS?
To Upload SPSS portable files to MVS, please consult:
How to upload data to OS/MVS from CMS?
Should you have any files on CMS that you need to move to other platforms, please do not hesitate to check with the Research and Statistical Support Office for assistance. We can be reached at x2140 and x4066 or via email at the following addresses:
Karl Ho
Rich Herrington
Craig Henderson
Last updated: 01/18/06 by Karl Ho.