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Using variables >

Variable type overview

Variables fall into a number of different groups based on the type of data the variable stores, the type of question the variable is based on, and the way the variable is used. The following table lists the different variable types and the icons that represent them.

Icon	Type
	Single response variable. A categorical variable that can have only one value for each case, such as a variable based on a question that requires the respondent to choose one answer from a predefined set of answers. An example is the question "Have you visited this museum before?" to which the respondent must answer "Yes" or "No". Also known as single categorical. See the topic Categorical variables for more information.
	Multiple response variable. A categorical variable that can have more than one value for each case—for example, a variable based on a question to which the respondent can choose several answers from a predefined set of answers. A typical example is the question "What do you remember seeing in the museum today?" in response to which the respondent can select any number of items in a list. Also known as multiple categorical. See the topic Categorical variables for more information.
	Numeric variable. A variable that stores a numeric value for each case. A numeric variable can store an integer or a real value. See the topic Numeric variables for more information.
	Text variable. A variable that contains data that is text, such as names and addresses or responses to open-ended questions. See the topic Text variables for more information.
	Date variable. A variable that stores date and time information.
	Loop. A loop defines a set of questions that are to be asked more than once. In a categorical loop, the number of times the loop is to be iterated (and therefore the number of times that the set of questions in the loop are to be asked) is controlled by the categories in a category list. For example, the set of questions can be asked for each product in a product list. In a numeric loop, the number of times the loop is to be iterated is controlled by a numeric expression. See the topic Loops and grids for more information.
	Expanded loop. When you are using a hierarchical view of the data, all loops are represented hierarchically as levels. However, when a loop is defined as expanded, it can also be viewed in an expanded (flattened) format as well, which means that you use it to create grid tables and you can select individual slices of the loop. See the topic Loops and grids for more information.
	Grid. A special type of loop in which all of the iterations are presented simultaneously to the respondent in a grid format. Grid questions often ask respondents to choose a rating on a predefined scale for a number of products in a list. Grids can be categorical or numeric. See the topic Loops and grids for more information.
	Boolean variable. A special type of integer variable that can contain values of True or False. Also called a Yes/No variable. See the topic Boolean variables for more information.
	Compound. Group for presentation purposes a number of related questions that share a category list. A compound is not the same as a grid, although a compound may contain one or more grids. See the topic Blocks and compounds for more information.
	Block. Groups one or more questions into a block. See the topic Blocks and compounds for more information.
	Weighting variable. A special numeric variable that has been set up to weight the data. You use weighting when you want the figures in your table to reflect your target population more accurately than the actual figures do. For example, suppose your target population consists of 57% women and 43% men, but you interviewed 50% women and 50% men for your survey. By applying weighting, you can make the women's figures count for more than the men's figures, so that they more accurately reflect the gender distribution in the target population. See the topic Applying Weighting for more information.
	System variable. Standard variables that are present in most data sets to store standard information, such as the respondent's serial number, the mode of data collection used, the version of the questionnaire used to collect the data, etc. Some data sets (such as databases) do not have system variables. System variables can be of different variable types including blocks, categorical, numeric, grids, etc.
	Edited variable. This can be an existing variable that has been edited or a new variable that has been created from other variables. For example, you can edit a categorical variable by combining categories, or you can create a numeric variable to show the sum of the values stored in two or more other numeric variables. In some cases the edits to the variable may have been made outside IBM® SPSS® Data Collection Survey Reporter, so the variable has an edit symbol when you first open the survey data. Edited variables can be based on variable types such as categorical, numeric, text, date, and boolean variables.
	Filter variable. This is a variable that has been created by saving a filter as a variable.
	Table variable. This is a variable that has been created from all the variables on the top or side of the table using the New Variable from Side/Top option.
	Information variable. This contains instruction text for use when filling in the questionnaire. It cannot be included in analyses.
	Database Simple variable. This renders as a single response categorical variable. The categories are not defined in a list but are instead stored in a database. Categories are generated in derived variables when performing database categorization. The derived variable is generated as a helper field.
	Database Multiple variable. This renders as a multiple response variable. The categories are not defined in a list but are instead stored in a database. Categories are generated in derived variables when performing database categorization. The derived variable is generated as a helper field.
	Database Array variable. This renders as a loop/grid. Iterations are not defined in a list but are instead stored in a database. Iterations are retrieved from a database. The derived variable is generated under the Array.Fields collection and stores the iterations when performing database categorization.