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You can create a template by setting up a table document with the defaults that you require, removing the survey data file information, and saving the file in the templates folder. You can then select this file as the template in IBM® SPSS® Data Collection Survey Reporter. This is an advanced feature that is useful for organizations who want to save not just default settings for table properties but also default tables. For example, you may want to set up a standard set of tables that you want to use with different survey data files, perhaps to analyze sets of responses from different countries or successive batches of results from a survey that is run on a regular basis.
Note that if you create templates containing tables, the tables will be valid only when used with survey data files that contain the same or similar variables. For example, if you create a template that includes tables defined using a particular numeric variable, using the template with another survey that uses a categorical variable to store the same data will result in invalid tables.
► Create a new table document file.
► Set up the tables you want to include in the template.
► Use the Table Properties dialog box to change the table properties to your requirements, either for individual tables or for all tables.
From the menu, choose
► In the Advanced dialog box, check the Include table and profile results when saving box.
► Choose the Copy without Dataset button. This removes the details of the metadata and case data files when the table document file is saved.
► Enter a file name and location for the new table document in the Save As dialog box, then choose OK. Templates can have any name, but must have the file extension .mtd. You can save the file in the default template folder, or in another suitable folder. For example, you may want to create a template for use by everyone in the department. In this case, you probably want to set your template file to be read-only and save it on a network drive.
The default template folder is a sub-folder of the Documents and settings folder under your user name, for example, C:\Documents and Settings\<your Windows user name>\Application Data\IBM\SPSS\DataCollection\6\Survey Reporter. If you have previously used the Save as Default option in the Table Properties dialog box, a default template called template.mtd will already exist in this folder. Once you have set up your template and saved it in a suitable location, you need to change the File Locations tab of the Options dialog box to point to the new template.
► From the menu, choose
► In the File Locations tab, choose the Browse button next to the Template file field, and select the table document file that you created in the previous steps. Then choose OK.
When you subsequently open any survey data file, the table document that is created automatically picks up the default settings from the new template file.
You can make further changes to the template file by using the Table Properties dialog box, choosing Set as Default, and checking the option to update the template file as usual. Alternatively, you may wish to prevent this by setting your template file properties to read-only in Windows Explorer so that you do not accidentally overwrite the template settings.