help working with spss (.sav) files

metalx1000 · 08-22-2008, 06:27 PM

My wife needs to be able to work with *.sav file for school.
she was emailed 2 files.
I tried to use pspp but I get an error:

Code:

error: corrupt system file: file.sav: File-indicated character representation
        code (Unknown) is not ASCII.

I'm running Ubuntu Hardy

and suggestions on what to do?
Is there another program anyone suggests?
I don't even know what is in these files really, so maybe it can be converted to another format.

thanks

makyo · 08-23-2008, 07:03 AM

Hi.

You didn't write how you were trying to get the .sav file into pspp. Here's the way they are intended to be used:

Quote:

# If you are reading an SPSS .sav file you need:

1. Documentation listing the variables you want and their mnemonic names in the system file.
2. An SPSS program with
* a GET FILE = command with the name of the save file in quotes,
* (optional) a /KEEP (or /DROP) subcommand with the names of the variables you want to use (or not use). If you need all the variables, leave this out.
* a period to end the command.

Example: GET FILE="/u/9/s/me2000/surveys/file1.sav"
/KEEP zodiac sex.

-- excerpt from http://www.columbia.edu/acis/eds/sta...pss-write.html

Using google with ".sav spss" produced more than 60K results.

Good luck, keep us posted ... cheers, makyo