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Opening and saving a data file

Open IBM SPSS Statistics and you will be prompted to create a New Dataset or open Recent Files. SPSS files have a .sav extension.

Start screen of IBM SPSS statistics application

Reprint Courtesy of International Business Machines Corporation, © International Business Machines Corporation. SPSS Inc. was acquired by IBM in October, 2009.

To save a data file:

  • Click on File/Save
  • Or click on the floppy disk icon on the toolbar at the top left of your screen

SPSS windows

Data editor window (.sav extension)

  • Allows you to open, save and create data files.
  • Create variables and modify their attributes.
  • Enter data and make changes to existing data.
  • Run statistical analyses.

Viewer window (.spo extension)

  • Displays the results of analyses, including charts and tables.
  • The navigation pane gives you a full list of analyses you have conducted.
  • You can save the results of your analyses, or select specific parts of the output to export and save.

Syntax Editor window (.sps extension - not shown by default)

  • You can use the syntax window to keep a record of what commands you have used.
  • Can be helpful when recoding variables or when you need to repeat a lot of analyses or generate similar graphs.