Running a Codebook in IBM SPSS Statistics

To improve your experience using IBM SPSS Statistics, the Version 1 SPSS experts have created various Tech Tips. This Tech Tip shows running a Codebook in IBM SPSS Statistics. 

In IBM SPSS Statistics, you can work inside a single, integrated interface to run descriptive statistics, regression, advanced statistics and machine learning models. You can create publication-ready charts, tables, and decision trees in one tool. IBM SPSS Statistics is easy to use, provides analysis automation, comprehensive statistical tools, integration with open source, and help at your fingertips. 

The Codebook procedure in IBM SPSS Statistics presents a comprehensive overview of data with crucial details for data examination, preparation, and analysis, such as variable names, variable labels, variable types, value labels, missing values, and summary statistics.  

To run a Codebook, go to the Analyze menu, select Reports and Codebook. In the Codebook dialog box, click the Variables tab and choose the variables you want to include in your report. Move these variables into the Codebook Variables box.  

To control the Codebook output, select the Output tab. Here, you can choose the Variable Information and File information to include and control the Variable Display Order. Click on the Statistics tab to select Counts and Percents, as well as Central Tendency and Dispersion measures. Click OK to run.  

Now, you will have your Codebook report. You can see a complete overview of every variable. The output will have variable names, variable labels, variable types, value labels, missing values, and summary statistics. Each variable is listed in the outline pane. Users can click on each variable to review.  

For example, nominal and ordinal variables will show valid values for each category with counts and percentages. Missing values will also appear. Users can review this information to see the distribution of data, coding for categories and user-specified missing values. Scale variables will show valid cases, the mean, standard deviation, percentiles, missing values, and user-specified values.