Check values existence using spss syntax

Question

I should check existence of values based on some conditions.

i.e. i have 3 variables, varA, varB and varC. varC should not be empty only if varA>varB (condition).

i normally use some syntax to check any of the variables and run a frequency of any of them to see if there are errors:

if missing(varC) and (varA>varB) ck_varC=1.
if not(missing(varC)) and not(varA>varB) ck_varC=2.
exe.
fre ck_varC.
exe.

I had some errors when the condition became complex and when in the condition there are missing() or other functions but i could have made a mistake.

do you think there is an easier way of doing this checks?

thanks in advance

EDIT: here an example of what i mean, think at a questionnaire with some routing, you ask age to anyone, if they are between 17 and 44 ask them if they work, if they work ask them how many hours.

i have an excel tool where i put down all variables with all conditions, then it will generate the syntax in the example, all with the same structure for all variables, considering both situations, we have a value that shouldn't be there or we don't have a value that should be there.

is there an easier way of doing that? is this structure always valid no matter what is the condition?

It is not fully clear what you want to achieve. Indeed, is varA or varB are missing, the ">" condition becomes... messy :D. I guess your ck_varC variable was still empty. Those are separate scenarios; in SPSS, missing values are not numbers. You need to explicitly program those scenarios as well. — horace_vr

horace_vr horace_vr · Accepted Answer · 2019-07-04T14:18:00

In SPSS, missing values are not numbers. You need to explicitly program those scenarios as well. you got varC covered (partially), but no scenario where varA or varB have missing data is covered.

(As good practice, maybe you should initialize your check variable as sysmis or 0, using syntax):

numeric ck_varC (f1.0).
compute ck_varC=0.
if missing(varC) and (varA>varB) ck_varC=1.
if not(missing(varC)) and not(varA>varB) ck_varC=2.
***additional conditional scenarios go here:.
if missing(varA) or missing(varB) ck_varC=3.
...
fre ck_varC.

By the way - you do not need any of the exe. commands if you are going to run your syntax as a whole.

Later Edit, after the poster updated the question:

Your syntax would be something like this. Note the use of the range function, which is not mandatory, but might be useful for you in the future. I am also assuming that work is a string variable, so its values need to be referenced using quotation signs.

if missing(age) ck_age=1.
if missing(work) and range(age,17,44) ck_work=1.
if missing(hours) and work="yes" ck_hours=1.
if not (missing (age)) and not(1>0) ck_age=2. /*this will never happen because of the not(1>0).
if not(missing(work)) and (not range(age,17,44)) ck_work=2. /*note that if age is missing, this ck_work won't be set here.
if not(missing(hours)) and (not(work="yes")) ck_hours=2.
EXECUTE.

String variables are case sensitive There is no missing equivalent in strings; an empty blank string ("") is still a string. not(work="yes") is True when work is blank ("").

Check values existence using spss syntax

1 Answers