How to Find Recently Used Files 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 how to find recently used files 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.

Analysts and researchers rarely work with one data file. In addition, the analytical process consists of several phases. These are problem definition and understanding, data understanding, data preparation, analysis/model building, evaluation and deployment.

Data understanding and preparation are the most time-consuming phases and include accessing multiple files and creating code and output files. In the data understanding phase, data is collected, described, examined, and its quality is verified. This means several data files are brought into SPSS for initial examination. Also, the initial view of the data is described to verify data quality.

In the data preparation phase, data from various sources is selected, cleaned, constructed, integrated and formatted. In this phase, having multiple files open for examination is useful. Preparing data involves not only preparation but also the creation of syntax and output files to document how the data was prepared for analysis.

Both data understanding and data preparation involve extensive searching for and opening files, having a way to search for and find files quickly is extremely useful. There are two time-saving methods to find files. Users can go to the File menu and select Recently Used Files or Recently Used Data files.

The option to find Recently Used Files will allow users to quickly find recently used output and syntax without having to perform an extensive search. Users can go to the File menu and select Recently Used Files. Users can then see the location and file names of recently used output and syntax files.