All syntax files should be saved in a way that is meaningful and that you can quickly find the files you need. It is amazing how quickly files can proliferate as you start to try different pieces of analysis and how quickly you can lose track of which file ran which bit of analysis. It is helpful to develop a routine for how you approach your use of software. A suggested format for an analysis log is below
| Date | Programme File name (*.sps) | Data file (*.sys) | Saved file (*.sys) | Function | Analyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 July 06 | Data1.sps | Spss version of ESS *.sys | ESSmain1.sys | Gets issued core datafile for all countries from ESRC, extracts the data for the countries to be included in the analysis and extracts only the variables to used including any classificatory variables. | |
| 21 July 06 | PolAtt1.sps | ESSmain1.sys | ESSmain2.sys | Creates additional derived variables needed for analysis for political attitudes chapter | |
| 21 July 06 | PolAtt2.sps | ESSMain2.sys | Applies weight (neweight1), table run for main political attitudes and correlations | ||
| 22 July 06 | PolAtt3.sps | ESSMain2.sys | Applies weight, Multivariate analysis for political attitudes chapter | ||
| 22 July 06 | SocAtt1.sps | ESSMain2.sys | ESSMain3.sys | Creates and saves derived variables for social attitudes |
