1. The MERGE FILES option on the FILE MANAGEMENT menu and the COPY VARIABLES option on the DATA MANAGEMENT menu allow two methods for creating a new data file from existing files. COPY VARIABLES allows you to combine two files which have the same cases (e.g., the 50 states) but different variables. MERGE FILES allows you to combine two files which have the same or similar variables (e.g., multiple years of a similar survey) but different cases. The COPY VARIABLES option adds columns to a data set. The MERGE FILES option adds rows (and perhaps columns) to a data set.

1. COPY VARIABLES

1. Open the larger of the two data sets you want to end up with–the data set you want to add variables to.

2. Click on MERGE FILES on the FILE MANAGEMENT menu or COPY VARIABLES on the DATA MANAGEMENT menu. Click on COPY VARIABLES.

3. Click on CHOOSE SOURCE FILE; find and highlight the data set you want to merge with the already opened data set. Click on NEXT at the bottom of the screen.

4. Accept the STANDARD COPY USING CASE NAMES default. Click on NEXT.

5. Choose the variables in the source file that you want to add to the open file. In the top of the SELECTED VARIABLES box you can move variables one by one; in the bottom of this box, you can type in a range of variable numbers, e.g., 12-18, or the entire range, e.g., 1-139. Click on NEXT.

6. A screen summarizing the new file appears. Accept the default to copy the recode information with the variables. Click on FINISH; a small window informing you that the variables from the source file have been copied to the already open (destination) file appears. Click on OK to close this window.

7. Don’t forget to SAVE the new data file which you have created. See direction 1F on the first page of this document.

3. MERGE FILES

1. Do not open a file to begin with; if a file is already open, MicroCase will close it.

2. Click on MERGE FILES on the FILE MANAGEMENT menu or COPY VARIABLES on the DATA MANAGEMENT menu. Click on MERGE FILES.

3. Click on BROWSE to locate the existing data files you want to merge; you must indicate at least two files. Click on NEXT.

4. MicroCase offers you three choices of how to merge the selected files. You can merge only those variables common to all the files to be merged. You can merge those variables common to at least two of the files. You can merge those variables in any of the files.

5. MicroCase offers you the choice of merging variables with exactly the same range or with similar ranges. I recommend you always choose the EXACT RANGE in order to maintain the comparability of the codes (e.g., a response of 5 out of 5 is not the same as a response of 5 out of 7). Click on NEXT.

6. MicroCase creates a summary information screen of the number of variables and cases in the new data file. If this summary looks strange, click on BACK to reconsider the merge rules you specified. If the summary information looks right, click on FINISH. A small window telling you the new file has been created will appear; click on OK to close this window.

7. Be sure to SAVE the new data file. See the instructions in #1F on the first page of this document.

1. The SUBSET FILE option from the DATA MANAGEMENT menu can be used to create a subfile of cases and/or variables from an already existing data file.

1. From the FILE MANAGEMENT menu, OPEN the data file you want to create a subset from.

1. Click on SUBSET FILE on the DATA MANAGEMENT menu to begin the subsetting process.

1. The first SUBSET screen asks you to indicate the variables to be used in defining a subset of cases, e.g., "region" to create a data file of "Western States" or "sex" and "marital status" to create a data file of divorced men.

1. For each subset variable, you will be asked to specify the range of existing values that you want to include in the new data file.

2. If you want to create a new data file which includes ALL cases but a subset of variables (e.g., only variables about gender roles), select ANY variable as a subset variable and do not change the existing range when asked to define the acceptable range of values.

3. When you are through selecting the subset variables, click on NEXT.

5. The next SUBSET screen asks you to specify whether to drop variables with all missing data or variables that have no variance. I recommend YES (i.e., a check mark) to both questions. For Ecological data files, you will also have to specify whether you want a map or not. Click on NEXT.

5. The next SUBSET screen asks which variables you want to include in the new data file. You can enter variable names or numbers one at a time or you can opt to include all variables. After you have defined the variables to be included, click on NEXT.

5. The last SUBSET screen gives you the resulting number of cases and number of variables. Accept the default to copy any recode information with the variables. Click on FINISH.

5. Save the new data file.