Data can be entered directly, or it can be imported from a number of different sources.Computer programs often need to read data that was prepared by a different program or even a different system. This data is obtained from data storage devices such as hard disks, floppy disks, CD-ROM, magnetic tape and information servers on a network. There are many generations of data storage devices an many kinds of computer systems that use them. The specifics of each situation depend upon the technology of the device, the computer system, the language, the server and the network. We will focus on a few principles and techniques that can be used immediately and which create a foundation for future work in this area.
The processes for reading data stored in PASW Statistics data files; spreadsheet applications, such as Microsoft Excel; database applications, such as Microsoft Access.
PASW Statistics data files are organized by cases (rows) and variables (columns). In this data file, cases represent individual respondents to a survey Variables represent responses to each question asked in the survey.
