In SPSS, multiply imputed data are contained in a single file, in which an Imputation_
variable separates the original data and the various imputed data sets.
During export, factors are converted to numeric, whereas character variables are left ``as is''.
By default, write.mitmlSPSS
generates a raw text file containing the data, along with a syntax file containing instructions for SPSS.
This syntax file mimics SPSS's functionality to read text files with sensible settings.
In order to read in the data, the syntax file must be opened and executed using SPSS, or open using the GUI.
Manual changes to the syntax file can be required, for example, if the file path of the data file is not correctly represented in the syntax.
The locale
argument can be used to ensure that SPSS reads the data in the correct locale.
Alternatively, write.mitmlSAV
may be used for exporting directly to the SPSS native .sav
format.