SPSS - Getting Started

1. SPSS Off-Campus

For-off campus users, begin by opening a web browser, then follow the steps outlined below:

• Go to the secure site https://remote.immaculata.edu
• Next, enter your Immaculata user ID and password in the log in window.
• Click the "Login" button.

This will log you into the Immaculata remote portal which allows access to various resources depending on the user group with which you are associated.

Once logged in to this site, click on the "My Campus - Student Environment" bookmark. to proceed to the next Log in screen.

2. Remote Desktop Services (RDS) resources

A new tab will open in your browser providing access to the resources associated with your RDS account. The tab emulates a standard Windows computer screen.

Do the following to access your programs:

• Click on the start button.
• Scroll through the available resources, and select the "IBM SPSS Statistics" folder and then "IBM SPSS Stastics25" to open the application.

Please note that all documents needing to be saved, need to be saved to your University "Z" drive.

3. Initial page or output

If this is your first visit to SPSS, the default page is blank and users can begin to populate their data. If the program was previously accessed, there may be an output window covering the rows and columns. Close the output window to begin entering new data.

4. Saving

All SPSS work should be saved to the user's "Z" drive. Your "Z" drive is the secure space allocated to each member of the I.U. community on the University server.

• Select File in the top toolbar and choose "Save As".
• Click the toggle arrow next to "Look in:".
• Navigate to the "Z" drive.
• Add a "File name:".
• Click the "Save" button.

NOTE: Do not save the document to the "Desktop" or "Documents" folder. Those locations are on the server that grants access to SPSS, not the device you are using. Navigate to the "Z" drive the first time the file is saved. As with other programs, subsequent saves will update the file on the "Z" drive.

The default file type for SPSS is (*.sav). There are however, several different file types in which the data can be saved. The data is portable to other programs if needed (Excel, .csv, SAS etc.). These same data types can also be imported into SPSS.

5. Tools and Settings

By default, the most commonly used options and settings are already set up for users. At the top, next to the "All Resources" tab, is an icon showing unsaved data sets. If multiple sets are unsaved a number will appear next to the icon.

Use the double headed arrow to expand the view to full screen. Click the arrows to restore to normal view or use the "Esc" key to exit full screen.

On the quick access toolbar, additional tools can be added by clicking on the "Add tools" button (the green circle with a plus sign).

Users do not need to make changes in the Settings area (the Gear icon).

6. Views

There are two main views when working with SPSS, Data view and Variable view. The Data view is the default view and is where the data resides.

The Variable view shows the properties of each variable. The variables are not very descriptive in their default state. Click the tab at the bottom of the window titled "Variable View". To change the variable name, select it and then type a more descriptive name (do not include spaces or special characters).

The variable name can also be changed by double clicking on the name when in data view.