SPSS Analysis
Analysis-Ready Data: Preserving Structure from Excel to SPSS
Standardise variable names, dates, missing values, codebooks and long–wide structure before importing Excel data into SPSS.
Admin
June 20, 2026
8 min read
Valid analysis starts with a valid data structure
Spreadsheets are visually flexible; analysis software expects one variable per column and a defined observational unit per row.
Practical framework
Use unique variable names.
Maintain a codebook.
Store dates consistently.
Choose long or wide structure deliberately.
Reporting
After import, verify row counts, types, ranges and category frequencies.
Common mistakes
Merged headers.
Mixing blank, zero and 999.
Text notes in numeric columns.
References
Accessed 20 June 2026. General methodological information.