How to Create a Distance Matrix

This article describes how to create a distance matrix, also known as a dissimilarity matrix. A distance matrix is a table that shows the distance between pairs of objects. You can compare variables or the values of up to 100 individual cases.

Requirements

Two or more variables Structured as one of the Numeric or Ordinal types to use as inputs to the distance matrix.

Method

1. Select Anything > Advanced Analysis > Correlation > Distance Matrix

2. From the object inspector on the right, select Inputs > Compare and select if you want to compare variables or cases. For this example, we'll select variables. 

3. For Inputs > Variables, select the variables to compare. For this example, I've selected 5-point brand attitude variables (how well respondents like each brand) for 6 different cola brands. 

4. [Optional:] Configure other fields per the technical documentation. 

5. Click the Calculate button to generate the distance matrix output. 

Note that if a case contains missing values, it is omitted from the analysis. Also, weights are not applicable when comparing cases. 

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