Create New Variables by Duplicating and Modifying Original Variables

Duplicating variables that are in the raw data, and then modifying these (e.g., merging categories, recoding), is much faster than using banners and other constructed variables. So it's good to be familiar with the different Structures and Value Attributes for Variable Sets.

If you want to create filters from a Nominal or Ordinal variable, the most computationally-efficient way to do this is to:

1. Right-click and duplicate the variable once for each category.
2. Right-click and combine.
3. Expand the variable set by clicking the triangle to the left of the variable set's name.
4. One by one, right-click on each of the variables and rename it to each of the categories.
5. In Properties , click Data > Attributes > Categories and choose the corresponding Count this value categories.
6. Finally, in Properties , tick Usable as a Filter under Data > Attributes.