FAQs: Data Formats and Files

1. Can I use R without having to learn the details of the R language?
2. How can I use your data with GIS software, such as ArcView or MapInfo?
3. How do I interpret a record from an ASCII data file?
4. How do I read data into R?
5. How do I use an SPSS setup file to import ASCII data?
6. How do I use a SAS setup file to import ASCII data?
7. How do I use a Stata setup file to import ASCII data?
8. How do I use Excel to import tab-delimited ASCII data?
9. I'm getting a "file not found" error when trying to use a setup file. What is wrong?
10. I'm using SPSS on a Mac. I can't read ASCII data files using the SPSS setup file I downloaded. What do I do?
11. I am taking a stats class and need a dataset. I have selected a dataset, but there is no setup file for the stat package I am using. What should I do?
12. I downloaded data from your site, but my statistics application issues an error message that the file cannot be found.
13. I have no experience creating setup files for statistical packages. How do I load the data into the program?
14. What are setup files?
15. What is a data file?
16. What is a SAS CPORT file? How do I use it?
17. What is R?
18. What kind of data formats does the archive distribute? Do you have SPSS Portable files? SAS transport? Stata?