What are setup files? How do I use them? Are SAS and SPSS setup files available for all studies?

Many of our data collections that contain ASCII data files are accompanied by setup files that allow users to read the text files into statistical software packages. Since a visual interpretation of alphanumeric data files is inefficient, statistical software is needed to define, manipulate, extract, and analyze variables and cases within data files. For many of our data collections, we provide setup files for SAS, SPSS, and Stata statistical software packages, which are three of the more commonly used analytical software packages for the social sciences.

ICPSR prepares SAS, SPSS, and Stata setup files for many studies. in addition, some principal investigators provide setup files when they archive their data with ICPSR. However, these statements are not available for all studies. When they are available, they are included in the list of study files. If they are not listed, you can contact ICPSR User Support at ICPSR-help@umich.edu to inquire about the possibility of ICPSR creating setup files for a particular study.

Utilizing Setup Files

ICPSR has prepared tutorials on how to analyze data using setup files:

ASCII Data File + SAS Setup Files (pdf)

ASCII Data File + SPSS Setup Files (pdf)

ASCII Data File + Stata Setup Files (pdf)

You can find video tutorials addressing this topic on the ICPSR YouTube channel.

Troubleshooting Setup Files

If you have difficulty running a setup file, please contact ICPSR User Support at ICPSR-help@umich.edu for assistance.