DETAILS A database has some variables with two or more missing values defined. An unrelated schema modification (like changing i/o columns) can cause some of the missing values become undefined. This is the data in the record that changes, not the schema definition. It doesn't happen in all circumstances but it will in this attached example. 1) import the attached database; 2) run system.data. This shows you the values of the two variables in the one case in this database. It also shows MISSING and MISNUM for each. The first variable is a date with one missing value (99/99/9999) and the second is an integer with two missing values (-1 & -3). ********** 99/99/9999 1 * -3 2 3) run system.schema. This was created with a write schema and is no different to the current schema. 4) run system.data again an the second variable has changed from missing 2 to undefined. ********** 99/99/9999 1 * * 0 This does not effect the first missing values, only the second and third. If you take away the first variable in this schema then it is ok. EXAMPLE PROGRAM RUN NAME MISS2 EXPORT TASK NAME INITIALIZATION CREATE DATABASE MISS2 JOURNAL OFF CASE ID ID (A) N OF CASES 30000 RECS PER CASE 1023 MAX INPUT COLS 3000 RECTYPE COLS 1 2 MAX REC TYPES 99 MAX REC COUNT 200 TASK NAME Record Definition for CIR RECORD SCHEMA 0 CIR DATA LIST ID * (A8) VAR LABEL ID 'ID' END SCHEMA TASK NAME Record Definition for REC1 Record Number 1 RECORD SCHEMA 1 REC1 MAX REC COUNT 1 DATA LIST ID 3 - 10 (A8) VAR1 17 - 26 (I4) VAR2 46 - 49 (I1) VAR RANGES VAR1 (0 11111111) VAR2 (0 1) MISSING VALUES VAR1 (99999999) VAR2 (-1 -3) VALUE LABELS VAR1 (99999999)'Unknown' VAR2 (0)'No' (1)'Yes' (-1)'Unknown' (-3)'N/A' VAR LABEL VAR1 'Var1' VAR2 'var2' END SCHEMA STRING LENGTH 32 REMARK 'Begin import of members' PROCEDURE SYSTEM.DATA:T (155373,58736) |Last amended Mar 07, 2008,16:18:56 retrieval process cases process record 1 write VAR1 [missing(VAR1)] [misnum(VAR1)] write VAR2 [missing(VAR2)] [misnum(VAR2)] end record end case end retrieval END PROCEDURE PROCEDURE SYSTEM.SCHEMA:T (155373,58627) |Last amended Mar 07, 2008,16:17:07 TASK NAME Record Definition for REC1 Record Number 1 RECORD SCHEMA 1 REC1 MAX REC COUNT 1 DATA LIST ID 3 - 10 (A8) VAR1 17 - 26 (DATE'MMIDDIYYYY') VAR2 46 - 49 (I1) VAR RANGES VAR1 ('01 01 2000' '01 01 2050') VAR2 (0 1) MISSING VALUES VAR1 ('99/99/9999') VAR2 (-1 -3) VALUE LABELS VAR1 ('99/99/9999')'Unknown' VAR2 (0)'No' (1)'Yes' (-1)'Unknown' (-3)'N/A' VAR LABEL VAR1 'Var1' VAR2 'var2' END SCHEMA STRING LENGTH 32 END PROCEDURE REMARK 'Import of members complete' TASK NAME IMPORT IMPORT 1 0/1/11/1/M1/M2/ WORKAROUND