SPSS Scratch Variables
A scratch variable is a temporary variable that is not initialized between cases. As a program iterates over each row of data, scratch variables retain their value.
Contents
Declaration
Scratch variables are declared with a hash (#) prefix. Try:
compute #TotalSales = sum(Sales, #TotalSales).
Usage
Scratch variables are firstly useful as temporary variables. They are automatically deleted in the next execution.
Scratch variables can also be used to aggregate data.
compute #TotalSales = sum(Sales, #TotalSales). compute Total_Sales = #TotalSales.