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To add a new grouping to a merged variable, follow these steps:
- Open the variable in the Edit Merged Variable dialog.
- Click Add. A selection statement dialog will be opened.
- Build a selection statement which defines the set of cases you want to include in the grouping.
- Once the selection statement is complete, click OK to return to the Edit Merged Variable dialog.
- Type in a meaningful name for the grouping and press Enter. This name will be the label that appears in your results matrix.
When creating complex merged variables, it can be difficult to tell whether all cases will be captured in the defined groupings. Consider using the Add All button to automatically add a grouping for every possible combination of values for specified variables. Alternatively, consider checking the Include "Other" Grouping checkbox on the Edit Merged Variable dialog to automatically include any case not covered by a defined grouping in a grouping labeled "Other".
It can be convenient to use user-defined variables when creating a grouping for a merged variable. However, when you exit the Edit Merged Variable dialog, the values for all variables used in groupings will be converted to the values of the base variables. For example, you may have a histology variable with groupings for small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. If you selected "{User-Defined.Histology for Lung} = Small Cell", it would be converted to "{Site and Morphology.Histologic Type ICD-O-3} = 8041-8045".
