Transform Calculator

A transform function is a mathematical or logical operation that may be applied to a variable or group of variables in the dataset. The result of the function can replace the values of an existing variable or can be stored as a new variable. You can apply more than one transform sequentially to the same variable.
Transforms are recorded in the form:
Variable = Expression
where:
  • Expression is a formula built from the transform functions, dataset variables (the inputs), and numeric, date/time, or string constants.
  • Variable (the output) is the name of one or more variables into which the results of the calculation will be stored. If A is an input to B, then B is said to depend on A. All transforms require exactly one output variable, unless specifically noted otherwise in“Transform Reference”.
If the output variable already exists in the dataset, the transform expression must use that same variable as an input. Replace an existing variable's values with something unrelated is not supported. If any input to a transform is a computed variable, that transform's output cannot be a raw variable. Some transform functions require that the output be the same variable as one of the inputs.
Variables with different date/time references cannot be combined in a single transform (but if a date/time reference is none, it is exempt from this rule). You can change the date/time reference of a raw or independent variable (in the Column Configuration tab of the dataset manifest) but not of a computed variable, which inherits its date/time from its input variable.
In general, you can combine as many functions as you wish into a single, complex transform expression. However, some transform functions cannot be combined with certain others in a single expression and will result in an error message like
Invalid mix of vector functions with scalar function
. If this message appears, apply the functions sequentially instead of combined in a single transform.
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