Variable Set

A variable set is a grouping of one or more related variables. It may consist of a single variable (e.g., a variable measuring the age of people in a Data Set), or it may consist of multiple related variables (e.g., the age of people within a household, where there is one variable for each person).

The variable sets in a Data Set are shown in the Data Tree.

Properties

A Variable Set appears as a folder within a Data Set in the Data Tree. It has the following properties:

• Variable Set Name.
• A set of variables that are in the variable set. Note that while a variable can only appear once in a variable set, it can be copied multiple times so this restriction is more of an organizing principle than a constraint.
• Variable Set Structure.
• Value Attributes.
• Data Reduction.

Purpose

A variable set has a number of roles:

• It is a way of organizing data. Each variable set appears as a separate folder in Displayr.
• It expedites selection and referencing of data with code. For example, if a variable set consists of 100 variables, they can be collectively referred to by their Variable Set Name.
• It determines how variables are used when constructing tables and their associated statistical tests (see Table). See Variable Set Structure for more information.

Setting and modifying

Variable Sets are inferred when importing data into Displayr. They are modified using the options in the Object Inspector and by using the options in the toolbar.