Training

How often do you use Microsoft® Excel to format your SPSS results before copying them to Microsoft Word? Instead, use the TableLooks feature in SPSS.

TableLooks enables you to use a convenient template to format table properties, including footnotes, cells, and borders, as well as the overall appearance. Choose from among the many TableLook templates, or create your own.

Here's how to apply a TableLook template:

• Produce a frequency table
• Double click on the output table
• From the menus, choose Format>TableLooks (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: The TableLooks dialog box

• Select a style from the list to preview it in the Sample window to the right. You can use a style as is, or edit it to better suit your needs. To use an existing style, such as "Academic 2" (see Figure 2), select the style and click OK. Then copy the results directly into Word.

Figure 2: Frequency table with the "Academic 2" TableLooks style

You can change the format of a table after you create it. It may be more efficient, however, to change the default TableLook template, so you don't have to change the format each time you create a table. To change the default TableLook template, choose:

• Edit>Options from the menu
• Click the Pivot Tables tab in the Options dialog box (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: The Options dialog box

• Select the TableLook style that you want to use for all new tables
• Use the Sample window to see a preview of each TableLook
• Click OK to save your settings and close the dialog box

All tables that you create after changing the default TableLook will automatically conform to the new formatting rules.