PSPP-BUG: Error Opening SPSS .sav File

[Andy Choens]

I opened a .sav file and PSPP threw an error. It opened the file (apparently) 
without error, but it asked me to send this to you, which is why I am writing 
this email. To reproduce the bug I encountered, just open the attached 
test.sav file and watch. The SPSS file in question was produced with SPSS 20. 

AFAIK, PSPP and R share the same underlying system for importing SPSS files. 
This appears to be born out in the fact that opening a .sav file produced with 
SPSS 20 produces the same warning in both systems. PSPP additionally requested 
that I send the file to this address, which is the purpose of this email.

This is a really really simple SPSS file that I created manually in SPSS 20. It 
contains two columns called dumb and dumber. There are two rows in the data 
set. The first row has a value of 1 for both columns. The second row has a 
value of 2.

The .sav file appears to import accurately, but produces the following warning 
/ error:
PSPP warning: "/home/andy/Documents/test.sav" near offset 0x148: File specifies 
unexpected value -1.79769e+308 as LOWEST.
PSPP warning: "/home/andy/Documents/test.sav" near offset 0x164: Invalid 
variable display parameters for variable 0 (DUMB).  Default parameters 
substituted.
PSPP warning: "/home/andy/Documents/test.sav" near offset 0x1c7: Unrecognized 
record type 7, subtype 18.  Please send a copy of this file, and the syntax 
which created it to address@hidden

I first encountered this with a larger, more complex .sav file which I can not 
share due to privacy concerns, but this simplistic file appears to generate the 
same error and could be of use to you.

I am running PSPP 0.6.2, which I realize is not the newest version, but I 
doubt much has changed here, since R throws a nearly identical error:

Warning messages:
1: In read.spss("test.sav") :
  test.sav: File-indicated value is different from internal value for at least 
one of the three system values.  SYSMIS: indicated -1.79769e+308, expected 
-1.79769e+308; HIGHEST: 1.79769e+308, 1.79769e+308; LOWEST: -1.79769e+308, 
-1.79769e+308
2: In read.spss("test.sav") :
  test.sav: Unrecognized record type 7, subtype 18 encountered in system file

The file in question is attached. Let me know if there is any way I can be of 
further assistance.

--andy

test.sav
Description: application/spss-sav