Joining Data
If the dataset is locked, you will be prompted to unlock it when this action is selected. See the Datasets with Multiple Editors article for more information.
You can extend a dataset by adding variables from another dataset that match the current one on some key variable (typically called a ‘left join’).
How to join data
To join data:
- Click the dataset name in the left Folder Sidebar. Make sure you have editing permissions for it (shown by an unlocked icon in the top right).
- Select the Add variables (Join) option from the drop-down list.
- Select a dataset to join:
- Select a key variable for each dataset using the dropdown lists.
- Optionally, enter a variable suffix to append to the variable alias.
If there are duplicated aliases within both datasets that your are joining, you can provide a suffix that is appended to the alias of each variable (appearing from the right-hand side of the alias name), which prevents any conflicts from occurring.
- When finished, click the Join button at the bottom.
What happens next?
Joining may take some time depending on the size of your datasets. Once you are finished, you will either see a success message or you will be informed that the join failed.
If it fails, check that the keys are the same type and actually identify rows that should match, and ensure that the new data you’re joining with does not contain any aliases already present in the dataset. The joined data will appear in a new folder in the list of variables.