To create a dictionary from an existing file you will need written documentation concerning the organization of the data on the file. This is usually presented as a set of record descriptions. These record descriptions identify the different kinds of records, the items on each record, the starting position and length of each item, type of data contained in each item, the values that can appear in each item and the significance of those values. Further, if you only want to use a subset of information in the data file, using absolute positioning allows you to define only those data items of interest to you.
Once you have the record descriptions for the data file you are ready to create the dictionary.
• With CSPro create a new Data Dictionary file.
• In the Turn Options menu, uncheck the option for "Relative Positioning" so that you can position each data item according to the written specification.
• In the new data dictionary, define the records, items, and values from the record description.
See also: Select Relative or Absolute Positioning