Can you run a rank-order segmentation in SPSS? (SImilar to a Fasclus in SAS)

[Erica Z]

Hi there,

My team is currently split in tool usage - half of us use SPSS and half of us use SAS. There are a few processes we'd like to be able to do in SPSS. Does anyone know of an easy way to do the following?

- Factor Analysis (similar to a Varclus in SAS): we run factor analysis but are looking for something similar to the Varclus function that prevents items from loading onto multiple factors.

- Rank Order Segmentation (similar to a Fasclus in SAS): we run Cluster analysis on SPSS but often end up with a segment that's high on every input and one that is low on every input. We've been doing Fasclus in SAS but is there a way to do this in SPSS?

[Rich Ulrich]

On Fri, 14 Feb 2020 13:40:33 -0800 (PST), Erica Z

Post by Erica Z
Hi there,
My team is currently split in tool usage - half of us use SPSS and half of us use SAS. There are a few processes we'd like to be able to do in SPSS. Does anyone know of an easy way to do the following?
- Factor Analysis (similar to a Varclus in SAS): we run factor analysis but are looking for something similar to the Varclus function that prevents items from loading onto multiple factors.
- Rank Order Segmentation (similar to a Fasclus in SAS): we run Cluster analysis on SPSS but often end up with a segment that's high on every input and one that is low on every input. We've been doing Fasclus in SAS but is there a way to do this in SPSS?

[cribbed from an older message by Bruce]

The SPSS mailing list (http://spssx-discussion.1045642.n5.nabble.com/)
is a lot more active than this forum these days. You might want to
join that list (if not already a member) and post your question there.
Via the page given above, click on -more options- near the top for
info on how to subscribe. HTH.

My own, random comments -
I have done a lot of factor analyses of correlation matrices,
almost always for items of rating scales. My advice is not so
relevant if your best correlations are outside of the 0.35 - 0.65
range.

After a period of experimenting, I settled on looking (rarely)
at PC; and always at FA (communalities on the diagonal),
usually with Varimax rotation. I got used to using those results,
and they served me well.

I just now looked up Varclus - it looks to me like it would
take a while to get used to using those results. Do you
have reference to someone's impressive results, from using
that? (Or Fasclus?)