Download Jmp User Guide

144 Properties and Characteristics of Data Chapter 5
Assigning Properties to Columns
Figure 5.16 Adding Column Notes
4 Click OK.
Validating Column Data
You can set up a column so that it accepts only certain values. These values can be individual numbers
(list checking), or they can be all numbers that fall within a range (range checking). The following
sections describe the two types of column validation.
List Checking
You can set up a column so it can contain only certain individual values that you specify. For example,
you can set up a column so it can contain only the numbers 2, 4, or 6. When you do this, the cursor
changes to when positioned over the column. If you try to enter a value not included on the
validation list, a warning message appears. If you right-click a cell (Ctrl-click on the Macintosh), a
menu of acceptable values appears. You can then select the cell value from the menu instead of typing it
into the cell. You can add an item before an existing item in the list. Select the item you want the new
item to go before, and then add the item.
List checking can save memory and disk storage when the data have only a few categories. Each distinct
category is saved only once, and a one-byte code that maps to a table of categories is saved for each cell.
List checking is also useful when you would like your graphs or plots to order data in a certain way. For
example, histogram bars are ordered alphabetically by default. To present them in a different order,
create a list check where the values you enter are in the new order. They are then displayed in an output
report in that order instead of the default order. (Note that list checking does not apply to bar charts.)
After you lock a column, the icon appears next to the column name in the data table’s column
panel.
To set up list checking
1 Highlight the column to which you want to apply the validation.