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5 Command file: Reading the data 50in the factor than were declared, ASReml will reduce the factor size to theactual number of levels. Use !PRUNALL for this action to be taken on the currentand subsequent factors up to (but not including) a factor with the !PRUNEOFFqualifier. The user may overestimate the size for large ALPHA and INTEGERcoded factors so that ASReml reserves enough space for the list. Using !PRUNEwill mean the extra (undefined) levels will not appear in the .sln file. Since itis sometimes necessary that factors not be pruned in this way, for example inpedigree/GIV factors, pruning is only done if requested.Reordering the factor levelsNew!SORT declared after !A or !I on a field definition line will cause ASReml to sortthe levels so that labels occur in alphabetic/numeric order for the analysis. Bydefault, ASReml orders factor levels in the order they appear in the data so thatfor example, the user cannot tell whether SEX will be coded 1=Male, 2=Femaleor 1=Female, 2=Male without looking at the data file to see whether Male orFemale appears first in the SEX field. With the !SORT qualifier, the coding willbe 1=Female, 2=Male regardless of which appears first in the file.!SORTALL means that the levels for the current and subsequent factors are to besorted.Skipping input fieldsNew!SKIP f will skip f data fields BEFORE reading this field. It is particularly usefulin large files with alphabetic fields which are not needed as it saves ASReml thetime required to classify the alphabetic labels. For exampleSire !I !skip 1would skip the field before the field which is read as ’Sire’.5.5 Transforming the dataTransformation is the process of modifying the data (for example, dividing allof the data values in a field by 10), deriving new forms of the data for analysis(for example, summing the data in two fields) or creating temporary data (forexample, a test variable used immediately to discard some records from analysis).Occasional users may find it easier to use a spreadsheet to calculate derivedvariables than to modify variables using ASReml transformations.