A value indicates the level or amount of a variable. This example shows two basic types of variables. Discrete or nominal variables have a small set of possible values, frequently in no particular order. The codes used are just labels, not really numerical values. Other examples could be home city, dorm, or religion.
Continuous variables represent points along a scale, such as age, test score, or income.
This distinction is important in statistics because different statistical procedures are appropriate for the two types of variables. For instance, you may want to know the average, standard deviation, and maximum for continuous variables, but this information is not meaningful for discrete variables. A more extensive discussion of Levels of Management is in the SPSS Base System User's Guide, and in many statistical textbooks. It is also possible to create the data file on a microcomputer using a word processor. Then save it as a text file and upload it to Raven.