Two ways of importing data to Amos

By Riya Jain & Priya Chetty on February 17, 2022

To work with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) test in Amos, the first step is to import data to Amos. The previous article explained the terminologies of the SEM test. This article explains the procedures for importing data to Amos. A dataset can be imported to Amos in two ways.

Opening Amos application from SPSS

The first step is importing the dataset into the SPSS spreadsheet, and then loading it in Amos. After doing so, the below window should appear in SPSS.

An example dataset in SPSS software
Figure 1: An example dataset in SPSS

After this, click on ‘Analyze’ and then ‘IBM SPSS Amos’ to open Amos.

Opening Amos from SPSS
Figure 2: Opening Amos from SPSS

Once Amos opens, a new graphics file will open as shown below.

Amos interface to import a dataset
Figure 3: Amos interface to import a dataset

After this, save the file by clicking on ‘Save’ under ‘File’. Select the desired location, enter the file name and then click on ‘Save’ for saving the document.

View the list of imported variables in Amos

By clicking on the icon, the imported variables list can be viewed, as shown in the image below.

List of variables in Amos
Figure 4: List of variables in Amos

Now that the dataset has been successfully imported path analysis, SEM analysis and other tests can be performed on Amos.

Importing data to Amos directly

The other and most commonly used method is to import data to Amos by using the application’s import function. For this, first, open the Amos graphics application.

Amos graphics window after importing data to Amos
Figure 5: Amos graphics window after importing data to Amos

Next, save the Amos graphics.

 Click on it to select the data file icon. The below window will appear.

Data files selection window in SPSS Amos
Figure 6: Data files selection window in SPSS Amos

On this window, click on the file name to specify the data file name. The ‘View Data’ option launches the external data file application such as MS Excel or SPSS file.

For example; to know the name of a data file and to select by using the file name, then use the ‘View Data’ option to cross-check the content of that data file as Amos launches the original data file. The ‘Grouping variable’ option allows to specifically mention the variable responsible for grouping in the database. This eases model testing and enables easy set up of the model in the case of multiple groups presence.

Amos allows accessing different file formats like:

  • MS Access
  • dbase 3-5
  • Microsoft Excel 3, 4, 5, and 8
  • Fox pro files 2.0, 2.5, and 2.6
  • lotus wk1, wk3, and wk4
  • spss .sav files

The below window appears when ‘File Name’ is clicked. Select the file which to import and click on ‘Open’.

Selecting the file to import to Amos
Figure 7: Selecting the file to import to Amos

The below window will appear.

Viewing the data file properties in Amos after importing
Figure 8: Viewing the data file properties in Amos after importing

In this window, ‘N’ represents the number of observations present in the selected file, which is 200 in this case. Once the file is loaded click on ‘OK’ for final importing. With this, the entire dataset is successfully loaded. Now formulate a model in Amos using different tests.

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