Data reduction is the transformation of data into a simplified form, such that it is more readily interpreted.
In the context of analyzing tabular data, data reduction refers to operations such as:
- Merging categories.
- Sorting.
- Choosing the best statistics to show.
When a Table is created, its rows and columns can be modified by dragging and dropping, and by choosing from the options in the toolbar. These changes are made in the underlying Variable Set, and are referred to as the Variable Set's Data Reduction. They 'stick' and are automatically applied to all other tables that use the same Variable Set. Thus, if you do not want to make them 'stick', the trick is to have multiple versions of the same Variable Set (Duplicate).