st: Adding a new variable to update a class of observations

[Robin Newberry <wnewber@clemson.edu>]

I have some variables which denotes a sub-set of observations in the 
injury data which groups employees working together; typically 
there's a "department name" and a "department number". The issue is 
that the names and numbers identifying these categories have changed 
repeatedly over the last 15 years. An employee may have started out 
working in "Department A" progressed through departments B, C, and D 
without ever actually changing jobs, supervisors, etc. - all that's 
changed is the nomenclature. I don't believe we've ever duplicated 
and inadvertently renamed "Department A" to "Department D", then 
later renaming another group "Department A".

Somewhere we have a spreadsheet that tracks these changes, and I'd 
like to incorporate the changes to more or less normalize the data; 
that way I can track injuries amongst the folks who mow the grass, 
regardless of what their department is called. Is there a way to add 
a new variable, and equate it to an existing one?
--
Robin
--------------------------------------------------------------
W. Robert Newberry, IV CIH, CHMM
Chief Environmental Health and Safety Officer
Clemson University

wnewber@clemson.edu  ehs@clemson.edu
http://ehs.clemson.edu/
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