The "Area Processing" feature groups table data according to areas that you define. For example, if you are producing tables for industries, you may want to output the data according to industry type (Agriculture, Mining, Fishing, etc.).
One of the most common uses of area processing is for geography. Whatever items you choose to use for your area, they must be part of the questionnaire identification or items on a singly- occurring record. Area processing is in addition to any row/column items selected.
To use this feature, you must first create an area names file, which defines the levels of the area and assigns text names to the numeric code. The Area Processing applies to all tables in your application.
See also: Area Processing, Create an Area Names File, Area IDs Dialog Box, Area Names File