.sav is the standard format of the advanced statistical analysis software SPSS. It is widely used across several disciplines such as social sciences, earth sciences, psychology, life sciences, among others. Despite it being a licensed software, DANS accepts this format due to its good documentation and well-known functions, as well as the extensive use of the SPSS software.

In order for the .sav format to be accepted for archiving, we require that all labels are clearly stated in the label tab of the file or in a separate readme file. Their name, meaning and possible values (units if applicable), should be presented clearly to the users.

SPSS .sav is a non-preferred format for file type statistical data.