EPICURE categorical variables are integer-valued variables. (Note: Although specific values are integers, all data in EPICURE is stored as floating-point numbers.) The LEVELS command is used to indicate that a variable is to be treated as a categorical variable. If this command is used before the data have been read, it is necessary to indicate explicitly the number of levels and, when the lowest value is not 1, the origin for each categorical variable. When the LEVELS command is used after the data have been read, the number of levels can be determined automatically by the program. Information about the number of levels and origin for categorical variables is stored in the BSF file header. This information is not updated to reflect selections in effect when the data were saved or made as the data are read. When data are read from a text file, categorical variables must be specified each time the data are used.