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| At KSU, we have incorporated
the four most widely used statistical computing packages into
our Statistics courses – EXCEL, SPSS, Minitab and SAS. While
each of these packages can be used for basic data analysis, they
each have specializations. Any individual who can represent
themselves as knowledgeable and proficient in any or all of
these packages will possess a marketable and differentiating
skillset. EXCEL is used anywhere
that data is available – which is everywhere. EXCEL is found in
offices, libraries, schools, universities, home offices and
everywhere in between.
Microsoft's EXCEL spreadsheet software package is almost ubiquitous. It represents a very basic and efficient way to organize, analyze and present data. Employers today expect that at a minimum new hires with college degrees will have a working knowledge of EXCEL. For product information regarding EXCEL, please visit: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us The “Statistical Package for the Social Sciences” or SPSS is one of the most heavily used statistical computing packages in industry. SPSS has over 250,000 customers in 60 countries and is particularly heavily used in Medicine, Psychology, Marketing, Political Science and other social sciences. Because of its more “point and click” orientation, SPSS has become one of the preferred packages of non-statisticians. For product information regarding SPSS, please visit: http://www.spss.com Minitab was developed by Statistics professors at Penn State University (where it is still headquartered) in 1972. These professors were looking for a better way to teach undergraduate statistics in the classroom. From this starting point, Minitab is now used in over 4,000 universities around the world, in 80 countries and by hundreds of companies ranging from Fortune 500 to start up companies. Of the main statistical computing packages, Minitab has the strongest graphics and visualization capabilities. The package is most heavily used in Six Sigma and other quality design initiatives. Minitab’s customer list includes a large number of manufacturing and product design firms such as Ford, GE, GM, HP and Whirlpool. For product information regarding Minitab, please visit: http://www.minitab.com “Statistical Analysis Software” or “SAS” is the largest and most complete statistical analysis package on the market. This is the package of choice of most applied statisticians. Although the most recent version of SAS (version 9) includes some point and click options, SAS uses a scripting language to tell the computer what data manipulations and computations to perform. The learning curve for SAS is longer and steeper than for the other packages, but the package is considered the benchmark for statistical computing. SAS is used in 110 countries, at 2,200 Universities, and at 96 of the Fortune 100 companies. For product information regarding SAS, please visit: http://www.sas.com |
In addition to its role as a
data analysis package, EXCEL is often used as a starting point
to capture and organize data and then import it into more
sophisticated analysis packages such as SPSS, Minitab or SAS.
And, after analysis is complete, datasets can be exported back
to EXCEL and shared with others who may not have access to (or
have the ability to use) other analysis packages (we gently
refer to this group as the “great statistical unwashed”).
