Minitab

Pros

• Powerful, highly developed software for statistical analysis
• Easy to install and run
• Point and click data import
• Expert system guides analysis
• Professional charts and graphs
• Advanced statistics functionality
• Basic and advanced procedures
• Automatically produces clear, detailed reports
• Reports include explanatory detail
• Tests model assumptions and generates diagnostics
• Reports on potential problems with the data or models

Cons

• May not include the procedure you want
• Limited Bayesian capability

First introduced by researchers at Penn State University in 1972 as a slimmed down version of the NIST standard statistics package OMNITAB, for more than 40 years Minitab has met a key need for researchers and analysts who need core statistics and reporting functionality without the mystery. True, Minitab won’t turn anyone into a professional statistician overnight. However, it will provide powerful answers in clear, easy to communicate reports in eight languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, & Spanish.

Even users who never access more than a small fraction of Minitab’s statistics functionality understand the importance of professional looking charts for communicating and ultimately selling their ideas, products, and strategies. Minitab makes the process of getting from data to the bottom line easier than ever. First, the intuitive interface strikes a familiar chord that cuts the learning curve to the bone. Next the easy input and output function makes getting data into Minitab as easy as opening a spreadsheet.

Still better, the Minitab assistant works as an expert guiding a path through the maze of possible models for the data so that the user confidently selects the right tool to analyze the data. Each assistant presents the analyst with a set of clear options to achieve objectives. In each case these match with the relevant hypothesis tests to answer real questions from the available data. Step by step Minitab’s expert system guides the analytical process using a set of basic dialogs to get from the data to a useful answer. It even gives guidance on how to collect and enter the data.

At the same time, the user interface often reduces the painful process of creating reports to communicate those answers as easy as a single click to select a chart. Better yet, Minitab automatically produces reports that include explanatory detail. As a result, the members of the audience don’t have to dredge through dimly familiar old textbooks. Likewise, Minitab reports generate diagnostics and warnings to help the analyst refine the model. Best of all, Minitab exports completed results directly to Microsoft Word or Powerpoint. This way, the analyst doesn't have to be a graphic artist.

Ultimately, communication of results drives the decision to use software, but Minitab throws a long pass on functionality, too. Minitab’s broad range of features includes a basic statistics core covering all the common linear models (OLS, GLS, PROBIT/LOGIT, and censored data), analysis of variance, and multiple analysis of variance, process control, reliability and survival analysis, measurement systems analysis, power and sample size analysis, time series analysis and forecasting, multivariate statistics (principal components, factor analysis, discriminant and cluster analysis, etc.), DIMAIC analysis, and nonparametric statistics. Finally like Excel, Minitab is COM-enabled with an extensive macro capabilities for solving tougher problems.

Pros

• Powerful, highly developed software for statistical analysis
• Easy to install and run
• Point and click data import
• Expert system guides analysis
• Professional charts and graphs
• Advanced statistics functionality
• Basic and advanced procedures
• Automatically produces clear, detailed reports
• Reports include explanatory detail
• Tests model assumptions and generates diagnostics
• Reports on potential problems with the data or models

Cons

• May not include the procedure you want
• Limited Bayesian capability