Introduction

How to use this document

This document is intended to introduce prospective researchers to MINITAB for Windows, which currently runs under Windows XP/Vista/7. Those who do not own a personal copy of MINITAB for Windows may access the software from various UITS Student Technology Centers at IU. Vendor-supplied documents are available for reference at the Swain Hall, BUS/SPEA and Education Libraries' Reserve Collections, IUPUI University Library, and at the UITS Center for Statistical and Mathematical Computing (Stat/Math Center). Faculty may arrange special introductory workshops for their classes in using MINITAB for Windows by contacting the UITS Stat/Math Center. If you want to buy a copy of MINITAB for Windows at an educational discount to install on IU owned PC's, contact the UITS Stat/Math Center.

What is MINITAB?

MINITAB is a powerful, easy-to-use, statistical software package that provides a wide range of basic and advanced data analysis capabilities. MINITAB's straightforward command structure makes it accessible to users with a great variety of background and experience. MINITAB runs on PC and Macintosh computers, and most of the leading workstations, minicomputers and mainframe computers. While MINITAB differs across releases and computer platforms, the core of MINITAB -- the worksheet and commands -- is the same. Thus, if you know how to use one release of MINITAB on one platform, you can easily switch to another.

MINITAB for Windows provides a user interface that makes statistical analysis more intuitive for all levels of users. Pull-down menus and dialog boxes give you easy prompts every step of the way. You just double-click on the program icon, and off you go! MINITAB lets you spend more time exploring your data and less time telling the computer what you want it to do. Data may be entered into a spreadsheet like window. There is also the option of importing data directly from Lotus, Excel, Symphony, Quattro Pro, dBase, or ASCII files with MINITAB's importing/ exporting capability. With MINITAB's (Rel 10 and higher) Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) you can enter your data into another spreadsheet program, such as Lotus, Excel or Quattro Pro, and MINITAB will receive it automatically. Or, you can enter data into MINITAB and send it simultaneously to another Windows program. MINITAB's graphics capability gives you unlimited possibilities to get the maximum visual impact. The macros let you create your own custom operations, designed specifically for your applications.

Some of the capabilities of MINITAB for Windows include:

• General : Windows menu interface, interactive command-line option, context-sensitive HELP, and powerful macro programming language.
• Data and File Management : Importing/Exporting, Dynamic Data Exchange, data editor, data manipulation (merge, stack, subset, sort, rank), merge worksheet, logical operators, arithmetic operators, matrix functions including transpose, inverse, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors.
• Basic statistics : descriptive statistics, confidence intervals, cross tabulations, correlation and covariance matrices, and test of homogeneity of variances.
• Advanced statistics : regression, ANOVA, MANOVA, cluster analysis, factor analysis, nonparametric procedures, time series analysis, simulations and distributions.
• Graphics : presentation-style graphics, ability to customize all attributes of every element in your graph, and ability to edit graphs. Plots and charts, 3D surface plot, scatterplot brushing.

Hardware and software requirements

In order to install and run MINITAB for Windows, your machine should meet the following hardware and software requirements.

• Windows XP/Vista/7.
• 512MB RAM minimum.
• Personal computer with a 1 GHz or higher processor.
• 160MB hard drive space for installation.
• CD-ROM drive for installation.
• Screen resolution 1024 X 768 or higher.

How to start a MINITAB session

Take the following steps to start a MINITAB session under Windows from UITS Student Technology Centers.

• Login an available Windows workstation.
• Click Start button -> All Programs -> Departmentally Sponsored -> Statistics-Math -> Minitab 16 Statistical Software.

A MINITAB window will open showing the MINITAB - Untitled with a menu bar. Another two windows, Session and Worksheet, also appear within the larger window.

Now you are ready for MINITAB computing.