Introduction

How to Use this Document

This document introduces prospective researchers to SPSS for Mac OS, which currently runs only under Mac OS X 10.6 or higher. Those who do not own a personal copy of SPSS for Mac OS X may access the software from various UITS Student Technology Centers at IU. Under the SPSS Enterprise License Agreement, faculty, staffs, and students can purchase SPSS CD for use at home.

What is SPSS?

SPSS is a comprehensive and flexible statistical analysis and data management system. SPSS can take data from almost any type of file and use them to generate abulated reports, charts, and plots of distributions and trends, descriptive statistics, and conduct complex statistical analyses. SPSS is available on Windows and Mac OS X on Indiana University campus. The latest version for Mac OS X is only available under OS X 10.6 or higher.

SPSS for Mac OS X provides a user interface that makes statistical analysis more intuitive for all levels of users. Simple menus and dialog box selections make it possible to perform complex analyses without typing a single line of command syntax. The built-in SPSS Data Editor offers a simple and efficient spreadsheet-like utility for entering data and browsing the working data file. High-resolution, presentation-quality charts and plots can be created and edited. Using the SPSS Viewer, you can handle the output with greater flexibility. SPSS for Mac OS X also reads data files from a variety of file formats including Excel, SAS, and Stata.

Hardware and Software Requirements

The minimum hardware and software requirements for SPSS for Mac OS X are:

  • OS X 10.6 or higher
  • Intel processor
  • 1 GB RAM or more
  • 800 MB free harddisk space
  • DVD-ROM drive
  • Super VGA (1024x768) or a high resolution monitor
Next: Orientation
Up: Table of Contents