Minitab Inc. Unveils Release 13 of Minitab Statistical Software
New functions and features improve ease of use, report generation, charting, process capability analysis, gage R&R, repeatability, and data manipulation.
Packing a variety of capability and performance enhancements, Release 13 of Minitab Statistical Software for Windows is available from Minitab Inc. (State College, PA).
Key new features are a Project Manager, ReportPad, and StatGuide.
• The Project Manager enables you to keep track of all analyses and components of Minitab projects. Project elements are organized in a tree-like structure. You can rename worksheet columns and add column descriptions; browse through worksheets, graphs, and output; open the StatGuide to explain output; add data to the ReportPad; and use the Related Documents folder to organize and link to external documents and URLs.
• The ReportPad allows you to generate a report from within the software. By right-clicking any graph or other statistical output, users can add the output to the ReportPad. Basic editing features are included, or for more advanced editing, reports can be copied or moved into a word processing package.
• The StatGuide explains how to interpret statistical tables and graphs. It automatically displays the data that corresponds to current output, and contains online tutorials in the help menu.
Several enhancements for process capability analysis, gage R&R, and reliability have been included. For example, the data windows have been upgraded and now include these features:
• Autofill capability, which lets you automatically fill in a series of values by dragging the mouse
• Clipboard replication, which lets you paste to any block of cells
• Ability to set column widths without dragging
• Hide and unhide columns
• Undo/Redo
• Find and replace in the data window
For importing, exporting, and manipulating data, new functions include:
• A transpose feature that lets you switch rows to columns and vice-versa
• Large data capacity, with multiple worksheets, of up to 4,000 columns per worksheet and as many rows per worksheet as the PC's memory permits
• The ability to merge worksheets based on a common variable
Upgrades and addition to the SPC tools include:
• A new Process Capability for batch data when process variation exists within subgroups and between subgroups
• Fishbone and Pareto charts to identify causes of process variability
• Control charts to let you monitor the process, including charts for variables and attributes data, non-normal data, and specialized charts such as CUSUM, EWMA, and Zone
• Process Capability Sixpack, which lets you see if processes will consistently meet spec
• Historical/Shift-in-Process Chart, which is used to compare before and after results if a process is changed
For gage R&R, a new Nested Gage R&R tool is used when parts are measured only once by an operator (This can be used in destructive testing.). For reliability analysis, two new tools are Weibayes analysis for cases when data has few or no failures and Goodness-of-fit measures to evaluate how well a distribution fits the data.
Other enhancements include optimal designs (D-optimal or distance-based criteria) and Taguchi designs (orthogonal array designs). In addition, for chemical and process industries, a Mixture Designs capability has been added to Design of Experiments. The release also contains features normally available only in specialty DOE packages.
System requirements for this release are Windows 95, 98, or NT 4 with 16 MB RAM, 486 or higher PC (math coprocessor recommended), 35 MB hard disk space for full installation, VGA or SVGA monitor (at least 800 x 600), and a CD-ROM drive. This software doesn't run under Windows 3.x or Windows NT 3.51.
Minitab software is a leading software package for introductory statistics education and is used in more than 4,000 colleges and universities.
For more information, contact Minitab Inc., 3081 Enterprise Dr., State College, PA 16801. Tel: 800-448-3555 (U.S. and Canada) or 814-238-3280, ext. 256; Fax: 814-238-4383.