don't be limited by error-prone spreadsheets
DESCRIPTION
A spreadsheet is a great tool for certain jobs. But you may use spreadsheets for tasks that are beyond their capabilities, causing problems that range from small annoyances to costly business errors. Learn about the limitations of spreadsheets, and find out how easy it is to carry out your analytical tasks with IBM SPSS Statistics.TRANSCRIPT
© 2014 IBM Corporation
The risks of using spreadsheetsfor statistical analysis
What you’ll learn
Applications of spreadsheets
Limitations of spreadsheets
How to overcome these issues with IBM SPSS Statistics
Next steps
Why use spreadsheets?
Familiarity and ease of use
Simple to get an answer out of a spreadsheet
Easy to share with others
Low cost
Business uses for spreadsheets
Financial and cost accounting– Balance sheets– Profit and loss accounts– Cash Books
Data collection and analysis– Analyze survey results– Present results to others in tabular or
visual format
Mathematics– Calculate trigonometric and
logarithmic functions– Standard deviations, averages,
means, and more
Spreadsheets are ubiquitous in most organizations, especially for certain tasks.
Spreadsheets are prone to errors
P. Brown, J. Gould. An experimental study of people creating spreadsheets, ACM Transactions on Office Information Systems 5
– 17 errors in one spreadsheet– 94% of deployed spreadsheets contained errors– Average: 5.2% of cells were in error
Philip Howard, Managing Spreadsheet fraud– According to PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG– 90% of corporate spreadsheets have material errors– Cost: $10-$100K per error per month
Computational Statistics and Data Analysis– Ran standardized tests for accuracy in Excel
and concludes it is inadequate for substantivestatistical analysis
– Flaw was clearly in Excel’s algorithms
Spreadsheets can be frustrating
“… On average, people spend about 12 hours per month consolidating, modifying and correcting spreadsheets. That’s about a day and a half per month – or about 5 to 10 percent of their time.”
-- Ventana Research, Spreadsheets in Today’s Enterprise: Making Intelligent Use of a Core Technology, 2013
Causes of spreadsheet errors
Mistakes in logic Incorrectly copied formulasAccidentally overwritten formulasMisuse of built-in functionsOmitted factorsData input errorsSorting numbersCell orientationAdding new data
There are many reasons your spreadsheet can fail you.
Limitations of spreadsheets for analysis
Limited formulasLack of metadataNo data validation capabilitiesAbsence of data preparation
and data manipulationFew analytical techniquesNo automated reporting Inability to project the future
But what is the alternative…?
IBM® SPSS® Statistics for analysis and reporting
Advantages of IBM SPSS Statistics
Prevent errorsFollow the analytical processAccess data from multiple data sourcesProcess raw dataApply advanced analytical techniquesExport results to multiple formatsAutomate time-consuming manual processes
4.
Supports the entire analytical lifecycle
Planning
Data Collection
1. Data Access
2.Data Preparation &
Cleansing
Data Manipulation 3.
Deployment 5.& Automation
Data Analysis & Reporting
Improves data access
Survey data Email data Corporate databasesWeb site data IBM Cognos dataAnd more…
IBM SPSS Statistics……
Streamlines data preparation
13
Assign detailed labels to your variable names.
Assign code to categories (1=Male,2= Female).Specify which values are missing. Select specific individuals for
analysis.Create rules to validate data and
catch data entry errors.plicate IDs.
IBM SPSS Statistics automates the time-consuming task of getting your data ready for analysis. techniques to help you ensure your data is ready for
Eliminate the need to label all data.
Make sure your data is clear andproperly organized for analysis.
Find duplicate cases automatically.
Simplifies data manipulation
Actions are driven by drag-and-drop dialog boxes.
It’s easy to create new variables..
14
IBM SPSS Statistics looks like a spreadsheet, but behaves very differently.
Wizards simplify calculations with dates and times. Organize data into
categories, such as age groups, for more insightful analysis.
Produces more accurate data analysis
Go beyond summary statistics and row-and-column math.
Design your own reports andgraphs using drag and dropfunctions.
Edit output after you create it.Uncover hidden patterns in your
data that can provide new insights.
With IBM SPSS Statistics, data analysis is simple and intuitive.
Provides flexible deployment options
Deploy SPSS Statisticsoutput to smart devices.
Export to Excel, Word, PowerPoint and PDF.
Save your code for easyreuse.
Create recurring reports faster and more efficiently.
Key takeaways
Spreadsheets are widelyused for data analysis.But more than 90% of
spreadsheets contain at leastone error.IBM SPSS Statistics can
help you overcome commonerrors, increasing the accuracy of your analytical results.
© 2014 IBMM Corporation
Next steps:Read the white paper: The Risks of Using Spreadsheets
Visit our website: www.ibm.com/spss
Talk to a representative: 800-543-2185