CHAPTER 4 Counting on Statistical Software 53

Chapter 4

Counting on Statistical

Software

B

efore statistical software, complex regressions we could do in theory were

too complicated to do manually using real datasets. It wasn’t until the

1960s with the development of the SAS suite of statistical software that

analysts were able to do these calculations. As technology advanced, different

types of software were developed, including open-source software and web-based

software.

As you may imagine, all these choices led to competition and confusion among

analysts, students, and organizations utilizing this software. Organizations

wonder what statistical packages to implement. Professors wonder which ones to

teach, and students wonder which ones to learn. The purpose of this chapter is

to help you make informed choices about statistical software. We describe and

provide guidance regarding the practical choices you have today among the

statistical software available. We discuss choosing between:»

» ^{Commercial software, such as SAS and SPSS»}

» ^{Open-source software, such as R and Python»}

» ^{Free software applications, such as G*Power and PS (Power and}

Sample Size Calculation)

IN THIS CHAPTER»

» ^{Examining the evolution of statistical}

software»

» ^{Surveying commercial, open source,}

and free options»

» ^{Considering code-based versus}

non–code-based software»

» ^{Storing data in the cloud}