Statistica

Key takeaways

Statistica belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Statistica to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Statistica from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Statistica is an advanced analytics software package originally developed by StatSoft and currently maintained by TIBCO Software Inc. Statistica provides data analysis, data management, statistics, data mining, machine learning, text analytics and data visualization procedures.

Overview Statistica is a suite of analytics software originally developed by StatSoft and acquired by Dell in March 2014. The software includes an array of data analysis, data management, data visualization, and data mining procedures; as well as a variety of predictive modeling, clustering, classification, and exploratory techniques. Additional techniques are available through integration with the free, open source R programming environment. Different packages of analytical techniques are available in six product lines.

History Statistica originally derived from a set of software packages and add-ons that were initially developed during the mid-1980s by StatSoft. Following the 1986 release of Complete Statistical System (CSS) and the 1988 release of Macintosh Statistical System (MacSS), the first DOS version (trademarked in capitals as STATISTICA) was released in 1991. In 1992, the Macintosh version of Statistica was released. Statistica 5.0 was released in 1995. It ran on both the new 32-bit Windows 95/NT and the previous 16-bit version, Windows 3.1. It featured many new statistics and graphics procedures, a word-processor-style output editor (combining tables and graphs), and a built-in development environment that enabled the user to easily design new procedures (e.g., via the included Statistica Basic language) and integrate them with the Statistica system. Statistica 5.1 was released in 1996 followed by Statistica CA '97 and Statistica '98 editions. In 2001, Statistica 6 was based on the COM architecture and it included multithreading and support for distributed computing. Statistica 9 was released in 2009, supporting 32-bit and 64-bit computing. Statistica 10 was released in November 2010. This release featured further performance optimizations for the 64-bit CPU architecture, as well as multithreading technologies, integration with Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Office 2010 and other applications, the ability to generate Java and C# code, and other GUI and kernel improvements. Statistica 12 was released in April 2013 and features a new GUI, performance improvements when handling large amounts of data, a new visual analytic workspace, a new database query tool as well as several analytics enhancements. Localized versions of Statistica (including the entire family of products) are available in Chinese (both Traditional and Simplified), Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, and Spanish. Documentation is available in Arabic, Chinese, Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and other languages.

Acquisition history Statistica was acquired by Dell in March 2014. In November 2016, Dell sold off several pieces of its software group, and Francisco Partners and Elliott Management Corporation acquired Statistica as part of its purchase of Quest Software from Dell. On May 15, 2017, TIBCO Software Inc. announced it entered into an agreement to acquire Statistica.

Release history List of releases:

PsychoStat - 1984 Statistical Supplement for Lotus 1-2-3 - 1985 StatFast/Mac - 1985 CSS 1 - 1987 CSS 2 - 1988 MacSS - 1988 STATISTICA/DOS - 1991 STATISTICA/Mac - 1992 STATISTICA 4.0 - 1993 STATISTICA 4.5 - 1994 STATISTICA 5.0 - 1995 STATISTICA 5.1 - 1996 STATISTICA 5.5 - 1999 STATISTICA 6.0 - 2001 STATISTICA 7.0 - 2004 STATISTICA 7.1 - 2005 STATISTICA 8.0 - 2007 STATISTICA 9.0 - 2009 STATISTICA 9.1 - 2009 STATISTICA 10.0 - 2010 STATISTICA 11.0 - 2012 STATISTICA 12.0 - 2013 Statistica 12.5 - April 2014 Statistica 12.6 - December 2014 Statistica 12.7 - May 2015 Statistica 13.0 - Sept 2015 Statistica 13.1 - June 2016 Statistica 13.2 - Sep 30, 2016 Statistica 13.3 - June, 2017 Statistica 13.3.1 - November 2017 Statistica 13.4 - May 2018 Statistica 13.5 - November 2018 Statistica 13.6 - November 2019 Statistica 14.0 - December 2020 Statistica 14.0.1 - July 2022 Statistica 14.1.0 - June 2023 Statistica 14.2.0 - April 2024 Statistica 14.3.0 - February 2025 Statistica 14.4.0 - April 2026

Graphics Statistica includes analytic and exploratory graphs in addition to standard 2- and 3-dimensional graphs. Brushing actions (interactive labeling, marking, and data exclusion) allow for investigation of outliers and exploratory data analysis.

User interface Operation of the software typically involves loading a table of data and applying statistical functions from pull-down menus or (in versions starting from 9.0) from the ribbon bar. The menus then prompt for the variables to be included and the type of analysis required. It is not necessary to type command prompts. Each analysis may include graphical or tabular output and is stored in a separate workbook.

See also Comparison of statistical packages StatSoft

References

Further reading Afifi, A.; Clark, V.; May, S. (2003). Computer-Aided Multivariate Analysis. New York: CRC Press. Hill, T., and Lewicki, P. (2007). STATISTICS Methods and Applications. Tulsa, OK: StatSoft. Nisbet, R., Elder, J., and Miner, G. (2009). Handbook of Statistical Analysis and Data Mining Applications. Burlington, MA: Academic Press (Elsevier). Sá, Joaquim (2007). Applied Statistics Using Spss, STATISTICA, Matlab and R. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-71971-7. Stein, Philip G.; Matey, James R.; Pitts, Karen (1997). "A Review of Statistical Software for the Apple Macintosh". The American Statistician. 51 (1): 67–82. doi:10.1080/00031305.1997.10473593.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Statistica

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Statistica claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Statistica before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Statistica ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Statistica

In research: Statistica appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Statistica in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Statistica is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Proprietary software, Science software for Windows, Statistical software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Statistica outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Statistica in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Statistica means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Statistica out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Statistica in simple terms?

Statistica is an advanced analytics software package originally developed by StatSoft and currently maintained by TIBCO Software Inc. Statistica provides data analysis, data management, statistics, data mining, machine learning, text analytics and data visualization procedures.

Why does Statistica matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Statistica?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Statistica.