New StatTools^® 5.0

StatTools gives the industry-standard data analysis tool— Microsoft Excel—a new, powerful statistics toolset! StatTools is a Microsoft Excel statistics add-in, so you analyze data in Excel and work in the familiar Microsoft Office environment. StatTools brings you the best of two worlds: Microsoft Office ease-of-use, and robust statistical power. Plus, StatTools is developed by Palisade Corporation, the world leader in analytical solutions that add-in to Microsoft Excel.

What’s New in StatTools 5.0

Included in the DecisionTools Suite 5.0 or by itself, StatTools 5.0 is a major upgrade to this advanced statistical software for Excel. Featuring a streamlined interface, expanded data capacity, and closer integration with other DecisionTools software, StatTools 5.0 raises the bar for statistical analysis.

Click on any new features to watch a Quick Tip, or Play All at once. Each tip is less than one minute.

1. Application Settings
The StatTools Application Settings dialog contains customizable defaults such as report settings, data set defaults, updating, and analysis settings. This is located on the Utilities menu.

2. Settings Policy File
StatTools lets you save and export application settings defaults for use by other StatTools users. This allows you to enforce uniform settings for a group of users, ensuring consistent analysis parameters.

3. Expanded Data Sets
StatTools 5.0 is fully compatible with Excel 2007, allowing up to 16,384 variables per data set. This lets you perform more robust analyses. For example, the more historical data you have for time-series forecasting, the more accurate your forecasts are likely to be.

4. Compatible with @RISK 5.0
StatTools may now be combined with @RISK 5.0 for more in-depth analysis. For example, you may wish to determine a confidence interval on your @RISK simulation results

Excel Ease of Use

StatTools is a true add-in to Microsoft Excel, integrating completely with your spreadsheet. Browse, define, analyze – while never leaving Excel. StatTools replaces Excel’s built-in statistics functions with its own calculations. The accuracy of Excel’s built-in statistics calculations has often been questioned, so StatTools doesn’t use them. All StatTools functions are true Excel functions, and behave exactly as native Excel functions do. StatTools calculations are optimized through the use of C++ .DLLs, not macro calculations.

How StatTools Works
StatTools covers the most commonly used statistical procedures, and offers unprecedented capabilities for adding new, custom analyses. Over 30 wide-ranging statistical procedures plus 9 built-in data utilities include forecasts, descriptive statistics, normality tests, group comparisons, correlation, regression analysis, quality control, nonparametric tests, and more.

StatTools features live, "hot-linked" statistics calculations. Change a value in your dataset and your statistics report automatically updates.  There is no need to manually re-run your analyses.

The Best in Data Management

StatTools provides a comprehensive data set and variable manager right in Excel, just as you would expect from a stand-alone statistics package. You can define any number of data sets, each with the variables you want to analyze, directly from your data in Excel. StatTools intelligently assesses your blocks of data, suggesting variable names and locations for you. Your data sets and variables can reside in different workbooks, allowing you to organize your data as you see fit.  Run statistical analyses that refer to your variables, instead of re-selecting your data over and over again in Excel. StatTools fully supports the expanded worksheet size in Excel 2007.  Plus, you can define variables that span multiple worksheets.

Excel Developer Kit (XDK)
StatTools includes a complete, object-oriented, programming interface—the Excel Developer Kit (XDK). Custom statistical procedures may be added using Excel's built-in VBA programming language. Utilize StatTools's built-in data management, charting and reporting tools

Part of the DecisionTools Suite

StatTools is available by itself or as part of the DecisionTools Suite, Palisade’s complete risk and decision analysis toolkit. The DecisionTools Suite includes @RISK for risk analysis with Monte Carlo simulation, NeuralTools for predictions using neural networks, Evolver for optimization, PrecisionTree for decision trees, and more. StatTools is fully compatible with all DecisionTools programs and can be combined with them for greater insight and analysis. For example:

StatTools and @RISK then RISKOptimizer
Combine StatTools with @RISK to assess confidence intervals on simulation results. You can also apply @RISK functions to StatTools time-series forecast results to simulate possible outcomes with more precision than the times-series analysis alone. Run RISKOptimizer on your model using the same @RISK functions in order to find the best combination of factors to maximize your forecasted profits.

Stand-alone Licenses

Stand-alone licenses are intended for use by one person on one computer.

They may not be run from a server. Every stand-alone license comes with its own serial number and activation ID which unlocks the software for perpetual use. Software activation can be done with a single click over the Internet or manually via e-mail. Stand-alone licenses may be transferred from one computer to another once every 90 days, but may never be used one more than one computer at a time.

Concurrent Network Licenses

Concurrent network licenses are intended to serve multiple users from a network server. The software is installed on a single server, but may also be installed on an unlimited number of client computers. The restriction is placed on the number of users who can access the software at the same time, i.e., concurrently. Concurrent network licenses are a very cost-effective way to serve many people who need to use the software occasionally and “log off” when finished.

Concurrent network licenses utilize FLEXnet technology and come with one serial number and activation ID, regardless of the number of users. Software activation is only required for the server license, not the client installations. Activation can be done with a single click over the Internet or manually via e-mail. The same installer may be used on all client computers, so scripting is very straightforward. In addition, concurrent network licenses support Terminal Services and Citrix environments. The server license may be transferred from one server to another once every 90 days, but may never be used on more than one server at a time.

Concurrent network licenses also allow “borrowing,” or temporarily taking one license off the network server and putting it on the client computer. This lets someone use the software even if their computer is disconnected from the server (e.g., taking a laptop on a trip). When a license is borrowed, an expiration date must be set by the user. At expiration, the license is automatically returned to the server license pool and ceases to function on the disconnected client.

Enterprise Activation Server

Enterprise Activation Server licenses use FLEXnet technology to allow you to grant and manage stand-alone licenses of Palisade software from your own server instead of the Palisade license server.

Rather than requiring every stand-alone user to contact the Palisade license server to activate their software, each user would instead contact your own server once to activate. A single activation ID may be used for all license installations. You can expand the number of users on the license by purchasing additional users for the same server without having to use a new activation ID. If users wish to transfer licenses from one computer to another, the deactivation and reactivation of licenses can be managed on your local server as well. Enterprise Activation Servers are a great option for companies with strict firewall or security protocols, and make license management easy. Simply check your server to see how many installations you’ve used, and who has them.

Corporate Licenses

Palisade corporate licenses are purchasing options that enable you to get the most software for your money, deployed in the most efficient manner possible. Using the concurrent network or Enterprise Activation methods (though may be customized however you wish) and are structured according to your organizational needs and volume.

Investing in a Palisade corporate license is the most cost-effective path to better decisions enterprise-wide. By switching from haphazardly purchasing individual copies to adopting a corporate license, many companies have found that the return on their software investment dramatically improved. Not only was their investment outlay reduced compared to buying individual copies, but widespread access to the software encouraged better decision-making throughout the organization.

There are two kinds of corporate licenses:

Site Licenses – Provide software access to everyone at a particular physical location.

Enterprise Licenses – Provide access to the software throughout an organization or division regardless