To access Minitab software from the desktop follow these keystrokes:

Start > Programs > Mathematics > Minitab 12 for Windows >Minitab.

The Minitab menu bar appears at the top of the window. Each menu lists groups of commands used to operate the program. Two open windows will be visible on the screen, the Session and Data windows. The data window title bar will be highlighted, indicating that this is the active window.

Minitab windows
If you click on Window on the menu bar, four window options will be listed: data, session, history and info. To move to a window, select Window > window name.

Data Window
This is the active window when Minitab is first started. This is the worksheet where data can be entered. Each column lists data for one variable. Columns are referred to by column numbers (Cl, C2,.. .) or names. Rows are referred to by numbers.

A cell is the intersection of a column and a row. The highlighted cell is the active cell. You can activate any cell in the worksheet by clicking on it.

If you are entering one sample of data into the worksheet, use column one. Notice that in the top left-hand corner of the data window there is an arrow symbol, clicking on this symbol will change its orientation from horizontal to vertical. To enter data in one column, click on the arrow so that it is vertical. When you enter a value into a cell and press Enter, the cell vertically below will become active. If the arrow is horizontal, pressing Enter will activate the next horizontal cell.

If you enter words into a column, Minitab will classify the column as alpha data and will tag the column number with an A suffix.

To name a column of data, type the name in the cell directly below the column number (Cl etc.). The name may contain up to eight characters. Do not use an apostrophe or pound sign in the name.

Session Window
This window contains a record of your entire Minitab session. It will record the commands used and the statistical output, except for Professional graphs.

History Window
This window lists all the commands issued during your Minitab session.

Info Window
This window contains a summary of the columns and stored constants in the current active worksheet.

Saving Data
When working with Minitab, remember to save any data you may need to access again.

Click File on the menu bar to open the file menu.

Click Save Worksheet As.

This dialog box will give you the option to save the worksheet in any one of several formats.

Click the Select File button

When you type the file name, Minitab automatically adds an MTW file extension. This suffix identifies the file as a worksheet data file.

Retrieving Data
To retrieve data from file, select the Open Worksheet command from the File menu.

Select the file you want to retrieve from the file list box.

Menu Options
Not all menu items are listed here, just the ones you are most likely to access.

File Menu
New Worksheet: Opens a new worksheet.
Open Worksheet: Opens a saved worksheet file.
Save Worksheet: Saves the current worksheet as an existing file.
Save Worksheet As: Saves the current worksheet as a new MTW file to which you assign a name.
Other Files: Will display commands for viewing a saved Minitab graph (MGF) file, recording your session in a file, and recording and running an Exec macro.
Save Window As: Saves the active window in a file.
Print Window: Prints the active window.
Restart Minitab: Starts a new Minitab session and clears the worksheet.
Exit: Exits Minitab.

Edit Menu
These commands change, depending on the active window.
Undo: Undoes your most recent editing operation.
Delete: Deletes the highlighted data.
Copy: Copies highlighted information to the clipboard.
Cut: Removes the highlighted information and places it in the clipboard.
Paste/Insert: Inserts clipboard contents in the cursor's current position. Paste/Replace: Replaces the highlighted area of the data window with the clipboard contents.
Select All: Highlights all contents of the active window.
Edit Last Command Dialog: Redisplays the most recently used dialog box, with settings used.
Save Preferences: Saves any changes you have made to the window arrangement and printer setup.

Manip Menu
Sort: sorts one or more columns of data.
Rank: Assigns rank scores to the values in a column.
Delete Rows: Deletes specified rows from the worksheet.
Erase Variables: Erases any combination of columns and stored constants.
Copy Columns: Copies columns from one position in the worksheet to another.
Code Data Values: Recodes numbers in columns.
Stack: Stacks columns on top of one another.
Unstack: Separates a column into smaller columns.
Convert: Converts alpha data to numbers and vice versa.
Concatenate: Combines two or more alpha columns that are next to one another into a single new column.

CaIc Menu
Set Base: Fixes a starting point for Minitab's random number generator.
Random Data: Displays commands for generating a random sample of numbers from a variety of distributions.
Probability Distributions: Displays commands that allow you to compute probabilities for continuous and discrete distributions.
Mathematical Expressions: Performs arithmetic using an algebraic expression.
Functions: Performs a variety of mathematical functions on a number or column. (Square root, log, sine. etc.)
Column Statistics: Calculates various statistics for a specified column.
Row statistics: Calculates various statistics for each row of the column you select.
Set Patterned Data: Gives a quick way to enter data that follows a specified pattern. Standardize: Centers and scales columns of data.

Stat Menu
Fit Intercept: Fits regression models with or without an intercept term.
Basic statistics: Calculates descriptive statistics (mean median etc.), Z and t-tests, correlation, and covariance.
Regression: Performs various regression procedures, produces residual plots.
ANOVA: Performs various analysis of variance procedures.
Tables: Produces contingency tables and performs Chi-square analysis.
Nonparametrics: Performs various nonparametric tests.

Window Menu
Cascade: Positions all open windows so that they overlap with title bars visible.
Tile: Positions open windows so they fit next to each other on the desktop without overlapping (if possible).
Minimize All: Reduces open screens to icons at the bottom of the screen.
Restore Icons: Reopens all minimized windows.
Arrange Icons: Arranges any icons along the bottom of the window.
Discard Graph: Deletes the active graph window, or all graph windows.
Set Graph Size/Location: Determines how Minitab displays graph windows.
Session: Switches to the session window.
Data: Switches to the data window.
History: Switches to the history window.
Info: Switches to the info window.
*: Any professional graphs will be listed at the bottom of the window menu. *

Graph Menu
Plot: Produces a scatter plot showing the relationship between two variables.
Chart: Produces various types of chart.
Histogram: produces a histogram.
Boxplot: Produces a box-and-whisker plot.
Pie Chart: Produces a Pie chart.
Character Graphs: Displays commands for producing a variety of character graphs. (not professional quality).

Summary of Minitab Commands
Window > window name: Moves you between different Minitab windows.

Manip > sort: Will order the data in a specified column.

Manip > unstack: Will bring up a dialog box that allows you to separate data into two or more groups. You need to specify:

1. The column containing the data to be unstacked.
2. The columns containing the subscript to be used when unstacking (for example: sex, where male = 1 female = 2).
3. The columns where the separated data is to be stored.

Stat > Basic statistics > descriptive statistics: Will bring up a dialog box that allows you to generate summary statistics for a data column

Stat > Basic statistics > 1-sample z: Will bring up a dialog box that allows you to construct a confidence interval, or perform a z-test.

Stat> Tables > Tally: Allows you to tally up the data in a specified column.
Graph > Histogram: Will bring up a dialog box allowing you to generate histograms for specified columns (remember to put your name on the histogram before printing.)

Graph > Plot: Will bring up a dialog box allowing you to generate a plot using one data column for your x-values, another for your y-values. (Remember to put your name on the plot).

CaIc > random data > integer : Allows you to generate random integers in a specified range.

CaIc > random data> binomial: Allows you to generate binomial data.

Caic > probability distributions> binomial: Allows you to calculate binomial probabilities.

Caic > Row statistics: Allows you to generate various row statistics.

CaIc > make patterned data > simple set of numbers: Allows you to generate a patterned list of numbers (such as 1, 2, 3,...)

Calc > calculator: Allows you to calculate various mathematical expressions for your columns.

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