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List:       sas-l
Subject:    Re: Advantages of SAS over SPSS
From:       Arthur Tabachneck <atabachneck () ROGERS ! COM>
Date:       2003-07-31 22:43:26
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Tonya,

Each has a number of advantages and disadvantages, although both are good
statistical packages.

If you have a lot of need for combining, matching, aggregating, and/or
reorganizing data, SAS has always been much stronger in that area.

If you need to quickly run analyses, reports or graphs, I have always found
SPSS to require less time, or experience, to get a computer to do what you
need.

Conversely, if you don't mind spending the time building your code, SAS
allows you to control a lot more of the particulars involved in any
analysis.

One thing both have always included, regardless of what you are running or
how (e.g., with a GUI), is that they provide the source code so that you
don't have to replicate the various points-and-clicks to re-run or make
minor changes to an analysis.  SAS has deviated from this in their data
mining routines, but I don't know if SPSS has done the same thing or not.

If you or your staff have good programming skills, you might prefer SAS.
Conversely, if you/they don't, you would probably prefer SPSS.

If you need to access data from various sources (e.g., Oracle, Access,
Excel, etc.), SAS is probably the stronger of the two.  However, I have to
admit, I don't know of SPSS has caught up in this area.

Hope that helps,
Art
-----------
"T. Powers" <Tonya.Powers@ALTARUM.ORG> wrote in message
news:OF2268C606.FB18EACC-ON85256D74.004FCB3C-85256D74.004FECB1@SMTP.ALTARUM.
ORG...
> SAS-L:
>
> Can anyone speak to the advantages (or perhaps disadvantages) of SAS over
> SPSS?
>
> Thanks!
>
> ____________________________________________________
> Tonya Powers
>      Health Solutions Division
>      Altarum
>      4401 Ford Avenue
>      Suite 800
>      Alexandria, VA 22302
>
> Direct Phone Number: (703) 575-1842
> Email Address: Tonya.Powers@altarum.org

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