Customized SPSS Training
We customize our training to your organization, using your organization's own data files and report sets in the course. For the REPORT and TABLES courses, we prefer to develop a needed report in the class. This way your staff learns not only the SPSS commands, but also the data at your site. The training is therefore much more specific than generic SPSS courses.
We offer customized training on a wide variety of SPSS subjects, and in many different formats. We will train your personnel at your site, or at a location convenient to your employees.
Training Formats
For all courses, the programming examples are provided on a diskette for the students to take with them to review and utilize in their office on their own data sets. Students do not necessarily have to remember exactly how to accomplish every task they learn; only that the task can be accomplished and where to find the example code.
NEW! Long Distance Format via Internet
Using software similar to GoToMeeting, I can now do training at your site via the internet. Sitting here in Austin, with nothing more than a telephone line and Internet access, I can present the training at you site for no additional travel costs, Using your files for demonstration purposes, for as many people as you can fit into your training room (which could be just the boss's office). This saves travel time and expense, and allows me to tailor your training to meet just what you want at that time. For instance, if you want training that will enable you to build your own data warehouse, yet you are just beginnning with SPSS, I can train you in short increments of 2 to 3 hours. That way, you can digest and play with the commands you have learned, and when you are comfortable with them we can kick off the next 2 to 3 hours of training.
One on One format
This is exactly what it sounds like. We sit down with the students one on one and customize the training to that student's needs. This can also be done long distance via internet as described above.
Traditional Format
In this learning environment, we present the information in the traditional college lecture format. This allows us to go as fast and efficiently as possible, providing the maximum amount of training in the time available. This course format is approximately twice as fast as the interactive format.
Interactive Format
In this learning environment, we offer the same training as in the traditional format, but with additional time allowed for hands on experience. This method takes longer to cover the material but the students may retain what they learn because they are afforded the opportunity to practice what they are being taught. Training can be provided in your computer training facility or at a location convenient to your trainees. The use of an off-sight training location would, of course, increase the cost but that increased cost is often offset by the students' ability to focus on the training with fewer distractions.
SPSS Courses
Our training courses currently include:
Basic SPSS
This covers everything from reading the original data set in to basic statistical reporting. Along the way, we cover how to change, manipulate, and display your data in a variety of ways.
1 day traditional, 2 day interactive
Intermediate SPSS
This course builds on the knowledge acquired from Beginning SPSS. In this course, we cover advanced data modifications, combining data from different files and/or different formats, and exporting data and output to other software or formats.
1 day traditional, 2 day interactive
Advanced Data Management Techniques with SPSS
This course builds on the knowledge acquired from Intermediate SPSS. Here we cover all types of very advanced and/or complex data and file manipulation, with the aim towards enabling you to build data warehouses for Statistical Reporting.
2 day traditional, 4 day interactive
Data Warehousing with SPSS
This course covers the theory and practice of building data warehouses with SPSS, and builds on the four courses listed above. This is more of a theory course, and as such lends itself to the traditional format. This is not offered in the interactive format.
4 days traditional
Comprehensive Data Warehousing Curriculum
This is a set of courses designed to cover the theory and practice of data warehousing. The full curriculum is:
- Beginning SPSS (1 day traditional, 2 day interactive)
- Intermediate SPSS (1 day traditional, 2 day interactive)
- Advanced Data Management Techniques with SPSS (2 day traditional, 4 day interactive)
- Data Warehousing with SPSS (1 day traditional)
5 days traditional, 9 days interactive
SPSS Data Mining Curriculum
This is a set of courses designed to cover the theory and practice of data mining. The curriculum is designed for students that have a background in statistical theory, and who know about statistical techniques such as regression and analysis of variance. This course is designed to follow the Data Warehousing curriculum; therefore we do not cover the techniques learned in the data warehousing courses. Please note: We do not cover SPSS Clementine in these courses.
The 4 day course is structured as follows:
Day 1, 2, and 3: Data Mining Techniques: Covers the process of data mining, a variety of data mining tools, how to choose the appropriate tool for the job, and the constraints of the various techniques.
Day 4: Covers the issue of how you report your results in the format that will be most useful in your actual work environment.
SPSS Efficiency
Covers how to make your SPSS code run in the most efficient manner. A wide variety of techniques are covered, starting with the techniques that are most useful in streamlining your runs, and covering even the techniques that give small incremental improvement. This course lends itself to the traditional format, and is not offered in interactive.
1/2 day traditional
SPSS and Excel
This course covers how to leverage SPSS with Excel to produce automated reports where the data are compiled in summary form in SPSS, and then exported to Excel spreadsheets that are used by Excel templates to produce the final official report. We also touch on using Excel Macros to create sets of programs customized for specific cohorts, time periods, etc.
1/2 day traditional, 1 day interactive
Excel Macros
This course covers Excel macros, from creating simple macros through point and click, to designing and developing structured Excel macro programming. Included with the course is a copy of EasyMac (copyright © 2009) Excel macro language for each participant. EasyMac allows you the flexibility of programming excel macros without having to lean Visual Basic to do so.
Buy EasyMac
Use EasyMac to program excel macros without having to learn Visual Basic! EasyMac commands are natural language commands that are easy to use and easy to read. Examples of the commands are:
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DELETE, COPY, PASTE,
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GO_UP_ONE, GO_DOWN_ONE, GO_RIGHT_ONE, GO_LEFT_ONE
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BLOCK_TO_END_OF_LINE, BLOCK_TO_END_OF_FILE, BLOCK_TO_BEGIN_OF_LINE, BLOCK_TO_BEGIN_OF_FILE
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SAVE_AS_XXXX - does a save as command to a new filename
- GET_MENU_XXXX - calls up a dialogue box that asks the user for parameters or labels to be included in the report(s)
- NUMBERFORMAT, PERCENTFORMAT- formats cells, other formats included also
- OPEN_WORKBOOK_XXXX, CLOSE_WORKBOOK_XXXX, CHANGE_TO_SHEET_XXX
I have written the visual basic routines that support each of the commands in Easymac for you. This enables you to do Excel macro programming in a style that is easy to read because it is a natural language based command set. It also lends itself to structured macros where the overall routine calls up sub-routines, etc.
You can buy individual copies of EasyMac for $95. I give a break in price for multiple copies, and site licenses are also available.
Training costs
The cost per hour is $140/hour plus sales tax, which is 8.25% in Austin. The cost per week (35 hours) is $4395 plus sales tax, which is 8.25% in Austin.
Copyright © 2001-2010, Greg Black, Statistics By Greg Black
