To reach a conclusion in a research program, a scholar has to go analyze and work with heavy sets of data. There are many data analysis tools, available at research centers, universities and colleges that help researchers during their task. SPSS and STATA are two among tens of others important data analysis tools.
SPSS – Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
It is a popular software application, designed by SPSS Inc., and owned by IBM. The IBM SPSS Statistics is not only a helpful tool for social science, but also for financial markets, health, medical, and various others areas or subjects. It is such a handy tool that even a non-researcher can analyze his/her pieces of data in this program. One can efficiently perform statistical analysis, data management, case selection, reshaping of file, derive data, and the documentation of data, cross tabulation, linear regression, factor analysis, with the user-friendly SPSS application.
STATA
Transfigured with the words Statistics and Data, STATA is a very useful tool for researchers. Produced by the StataCorp in the year 1985, the application is employed for data management, data analysis, statistical analysis, linear and multiple regression analysis, and graphic simulation in the research of economics, political science, biomedical, and social science. However, it has some limitations, as it opens only one dataset at one point of time; it stores its data and results in its virtual memory, as a result, it slows down, when analyzing large sets of data.
Conversely, many data analysts and frequent researchers find these tools unnecessary. Many of them assert and support using commonplace spreadsheet application, as MS Excel. Sometimes, the results and data released by these applications can complex and confusing. These programs are based on spreadsheet applications. And, if you have proficiency in Excel program, then you do not need to go with these tools.