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Message Posted: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 @ 19:55:03 GMT

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We have been using SPSS for several years in our Research Dept - PC version, currently 11.5, not Server.

There are 4 individuals using SPSS, 2 PhD statistician/program evaluators and two others. They are connected to Teradata thru an ODBC connection. Their work using Teradata has been extremely successful and brought them considerable accolades. I hear "We can't live without Teradata" quite often from them.

They have two different techniques:

1. For simple queries, the data is pulled directly from Teradata using SPSS via ODBC.

2. For more complex queries, some kind of intermediate tool is used to pre-format the data and then import it into SPSS.

The intermediary tool is usually Microsoft Access, which is the tool they are most familiar with. Data is pulled in to Access via an ODBC connection, tables joined and extensive criteria added. The results are often output into a Make Table Query.

From there data may be imported into SPSS, or, exported to a second tool like an Excel Spreadsheet where it is even further manipulated. Then it is imported into SPSS.

I have not evaluated SPSS myself, but the SPSS users indicate that they are much more familiar with Access and Excel data manipulation then with the techniques inside SPSS, so that's why they do not pull everything into SPSS directly. Just a matter of personal preference.

Note that we enjoy ODBC connections almost as speedy as sitting at the console on a node using BTEQ (Blessed be the network guys!).

John Balchunas, DBA
Jefferson County Public Schools
Louisville, KY

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