General Introduction: Data Description, Inc has taken a unique approach to make its Data Desk product Power Mac native. We have optimized only the parts of the application that especially benefit from Power Mac technology. All the vector and graphics routines have been translated and placed in modules - one set for 680x0 non-FPU, one set for 680x0 with FPU and one set for the Power Mac. The program knows what type of machine it is running and will use the appropriate modules. This approach provides Data Desk users with a practical solution to span the entire Macintosh product line. Data Desk 4.2 will operate on any Mac from a Plus with 1MB of RAM to a Power Mac 8100. A user can move both the program file and any datafile from a Powerbook to a Power Mac without any concerns about compatibility. And the speed improvements are quite dramatic.
Before you begin:
• Drag the Folder labeled 'Data Desk 4.2-PPC (or -68K)' from the CD ROM drive to your hard drive.
• Turn off virtual memory (Data Desk provides its own dynamic memory management and, therefore, performs better with virtual memory off.)
• If possible, set the monitor to 256 colors. The demo has been designed to work best in that mode.
• Open the folder and double click the file labeled 'Interactive Demo 4.2'.
• The Interactive Demo file is a self-contained file. All the instructions are included with the file. Also, the file includes windows that contain recent reviews and a window with a list of specifications.
• The Interactive File is an active Data Desk file. The presentation windows, buttons and links have been created using Data Desk’s Layout Window technology. All Data Desk commands (except for Import, Export, Print and Save) are active and can be applied to any of the data included with this file. An example of how to use Data Desk commands is included at the end of the script. We encourage you to explore the interactive examples first so that you can get a flavor of Data Desk’s interactive approach to data analysis.
When the file opens, Data Desk presents a Welcome window describing the file and how to proceed. Scroll this window to access all the available options.
Click on the button labeled ‘Features’ and Data Desk opens a window containing a list of the program’s features.
Click on one of the buttons labeled ‘Macworld’, ‘MacUser’ or ‘MacWeek’ and Data Desk presents a window containing the appropriate magazine review.
Click on the button labeled ‘Hot Features’ and Data Desk opens a window containing five interactive examples. Follow the instructions for each example. Click on the picture of the plot or table and Data Desk opens the plots or tables needed to start the example. Each example should take less than five minutes to complete.
When you are finished with an example close all the plots and tables by clicking in each window’s close box. Leave the Hot Features window open until you are done with all of the examples.
If you have worked through all of the examples and would like to keep working with Data Desk, close all the open windows by choosing Close All > Windows from the Data menu.
Double click on icon labeled Autos ‘91 the upper right corner of the screen. Data Desk opens a window containing icons for the variables in this dataset. The variables in this file are Car, MPG, Weight, Horsepower and Cylinder. All variables in Data Desk are represented as icons because they makes it quick and easy for users to drag and drop new variables into plots or tables.
Let’s begin...
Hold the option key down and click on the MPG variable icon. Data Desk superimposes a ‘Y’ on the MPG icon. Hold the shift key down and click on the the Weight variable icon. An ‘X’ is now superimposed on this icon. Choose Scatterplots from the Plot menu. Data Desk opens a window containing a scatterplot.
Double click on the Car variable icon. Data Desk opens a window containing the names of all the cars in the dataset. This window is now the frontmost variable window. Data Desk will use this variable as the labeling variable when the Query tool is activated. Click on the Query tool in the Tool Palette. If your palettes are not open, choose Palettes from the Modify menu. The Query tool is the fourth tool from the top in the right column.
Click on any point in the scatterplot with the Query tool and Data Desk displays the label for that particular point. If the variable window is on top of the scatterplot window, click on the scatterplots title bar and move it to an open spot. Any Data Desk plot can be moved or resized using the standard Macintosh mouse commands.
Click and hold on the variable icon Horsepower and drag it on top of the the x axis label - Weight - in the scatterplot. When the bottom of the scatterplot highlights, let go of the mouse. Data Desk updates the plot, replacing Weight with Horsepower. You have just dragged and dropped a variable into a plot. All Data Desk plots and tables act this way.
Click on the variable icon Cylinders and choose Bar Charts form the Plot menu. Data Desk opens a new window containing a bar chart. Click on each bar of the bar chart with your mouse. Data Desk highlights the corresponding points in the scatterplot.
There are many more features in Data Desk, and they are all just as easy to use as the ones we’ve just looked at. If you would like to explore more of these features, call us at (800) 573-5121.
