Organizing Your Data
overview     example     see also 

How you use the graph commands (and to some extent the output) depends upon how the data are organized. However, the simplest way to use data may not always be the simplest way to collect it. You can organize data that are categorized by groups in a number of ways:

 

Unstacked Data

You can enter the data for each group in separate columns. This method is useful if you are going to graph or analyze a group separately.

or

Stacked Data

You can stack the same data by year, eliminating the need for the column Year. Stacked data can be simpler to collect and scan in the worksheet.

Row

Quarter

Year

Sales

 

Row

Qtr

Sales91

Sales92

1

1

1991

94

 

1

1

94

106

2

2

1991

99

 

2

2

99

116

3

3

1991

98

 

3

3

98

113

4

4

1991

92

 

4

4

92

108

5

1

1992

106

 

 

 

 

 

6

2

1992

116

 

 

 

 

 

7

3

1992

113

 

 

 

 

 

8

4

1992

108

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raw Data

You can enter an observation each time it occurs. This method might be necessary if you have several grouping variables related to each observation.

or

Frequency Data

You can list each observation once and use a frequency column to record the number of instances of each. Most Minitab graphs accept frequency columns. Frequency data can be simpler to collect and scan in the worksheet.

Repair

 

Mechanic

 

 

Repair

RepFreq

Mechanic

MechFreq

Exhaust

 

Steve

 

 

Exhaust

15

Steve

20

Exhaust

 

Steve

 

 

Body

22

Roger

14

Body

 

Roger

 

 

Trans

8

Debbie

16

Trans

 

Debbie

 

 

Engine

5

 

 

Body

 

Debbie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Engine

 

Roger