Data - Factor Analysis
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You can have three types of input data:

·    Columns of raw data

·    A matrix of correlations or covariances

·    Columns containing factor loadings

The typical case is to use raw data. Set up your worksheet so that a row contains measurements on a single item or subject. You must have two or more numeric columns, with each column representing a different measurement (response). Minitab automatically omits rows with missing data from the analysis.

Usually the factor analysis procedure calculates the correlation or covariance matrix from which the loadings are calculated. However, you can enter a matrix as input data. See To perform factor analysis with a correlation or covariance matrix.

If you store initial factor loadings, you can later input these initial loadings to examine the effect of different rotations. You can also use stored loadings to predict factor scores of new data. See To perform factor analysis with stored loadings.