PACEXL - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQ

How do I install PaceXL?
How do I run PaceXL?
Are there any problems with using PaceXL's macros?
Can I run PaceXL from the CD itself?
Is there a version for Mac computers?
How do I start with PaceXL?
What about saving and printing my work?
Why do I have to specifically save my graphs and why does saving the workbook not do the same thing?
What about the "Out of memory" warnings?
Is PaceXL simple to use and modern in style?
Why use PaceXL?
Is it designed for educational purposes?
Does it have the basic data handling capabilities of good statistics packages?
Is all the output easy to find?
Does it prepare students for other software?
Are dialog boxes clear about what to do and what you will end up with?
Does it have the right balance of routines and options so that students are not intimidated?
Does it have key graphs for describing and exploring data?
PaceXL 1 had a different type of Help system, including some very useful "textbook-like" help screens. Can they be accessed?
Are students spending too much of their time learning software and not statistics?
Is PaceXL designed for exploratory data analysis?
Is PaceXL useful in the workplace?
Is PaceXL affordable?

How do I install PaceXL?
PaceXL is easy to install. Just do the following: Insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive. Wait for the CD to self-load then follow the instructions on the screen. (If the CD does not self-load, use Run, Browse, to run Setup from the CD.)

How do I run PaceXL?
PaceXL runs from the start menu like other programs. Click Start Programs then select PaceXL2. But you can also run it from a short-cut. Either way, when you open/run PaceXL, it should automatically load Microsoft® Excel. Or you can load it as a permanent add-in to Excel.

Are there any problems with using PaceXL's macros?
PaceXL is written using macros in Excel, and cannot work without them. When PaceXL opens Excel, you generally receive a message regarding macros. Select 'Enable Macros'. (If you do make that selection, but the macros or buttons or menu selections still do not work later it means the macro security in Excel is too high. To fix this, in Excel, go to Tools, Macros, Security, and then reduce the security by one level. Close Excel, then open PaceXL again.)

Can I run PaceXL from the CD itself?
PaceXL can be run straight from the CD, but it is best to install it on the hard drive if you are able to. Running from the CD is useful, however, when PaceXL has not been installed on a computer or network. This means that students in a laboratory can run the software using their CDs.

Is there a version for Mac computers?
There is no Mac version of PaceXL. The publishers have investigated this in detail, but unfortunately the cost of producing and maintaining a Mac version has proven to be prohibitive.

How do I start with PaceXL?
The 'Quick Tour' provides an overview of the key features of PaceXL. It is the best way for new users - instructors and students - to gain a quick introduction to the software. It also shows how the Help system works. When PaceXL is running, click PaceXL in the Excel menu. The first entry shown is the 'Quick Tour of PaceXL'. Select this, and then you will be taken into the PaceXL Help system. See Getting Started

What about saving and printing my work?
All PaceXL output is stored in a normal Excel file. Save your workbook as per normal. You can also do Print Preview and print hardcopies as you normally would.

Why do I have to specifically save my graphs and why does saving the workbook not do the same thing?
Saving a PaceXL chart/graph is not the same as saving the workbook. To save a specific chart that you wish to keep, you must click 'Save Chart' in the PaceXL toolbar or in a dialog. As PaceXL produces so many different graphs so quickly, the software is designed so that a new graph overwrites the previous one. Thus, when you have a chart that you definitely want to keep, click 'Save Chart', otherwise it will be overwritten/lost. (If you wish to edit the chart, for example, changing the colour, altering the axes, putting in gridlines, or changing a heading, do so before saving.) PaceXL charts, when saved, are unlinked from their originating data and are saved as Picture objects in the Results Sheet. You cannot edit the chart as an Excel chart once it is in Picture format. If you find you have one or more "empty" charts, it is likely you have not saved them as described here. When you save your PaceXL charts this way, you must still save your workbook. Next time you open it, all your saved (picture) charts should still be in the Results Sheet.

What about the "Out of memory" warnings?
PaceXL produces a warning from time to time to remind users to save their files often and to caution that 'Out of Memory' problems may occur if a number of successive charts are created in the one Excel session. If an 'Out of Memory' message appears, save your work immediately, close your workbook(s) and exit from Excel. Start Excel and PaceXL again, or, if necessary, restart your computer. That way, you should not have lost any work, and can continue normal operations once the file is reopened.

Is PaceXL simple to use and modern in style?
PaceXL has a professional look and feel. It is colourful, modern-looking and streamlined with a menu entry, toolbar and dialog boxes.

Why use PaceXL?
PaceXL is easy to learn and user friendly. The package is specifically written for educational purposes. All the key features of Excel are still available, plus the added features of PaceXL. It provides the user with powerful data handling capabilities but does not provide functions that are far in excess of introductory course needs. In terms of scope, convenience, Help system, user-friendliness, and attractiveness, PaceXL sets a new standard in add-ins.

Is it designed for educational purposes?
PaceXL is designed specifically for educational purposes, by instructors and practitioners in the field. It is especially suitable for beginning statistics students, and for introductory-intermediate courses.

Does it have the basic data handling capabilities of good statistics packages?
Subsets of data, either by variable, record, or unstacking, can be easily analysed in PaceXL using the Unstack and Select options. There is no need to create subsets of data to be analysed separately, or to move data around.

Is all the output easy to find?
All PaceXL results are written to a single worksheet called the Results Sheet. Thus all calculations and graphs are written underneath each other as they are produced. This means output can be easily found, without having to search through numerous worksheets. If the Results Sheet becomes too large, it can be renamed and saved in the workbook, and a new Results Sheet started. All results are saved once the workbook itself is saved.

Does it prepare students for other software?
PaceXL prepares students for using spreadsheet software. And it also prepares them for using the data handling capabilities and statistics power of the well-known statistics packages. Students will move to these advanced statistics packages much more easily.

Are dialog boxes clear about what to do and what you will end up with?
PaceXL is specifically designed for teaching statistics. The input and output is written in "textbook" language so that students can easily match the input and output with their textbook and lecture notes.

Does it have the right balance of routines and options so that students are not intimidated?
The PaceXL statistics routines and options are generally limited to those required for introductory-intermediate courses, and as covered in typical textbooks. However, some advanced options are suitable for research purposes.

Does it have the key graphs for describing and exploring data?
Apart from standard graphs, such as, bar, pie, line and scatter, PaceXL also has box plots, dot plots, histograms, probability plots and plots for hypothesis tests. There are also specialised plots for regression and time series analysis. And various combination plots such as the dot plot and box plot; normal distribution over a histogram; and the normal and t distributions on the one graph. (The stem-and-leaf plot is not available in this version, but it is in PaceXL 1, which you can find on your CD.)

PaceXL 1 had a different type of Help system, including some very useful "textbook-like" help screens. Can they be accessed?
PaceXL 1 is on your CD. You can find the help file there and either open it from the CD or load it onto your harddisk.

Are students spending too much of their time learning software and not statistics?
'PaceXL has been designed to be straightforward to use and to require only minimal knowledge of Excel. The inbuilt routines generate calculations and graphs that would otherwise be excessively time consuming to generate via normal spreadsheet operations, or that would require extensive knowledge and skill in Excel. The aim is to allow the student to concentrate on statistical data analysis, without being sidetracked by manipulating computer software.

Is it designed for exploratory data analysis?
Exploring data is a key feature of PaceXL: it has been designed to be a calculating and graphical system with a primary emphasis on exploring data. This is achieved by being able to switch quickly from one statistics routine to another and to bring up graphs and change graph types and features with one or two clicks or key strokes.

Is it useful in the workplace?
While PaceXL is designed specifically for educational purposes, it is likely students will take their copy to the workplace to add to the capabilities of Microsoft Excel. Students, workers and researchers will continue to want to have access to the speed, power and convenience of PaceXL. The publishers are investigating production of a commercial version.

Is PaceXL affordable?
PaceXL has been priced to be as affordable as possible to students and institutes. The relatively small outlay by students on PaceXL is quickly repaid in terms of time and frustration saved. See Pricing/Orders