FAQs

General

Q. When installing STATGRAPHICS Centurion, I am asked for a serial number. What if I am installing an Evaluation Copy and have not yet purchased the program?

A: Leave the serial number field blank if you are installing a 30-day evaluation version.

Q. When I started STATGRAPHICS Centurion for the first time, it asked whether I wished to use the optional Six Sigma menu. Does that menu give me access to different procedures?

A: Both the Six Sigma menu and the standard menu access the same set of statistical procedures. The only difference is the organization of topics on the main menu. The Six Sigma menu arranges topics under the DMAIC headings (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) used in Six Sigma, while the standard menu follows the normal STATGRAPHICS structure. You can switch between the two menu structures by accessing "Preferences" on the "Edit" menu.

Q. What's the best way to copy all tables and graphs from an analysis window to Word? I know that I can copy a single table or graph by pressing the right mouse button and selecting "Copy".

A. The easiest way is to press the right mouse button anywhere within the analysis window and select "Copy Analysis to StatReporter" from the popup menu. This puts all of the tables and graphs in the StatReporter window. You can then go to that window, select all of the output with your mouse, and select "Edit - Copy" from the top menu. Then go to Word and paste the contents of the Windows clipboard. Alternatively, once the output is in the StatReporter, you can save the StatReporter as an RTF file and open that file directly into Word.

 

R Interface

Q. When attempting to use a procedure that interfaces to an R package, such as Classification and Regression Trees, I get the following message: "Error: pandoc version 1.12.3 or higher is required and was not found." The procedure then fails to execute.

A. Depending on how R was installed, the path to pandoc (which converts R output so that it can be displayed in Statgraphics) may be incorrect. To fix the problem, go to "R Interface" on the Statgraphics menu and select "R - Installation and Configuration". When the dialog box appears, press the "Advanced" button. Add the following line to the edit field so that it is added to every R script:

     Sys.setenv("RSTUDIO_PANDOC"="")

Then try rerunning the statistical procedure.

If pandoc is still not available, try downloading it directly at https://pandoc.org/installing.html

 

Statistical Procedures

Q. Does STATGRAPHICS Centurion have the equivalent of a "BY" variable that allows you to repeat an analysis for each level of a selected factor?

A: To repeat an analysis for different levels of a selected factor, first run the analysis using all levels combined. Then select "Edit" from the main menu and "Repeat Analysis By". Enter the name of the column containing the factor levels and press OK. A separate analysis will be generated for each level of the BY variable.

Q. How do you transform data in the STATGRAPHICS statistical modeling software?

A: The easiest way to transform data is "on-the-fly". On any data input dialog box, you can type an expression such as "LOG(column name)" where you would normally enter the name of a column. This will transform your data for the current analysis without disturbing the datasheet. Alternatively, highlight an empty column in a datasheet and select "Generate Data" under "Edit" on the main menu. You can then enter the desired expression and have the transformed data placed in that column.

Q. Suppose I have two columns of data: one named X with different data values, and a second named Frequency with the number of times each value of X occurred. How can I compute a weighted average of the data values?

A: You should select the One Variable Analysis procedure and enter the following expression in the Data field: REP(X,Frequency). This will expand the data column so that each value of X occurs with the corresponding Frequency and gives you the results you desire. This type of expansion works in any procedure.

 

Installation and Activation

Q. After installing STATGRAPHICS Centurion, l am attempting to run it for the first time. Upon loading the program, it immediately takes me to the License Manager. When I push the Activate button, the message "Cannot find license information" appears in a small window.

A: To fix the “Could not create license file.” error, go to the installation directory for Statgraphics and locate the executable sgwin.exe.  Right mouse click over the executable and select Run as Administrator.  Next select the Activate button and enter the required information.  Select the Activate button again.

Q. After installing STATGRAPHICS Centurion, l am attempting to run it for the first time. A window is displayed with the following message: "You must have write access to your computer's registry when you first run this program. This normally requires administrator rights. Please correct and try again."

A: When running STATGRAPHICS for the first time, it stores important information in your system's registry and in the Program Files directory. This requires that you are running as an administrator. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, you must click on the STATGRAPHICS desktop icon with the RIGHT mouse button and select "Run as administrator" in order to have the proper access. If your organization limits administrator access to the IT department, you must have them run the program the first time. After that, administrator rights are not required.

Q. I installed STATGRAPHICS Centurion and entered a serial number. The program is now requesting an "activation code". How do I get one?

A: To obtain an activation code, go to the "Help" selection on the main menu and select "License Manager". On the License Manager dialog box, push the button labeled "Activate" and follow the instructions that are displayed.

Q. When doing a Multifactor ANOVA, I received the following error message:  “ERROR: factor AB is a linear combination of other factors.” What causes such as error?

A. The most likely cause is that you have requested a two-factor interaction between factors A and B although there are certain combinations of the levels of those factors that have no data. Either remove the interaction term from the model using Analysis Options, or adjust the levels of factors A and B so that all combinations of levels (one from A and one from B) have at least one observation.

Q. When running an analysis, I received the following error message: “Cannot perform analysis. Data values are all equal.” What causes such as error?

A. The program is indicating that the observations for at least one of the variables to be analyzed are all equal, preventing the analysis from being performed. This sometimes occurs when cases with missing values are removed, leaving you with less observations that you might have expected.

Q. When fitting a Multiple Regression model, I received the following error message: “ERROR: X3 is a linear combination of other variables.” What causes such as error?

A. When attempting to add variable X3 to the model, the X’X matrix was detected to be below the allowable limit for singularity and therefore could not be inverted. This indicates that X3 is a linear combination of variables added earlier. You must remove X3 from the model specification before fitting the model.

Q. When activating Statgraphics Centurion, I received the following error message: “Serial number not valid.”  What causes such as error?

A. The most likely cause for that error is attempting to activate a 64-bit version using a 32-bit serial number, or attempting to activate Version 17 using a Version 16 serial number.  32-bit serial numbers may only be used to activate the 32-bit version. 64-bit serial numbers may be used to activate either the 64-bit or the 32-bit version. Serial numbers are also version-specific.

Q. When attempting to activate Statgraphics Centurion on a new computer, it would not accept the activation code I used for my old computer.  What causes such as error?

Activation codes are tied to the hardware and are not transferable between different computers. If you remove Statgraphics Centurion from one computer and install it on another, please contact our customer support desk for a new activation code.