FAQ SOSstat

SOSstat

General

  1. What is SOSstat?

SOSstat is a statistical spreadsheet developed specifically for the industry. It can store and easily manipulate data in grids. It offers manufacturers, a wide range of analysis tools specifically dedicated to the improvement and validation processes.

  1. Why did we develop a new statistical software ?

We found that the dominant software on the market was not at all suited to non-specialist users (too complex, time-consuming to learn, too specific vocabulary leaving the user in a state of indecision). The need for statistical studies has grown considerably in industry, and everyone, at his or her own level, may need to carry out a few analyses from time to time. That's why it's important that the software focuses on the essentials, uses a simple vocabulary, and is priced so that it can be widely deployed throughout the company. (On some industrial sites, SOSstat is installed on several hundred workstations).

  1. How long SOSstat has been existing ?

The first version of SOSstat was published at the end of year 2000. It is with the version 2 published in 2009 that the software obtained a stature of industrial software and consequently an important extension of its industrial use. Since 2012, SOSstat 3® is the new implementation of SOSstat. The product was completely rewritten to address the following goals :

  • get more powerful development tools to provide users a modern graphical interface
  • design a GUI to make it easy for users
  • provide a cross-platform software. For now SOSstat 3 is available for Windows® 32 or 64 bit and Linux (Debian / Ubuntu). It is planned to expand our offering to Mac OSX® platform.

SOSstat 4 was released in 2023.

Installation

  1. At the first execution of SOSstat, I have an error message, or nothing happens.

If you work with Windows, you need to be an administrator to install the site version. If you work with Linux, you need to be an administrator to install SOSstat sudo dpkg -i sosstat.deb

  1. Is SOSstat 64-bit compatible?

Since version 3.3, SOSstat is now compiled in 64 bits.

  1. On which OS can I use SOSstat ?

SOSstat can be used on Microsoft platforms after Windows XP (Seven, Vista, 10 ...) and Linux 64bit. A MacOS version is under study.

  1. What are the library dependencies of SOSstat ?

SOSstat is delivered with all its libraries so that there is no dependency on the version of the operating system. This makes it possible to perpetuate the installations as well as the porting of the application to all OSes.

  1. How do I change the language of SOSstat?

The default language of SOSstat is French. To change the language, you have to change the settings of the software. Activate the menu Options > Preferences. In the Language tab select the desired language (English or German). Restart the software for the change to take effect.

SOSstat requires relatively few resources.

  • The minimum screen resolution is 1024768 (XGA) but 1200768 (WXGA) is highly recommended
  • 250Mb disk space installed
  • Memory 2Gb minimum (depending on the size of the files used)

Graphical Interface

  1. What is the project area?

SOSstat stores settings for all analyzes: The project area is used to display the list of existing analyzes

  1. What is the button "Analyses of the active grid " ?

This is a shortcut for quick access the analysis stored in the current datagrid. This prevents from searching in the Project tab.

  1. What is the menu "SOS " ?

The SOS menu gives access to calculation wizards or decision-support wizards. Strictly speaking, these are not statistical analysis tools, which is why they have their own menu. The wizards cover the following functions:

  • Calculation and performance evaluation of control charts
  • Performance evaluation of sampling plans
  • Visualization and calculation of probabilities or quantiles for classical distribution laws
  • Test performance assessment
  1. What are the limitations of the number of rows and columns of the spreadsheet ?

There is no limitation on the number of rows or columns. The available memory on your computer will determine the maximum dimensions (can be more than 1 Million lines without problem).

  1. How to change the default language of SOSstat 3 ?

To change the language of SOSstat: access the menu: Options > Preferences then, in the language tab, select the desired language (English or French). To apply the change to all windows, close and relaunch the application.

  1. How can I put multiple graphics tiled on my screen?

If multiple graphs are displayed simultaneously, it is possible to arrange them next to each other (as mosaic) to view all of them simultaneously. To do this, simply click on tab of the graphic to reposition, and drag it in the graphics area (bottom, left or right).

Calculation

  1. How to write functions in the module "Advanced Row Calculation " ?

The advanced function module allows the user to apply customized formulas to each line of the active data grid. To write a function in this module, it's best to use the lists, which recall the syntax of each function. The data in a 1 column is referenced using the col(1) function. The scripts developed are dynamically compiled for execution in the grid. The scripting language used enables advanced processing.

Script to calculate x+sin(30)*y with the values of x and y in columns 1 and 2 respectively:

col(1)+sin(30)*col(2)

Script with one condition: if x is positive then we calculate root (x) else we return 0 :

if col(1) > 0:
    res = sqrt(col(1))
else:
    res = 0.0

The if and else blocks are indented. The result of the res variable is returned in the destination cell. This syntax can be used in the Transform function, which can be used to apply standard or customized transformations to data.

Import export

  1. Can I import MS Excel files?

Yes SOSstat3 can import data from all sheets in an Excel file. The .xls and .xlsx are supported. All grids (workbooks) of excel file is imported automatically.

  1. Can we export the reports ?

Yes SOSstat can export analysis reports in RTF, HTML, text or XML.

  1. Can we import data as text or CSV files?

The import function in the File > Import menu allows you to import data regardless of the type of separator used. The post-processing function allows you to perform character substitutions to clean up the file automatically.

  1. Can I import data from a database?

Yes SOSstat provides the ability to query a database by executing SQL queries. To date, SOSstat supports ODBC connection and native connection to SQLite and MySQL.

Quality and validation

  1. Is the software validated ?

Yes SOSstat is validated according to the recommendation of the FDA CFR part 11. Unit test are applied to all calculating procedures of SOSstat. SOSstat results are compared to results published in reference books or journals. A validation report can be provided to companies request.

  1. CFR par 11

To meet the regulatory requirements of CFR part 11, SOSstat implements a traceability of files access and changes. The default data storage format is an open format, which ensures that companies can always access their data even without SOSstat software. Finally, SOSstat provides data protection by data encryption upon user request.

Commercial terms

  1. What are the benefits of the maintenance contract ?

Purchasers of SOSstat, can benefit from all updates of the software by purchasing a maintenance contract. It also allows to benefit from technical support and participate in the development planning.

  1. Is there an education license

Yes, we propose an education offer with adapted rates.