JMP is Not a Spreadsheet

[#1]

It seems to me that a lot of requests appear in these discussions because users attempt to solve a problem or use JMP like a spreadsheet. The rows and columns in a JMP data table resemble a spreadsheet but this appearance is misleading. My intention here is to discuss ways of using JMP, interactively or scripted, that will be rewarding instead of frustrating. I hope that others will join this discussion. Maybe we can reduce the level of frustration in the future that arises from attempts to use JMP in a way that it was not intended.

First of all, a spreadsheet is oriented around a cell. A cell is a location in which to store a value or a formula. It accepts formats. It can be organized with other cells in rows and columns. It is easy to work with rows, columns, or a selection of cells, but they are still individual cells. I can put anything anywhere at any time. That behavior is convenient when working in software that is optimized for consolidating and reporting financial data. JMP, on the other hand, is software for discovery about and between variables using myriad statistical analyses and visualizations. It is oriented around the variable. A data column is a cohesive collection of values for each variable. These related values share the same meaning and, therefore, the same format and other meta-data. A row is also a cohesive collection of values that represent an observation and share row states.

Second, the data table is primarily for storing and organizing data (variables and observations) along with their meta-data. It is not responsible for any kind of analysis. The numerical and graphical analyses happen in the many specialized platforms available through the Analyze and Graph menus. The platforms work with the data table and data filters (change row states). Multiple platforms may be simultaneously opened on the same data set. Multiple platforms maybe combined into a single window when this enhances the analysis.

How else is JMP not a spreadsheet? I will be back with more ideas but it is now your turn.

No software can claim to be all things to all users. I would not expect a word processor to be good at functional data analysis nor would I expect it to be easy to teach it to do so. Many different kinds of software easily and successfully work and play together today so that we may use each of them to their best advantage.

[#2]

That's true! Also the syntax for conditional logic statements in JMP column formulas is WAY more intuitive than in Excel. I can write conditional statements with very complex logic using JMPs graphical display dialogue (with JSL embedded underneath) and in this way confidently create new column formulas to help me manipulate and gain greater insights from my data.

[#3]

Good stuff Mark. I think this is a challenging thing for some of the larger companies when they get their hands on JMP. The challenge may be one of communication. Folks come to them and say "hey, JMP is a great way to analytics better than what you are doing in Excel", which is very true, mostly, with the important caveats that JMP is not a spreadsheet and there are certain things that are much better to do in a spreadsheet.

But what the company may hear is "I can do everything I did in Excel better in JMP". I believe that this can result in some serious deployment heartburn as folks are tasked with transitioning things out of Excel into JMP when Excel still sits as the more fit-for-purpose tool.

One example from my own experience is discreet event simulation. Now if I'm doing any kind of heavy duty work there is more appropriate software for it, but for low-end back of the envelope queuing models I go straight to a spreadsheet program.

Monte-carlos in general I find to be somewhat evenly split. There are a lot of places where it's small enough I don't need to go to Python, but it's complex enough that its much easier to do it in a spreadsheet software than in JMP.

Linear programming as well. If it's a lightweight model I'm gonna run that in spreadsheet software. I'm not even certain JMP has that capability.

The best way to summarize the difference in my opinion is this: JMP is one of the best tools out there for doing a specific set of tasks, but it is not intended for everything. Excel is is a tool that can do entry level work on almost any task.  Or, maybe:  JMP can do a few things excellently.  Excel can do everything poorly.

[#4]

Maybe JMP is a spreadsheet? Or at least it can be! What I've been doing of late is just using the cell shading (dark blue) to "hide" duplicated calculations that I am performing which automatically duplicate in all the rows of a given column. Works pretty well! Only thing I wish was that it was even easier to access column formulas than it is currently. Maybe instead of a couple clicks it could be accessed and you could be taken there directly with a single right click or some other shortcut. The handy thing about Excel is the ability to readily enter column formulas. JMP you can do the same once you get in there to the formula editor and you can even use the JSL, but it takes some time to even access the formula editor, especially if you're doing this for multiple columns in one data table.

[#5]

In the column box, a single click on the "+" icon brings up the formula editor.  

Once the developers get the neural natural language processor bluetooth head band working again, it will just open when you think about it.  They had it working a while back but it was too early. I installed Windows NT and version 4.7 to try it out. It was pretty amazing but the batteries were kind of heavy and I kept falling over backwards. 

[#6]

I have visions of Doc Brown in "Back to the Future".

[#7]

I think you may have identified a possible opportunity for JMP! I agree that JMP is designed for the data tables to be used for analysis through other platforms but how often do we pull data from a JMP table or make combined data table and the. Paste into Excel for final formatting? Or on the other side of the analysis I often use Excel to get the data into an acceptable format before bringing into JMP. It would be really cool if JMP could go back and forth between a data table and a spreadsheet that has connections to the data tables and reports and allows you to create document friendly formats all within one program.

JMP is definitely nit just a spreadsheet but maybe it could be a spreadsheet too

[#8]

A lot of good points already mentioned. Excel for majority of the time requires you to do manage data very manually with JMP you get to see your how it’s done behind the scenes with the script in the background which is much easier to recreate for the same set of repeated monthly data than say in excel in which you paste in individual formulas. Also if you want to use formulas a simple right click of the column and new formula column gives various options to do formulas instantly no drag down of formulas or creating a table in excel. Pivoting in Excel you select sheets or areas but in JMP you have flexibility of summarising or tabulated data. In short JMP offers better solutions with less clicks.

[#9]

I think it is useful to articulate differences between the two, but not so useful to face them off against each other. Use both and maximise the collective benefits...

[#10]

So true most of the output I generate ends up being put into Excel due to managers not necessarily having JMP. Most people will start with Excel then transition over to other software programs

[#11]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to my question!  I was puzzled by something a colleague stated - "you can just sum rows in JMP like in excel".  I was not convinced, and searched around for info and noted that there were formulae provided by some users.  I have never used excel - dislike it rather intensely - so am happy to be back with JMP for the analyses options and - to me - ease of use and it is intuitive!  I did all the data analysis for my PhD dissertation using JMP! Not being able to sum rows is not much or a problem just wanted to check out my colleague's statement.  

Thanks again to all!!

Terri_Denver