Box plots provide a graphic representation of the four quartiles of a range of numeric values for the variable being tested. They also provide a visual clue as to how the population is distributed, whether the values are skewed in one direction, etc. In addition they provide an immediate sense of the minimum and maximum values, which can be useful in determinign if there may be unusual values or "outliers".

To perform such a test and have the results available in electronic work paper format, the following processing information is explained below:

Description Value Select Specify 'OK' to have this row processed, otherwise it will be skipped Data Source Specify the name of the Excel workbook, including directory or the name of the Access database which has the data to be analyzed Command Name boxplot Command Description Prepare a box plot analysis for the variable specified Table Must enter either a sheet name followed by $ or else enter an Access table name Where An optional row selection statement may be made to narrow the analysis to just certain rows Column The name of a numeric column must be specified here Column String This command does not accept group of column names Parm1 This command does not accept a first parameter parm2 This command does not accept a second parameter Theme A theme, such as summer, fall, winter, spring, pink, orange, green etc Title A chart title, if desired, may be specified here Example chart   Return to electronic work paper home page