Instant Analyst.

Instant Analyst

Many people use a spreadsheet to produce tables of numbers, but can anyone really look at a large table of data and spot trends or values which are out-of-spec? Instant Analyst is a Lotus 1-2-3 add-in designed to make such things more apparent.

Using Instant Analyst, data can be examined in two different manners. First, the program can perform ratio analysis on a block of data, comparing all the data within the block to a selected range. A single keystroke can, for example, give all the values in a table as a percentage of the total. A second keystroke will restore the original table. The percentage figures can also be transferred to another section of the spreadsheet, if desired.

Instant Analyst can also highlight data by using different colours. A palette of 16 different colours is provided, although only a small portion of these can be considered usable on a monochrome monitor. Data meeting certain criteria specified by the user can be made to appear in a different colour on the screen. For example, someone wishing to identify out-of-spec values in a table might choose to have all values above the specification appear red on the screen, while values below the specification appear blue.

Instant Analyst is simple to install. Type IASETUP and answer a few simple questions. The program is invoked with a single keystroke and operates with a Lotus-style menu, with commands which are quite self explanatory. The program boasts a concise, easy-to-understand manual, which provides the reader with all the information needed to run Instant Analyst. In practice, the program is so simple to use that the manual is really superfluous. One can become adept at using Instant Analyst by experimenting with a simple Lotus spreadsheet.

In addition to technical applications, Instant Analyst is an excellent tool for accounting, sales, marketing, and financial planning. When you are in the red, you really are in the red. This is a program of use to virtually anyone who works with tables of data. If there is any negative comment to make about the program, it would be that Instant Analyst only works with Lotus 1-2-3. This program is highly recommended. Anyone who uses it regularly with Lotus 1-2-3 may soon find that Instant Analyst has become indispensable to their analysis.

PHOTO : The June column featured building your own computer and here is Jonathan Silbert (right) hard at work. Sam Whebe (left) of Computer Advance System (CAS) is installing a mother board and Kevin Akvan offers comments from behind.