Setting Minitab Options
Maximum Results, Minimal Effort
Minitab allows you to create attractive, meaningful output with very little input. It's Minitab's Options that make this possible by answering the sometimes tedious questions that surround the creation of each graph, chart, and test. While it's easy to take these behind the scenes settings for granted, having a working knowledge of their effects can help you save time in every Minitab session.
What are Options, Anyway?
Options are the default Minitab settings you use each time you create a graph or conduct an analysis. Some Options are global in nature (What color would you like your graphs to be?) while others pertain only to certain graphs or tests (What tests should be performed when conducting capability analysis?). Some Options have the effect of selecting items for you as you create a graph or perform an analysis, thereby saving you time in filling out dialog boxes. A few affect changes that can otherwise only be made by editing output - also a time saver. Some even offer capabilities that are only available as Options.
When Should I Change Them?
Knowing when to change the default Options settings is often a matter of knowing what can be changed. All of the available Minitab Options fall into four categories:
Common Graph Edits
If you find yourself consistently editing the same aspect of your graphs and charts, consider changing the default Options settings for that feature. You can set Options for fonts, symbols, graph size, footnotes, labels, ticks, and much more.
Problem: You find yourself regularly adding a footnote to graphs stating the date it was created and what worksheet was used. Solution: Set the "My Footnote" Option to include this footnote automatically. |  |
Test Preferences
How much output is enough? Minitab Options allow you to focus the type and degree of output elicited by commands that can produce a wide range of statistics and graphs.
Problem: You are only interested in a small portion of the output produced by Display Descriptive Statistics. Solution: Set Options to display only those statistics that interest you. |  |
Methods and Standard Values
Statisticians sometimes disagree about the best methods for estimating certain parameters. Similarly, acceptable standard values (like alpha levels) may vary from person to person or company to company. Options allow you to choose your preferred test methods and parameters.
Problem: You prefer to use the average of subgroup ranges to estimate the standard deviation in n X-R chart. Solution: Change the estimation Options setting. |  |
Minitab Workspace Settings
Just as your computer uses regional settings, many Minitab Options serve to identify worksheet and column preferences, printing and window options, and more.
Problem: Each time you open Minitab you move the different windows to your preferred arrangement. Solution: Use Options to lock in a window layout of your design. |  |
Options in Practice
Setting new Options couldn't be simpler. To adjust any default Minitab Option: - Choose Tools > Options.
- Navigate to the area you wish to affect and make your changes.
- Click OK.
This new Options setting will be in effect for the remainder of your Minitab session as well as future sessions. Setting it will not retroactively affect output you've already created. |  |
Putting It to Use
By design, the "out of the box" settings work for most people most of the time. But Minitab recognizes that standards and individual tastes vary - there is no one perfect collection of settings for all users. So rather than forcing you to constantly edit output, alter dialog boxes, or just accept the Minitab defaults, Options allow you to turn your preferences into the default.
We've covered some of the more common types, but Minitab offers many more Options than can be mentioned here. You can explore all of the Options available to you by choosing Tools > Options. You're sure to find a setting to help streamline your Minitab sessions while producing effortlessly customized output.