Analytica User Group

The Analytica User Group provides a support system and various resources among existing Analytica Users.

Webinar Series

The Analytica webinar series uses GotoMeeting with conference calling technology as a media for regular presentations on topics of potential interest to the community of Analytica users and modelers. Webinars are interactive, with questions and tangents welcome. Webinars are a great place to learn more about Analytica and other related topics! Seats are limited. To sign up for a particular webinar, please send an email to mailto:sales@lumina.com.

Topic scope includes:

  • Introduction to new Analytica 4.0 features.
  • How-to: How to utilize specific Analyica features.
  • Case-studies: Presentation about successful applications.
  • General modeling topics. E.g., an introduction to XYZ theory, and modeling this in Analytica.
  • Analytica training.

In the upcoming weeks, we expect to offer several webinars covering features new to Analyica 4.0.

Webinar presentations may last anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes, depending on the topic (an estimate of duration should be included with the topic).

Schedule of Upcoming Webinars

Edit Table Enhancements in Analytica 4.0

Date and Time: Thursday, July 26, 2007 at 10:00 - 11:00am Pacific Daylight Time

Presenter: Lonnie Chrisman, Lumina Decision Systems

Abstract

In this webinar, I will demonstrate several new edit table functionalities in Analytica 4.0, including:

  • Insert Choice drop-down controls in table cells.
  • Splicing tables based on computed indexes.
  • Customizing the default cell value(s).
  • Blank cells to catch entries that need to be filled in.
  • SubTables
  • Using different number formats for each column.

This talk is oriented for model builders with Analytica model-building experience.

Manipulating Indexes and Arrays in Analytica Expressions

Date and Time: (TBA)

Presenter: Lonnie Chrisman, Lumina Decision Systems

Abstract

In this webinar, I will review many of the common operations applied to indexes and arrays from within Analytica expressions, with a particular emphasis on enhancements in this area that are new to Analytica 4.0. I'll review the often used and very powerful Subscript and Slice operations, along with the duality of associational and positional indexing. I'll introduce newly introduced extensions for positional indexes, such as the @I, A[@I=n], and @[I=n] operations, and extensions that expose positional duals to various previously-existing associational array functions. I will describe the distinction between index and value contexts in Analytica expressions, along with the distinction between a variable's index value, mid value and sample value, how these may differ (Self-Indexed Arrays), and how we may access each context-value explicitly. I will also introduce slice assignment -- the ability to assign values to individual slices of an array within an algorithm.

The content of this webinar is most appropriate for users with moderate to advanced Analyica model-building experience.

Statistical Functions in Analytica 4.0

Date and Time: (TBA)

Presenter: Lonnie Chrisman, Lumina Decision Systems

Abstract

A statistical function is a function that process a data set containing many sample points, computing a "statistic" that summarizes the data. Simple examples are Mean and Variance, but more complex examples may return matrices or tables. In this talk, I'll review statistical that are built into Analytica 4.0. In Analytica 4.0, all built-in statistical functions can now be applied to historical data sets over an arbitrary index, as well as to uncertain samples (the Run index), eliminating the need for separate function libraries. I will demonstrate this use, as well as several new statistical functions, e.g., Pdf, Cdf, Covariance. I will explain how the domain attribute should be utilized to indicate that numeric-valued data is discrete (such as integer counts, for example), and how various statistical functions (e.g., Frequency, GetFract, Pdf, Cdf, etc) make use of this information. In the process, I'll demonstrate numerous examples using these functions, such things as inferring sample covariance or correlation matricies from data, quickly histogramming arbitrary data and using the coordinate index setting to plot it, or using a weighted Frequency for rapid aggregation.

In addition, all statistical functions in Analytica 4.0 can compute weighted statistics, where each point is assigned a different weight. I'll cover the basics of sample weighting, and demonstrate some simple examples of using this for computing a Bayesian posterior and for importance sampling from an extreme distribution.

Creating Scatter Plots

Date and Time: (TBA)

Presenter: Lonnie Chrisman, Lumina Decision Systems

Abstract

This webinar focuses on utilizing graphing functionality new to Analytica 4.0, and specifically, functionality enabling the creative use of scatter plots. The talk will focus primarily on techniques for simultaneously displaying many quantities on a single 2-D graph. I'll discuss several methods in which multiple data sources (i.e., variable results) can be brought together for display in a single graph, including the use of result comparison, coordinate indexes, and external variables. I'll describe the basic new graphing-role / filler-dimension structure for advanced graphing in Analytica 4.0, enabling multiple dimensions to be displayed on the horizontal and vertical axes, or as symbol shape, color, or symbol size, and how all these can be rapidly pivoted to quickly explore the underlying data. I'll discuss how graph settings adapt to changes in pivot or result view (such as Mean, Pdf, Sample views).

How to Attend

To attend, you need to sign up by contacting Lumina at webinars@lumina.com or (650) 212-1212. Attendence is limited to 10 people, so don't sign up unless you sincerely intend to attend. Also, sign up at least a day prior, since the webinar may be cancelled if there are few pre-registered participants.

These Webinars are FREE to users who have an up-to-date annual maintenance subscription (MTS). If you are unsure, check with mailto:sales@lumina. For those without MTS, an attendence fee of US$100 is charged.

How to be a Presenter

Being a presenter at an Analytica webinar provides an opportunity to make others in the Analytica community aware of your successes or capabilities. Consultants may find this an opportunity for exposure to others with particular modeling needs. Also, if you are an Analytica aficionado, this is a great opportunity to help others.

If you would like to be a presenter, submit your proposed topic to webinars@lumina.com and possible presentation times (include the time zone). We will schedule the GotoMeeting conference (you do not need a gotoMeeting subscription yourself) and we will make you presenter during the session, allowing you to share your screen while you talk. You will most likely make use of Power Point and a running Analytica during your presentation.

Potential future topics

If you would like to see a webinar on a given topic, please feel free to add it here. If you see a topic listed and would like to be a presenter, let us know.

  • Rapid review of features new to Analytica 4.0.
  • Importance Sampling. Global sample weighting and use of extended statistic functions in 4.0.
  • Logistic Regression: Quick intro to logistic regression (generalized regression), including Probit_Regression, Logistic_Regression, Possion_Regression, etc. Using these to fit probability estimates in Analyica, Analyica Optimizer experience, exploring result with new graphing features.
  • New 4.0 graphing features general overview
  • Creating graphs of multi-dimensional data.
  • Graph Style Templates: Creating libraries of style templates, including some behind-the-scenes settings.
  • An in-depth look at graph style settings.
  • MdxQuery - Interacting with Microsoft Analysis Services or other OLAP servers.
  • Producing graphs from ADE: Including how to serve graphs from web pages.
  • Manipulating dates in Analytica
  • Integrating with external programs: Utilizing external programs or scripts (VBScript, Perl, etc) from within an Analytica model.
  • An introduction to button scripting in Analytica
  • New extensions to the Analytica Optimizer
  • Introduction to Linear, Quadratic and Non-Linear Programming, and the basics of using Analytica Optimizer.
  • Intracacies of the Domain attribute
  • Writing user-defined functions. Understanding parameter qualifiers. Introduction to new 4.0 qualifiers. Writing distribution functions. Writing array abstractable functions.
  • Mastering Array Abstraction
  • Sampling and Distributions - new 4.0 additions/extensions. Also, writing custom User-Defined Distribution Functions.
  • Integrating with external applications using [[RunConsoleProcess].
  • Using references (the \ and # operators)
  • Getting data into Analytica.
  • Implementing iterative algorithms. Convergence algorithms using Iterate. Use of While..Do. Recursive functions, slice assignment, etc.
  • Large-scale sampling. Techniques when memory limitations constrain sampleSize.
  • Bayesian Inference
  • Sensitivity Analysis.
  • Dynamic Programming
  • Correlated and multi-dimensional distributions

Past Topics

(none yet)

The Analytica Wiki

The Analytica Wiki contains many resources, including in-depth reference materials, relevant articles, example models, tutorials, etc., to help users master Analytica and find what they need. Even better, Analytica users can contribute! You can upload your own models, articles, expand on or correct materials that are there, etc., for the benefit of the entire Analytica community.

The Analytica Forum

The Analytica Forum is a message board where users can post questions to the Analytica community, or view what others have posted. Many materials of general interest have been posted there (however, we hope to eventually update the Wiki to reflect all this material, where it can be more conveniently organized). The forum is maintained indepedently by an enthusiastic Analytica user. Our thanks to to Mike for all his efforts!

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