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SPSS Introduces New Version of Survey Software
Source: www.spss.com
Copyright SPSS, Inc. 2004
03/08/04

This is a dated announcement. The material in this announcement could be superceded by more current announcements.

SPSS Data Entry™ 4.0 offers new data collection capabilities and full integration with SPSS® 12.0 for Windows®

CHICAGO, 03/03/04 — SPSS Inc. (NASDAQ:SPSS), the leading provider of predictive analytics and tools for the survey and market research industry, today announced the immediate worldwide availability of SPSS Data Entry™ 4.0, a comprehensive system for data collection and survey management. The latest version of SPSS Data Entry benefits researchers by offering complete integration with SPSS® for Windows® and enhanced security functionality.

PSS Data Entry enables occasional surveyors, data entry departments, small businesses and medium-sized organizations to create surveys and efficient online forms. SPSS Data Entry also allows for the collection of more accurate data for analysis. The ability to create surveys in SPSS Data Entry and analyze the results in SPSS for Windows provides a full survey research solution that improves accuracy, eliminates duplicate work and saves time.

The new version of SPSS Data Entry offers enhanced security options, including a new login/password feature. This ensures more secure surveys by enabling researchers to designate survey respondents. This also allows multiple respondents to take online surveys or tests at shared workstations.

"Since we are dealing with customer accounts and business information, the security of our surveys is a major issue," said Craig Walton, consumer research analyst at McCoy Corporation. "The new security features in SPSS Data Entry 4.0 will encourage both higher response rates and more honest feedback. Additionally, the enhanced open-ended survey response capability will help us to capture more detailed customer information."

SPSS Data Entry 4.0 enhancements include:

-- Improved integration with SPSS for Windows. Researchers can describe data files that have extended names by using the longer variable names feature. Additionally, variable types can now be defined in design mode as categorical or scale, eliminating the need to redefine the variables in SPSS for Windows before analysis.
-- Enhanced usability. Responses to open-ended questions can extend to 4,000 characters. A new stop/start feature enables respondents to exit surveys and complete them later without losing data.
-- Improved accuracy. A spell check feature in the design phase helps reduce spelling errors in published surveys.

The SPSS Data Entry family of products provides the necessary tools for administering a survey from design to deployment to data entry. SPSS Data Entry consists of:

-- SPSS Data Entry Builder™, enabling users to create custom print and online survey forms, enter data and check for accuracy. These activities are conducted through the use of rules, such as validation, checking and skip-and-fill.
-- SPSS Data Entry Station™, providing organizations that administer large numbers of paper- or phone-based surveys a low-cost data entry tool. SPSS Data Entry Station is useful for respondents who are connected to a network but not to the Internet.
-- SPSS Data Entry Enterprise Server™, organizes all collected data from Web-based (Internet or intranet) surveys, paper-based surveys, or interviews conducted over the telephone or in-person. SPSS Data Entry Enterprise Server takes this data and automatically routes it to the appropriate centralized data file, making it available for immediate cleaning and analysis by SPSS for Windows. This automatic routing feature enables researchers to manage several large data collection projects simultaneously.

For SPSS customers using SPSS Data Entry Builder for paper surveys, upgrading to SPSS Data Entry Enterprise Server will enable them to develop and administer Web surveys - reducing both cost and turnaround time.

"As the main support person for SPSS Data Entry, I spend a lot of time helping graduate students develop thesis- and dissertation-oriented surveys," said Cary Springer of the Statistical Consulting Center at The University of Tennessee. "We have discovered that conducting online surveys is quicker, less expensive and provides easier access to respondents than mail-based paper surveys. And with the start/stop feature, respondents can participate on their own schedule, making even long surveys viable."

About SPSS survey and market research solutions

SPSS Inc. offers a broad range of end-to-end survey and market research tools, including survey design, authoring, sampling, data collection, analysis and publishing. In addition to SPSS Data Entry 4.0 and SPSS 12.0, SPSS Inc. offers the Dimensions™ technology platform, a scaleable, customizable and integrated application suite for multimode projects. SPSS Dimensions benefits organizations whose backbone is the collection and analysis of survey data. Surveyors can also use Dimensions tools through an SPSS online hosting service.

For more than 35 years, SPSS Inc. has helped commercial, academic and government organizations maximize productivity and accuracy through every phase in the research process, from ad hoc research projects to high-volume, complex research programs. For more information about SPSS Inc.'s survey and market research offerings, visit: http://www.spssph.com.