Hi Katherine,
For solo consultants, there are several factors that inform the choice of statistical software: 1) area of expertise, 2) industry standards, 3) software pricing, 4) project scope and execution time, 5) client preference, 6) consultant preference. The list likely goes on and I am sure that other consultants would be happy to add to it based on their own experiences.
I will give some examples below to illustrate how these factors come into play in my view.
Because one of my areas of expertise pertains to Mixed Treatment Comparisons, I use R and WinBUGS to tackle projects in this realm. Both of these software packages are free. Other consultants use different software packages that reflect their own area of expertise. For instance, someone working a lot with SEMs would have to use AMOS, M-PLUS or LISREL, say.
Industry standars are also important - I believe that SAS is the undisputed (?) golden standard in biopharmaceutical
research. If a consultant works in that area, he/she would definitely need access to SAS. However, R is starting to make some inroads into this world as well.
Software pricing is another important factor. Solo consultants are perhaps more likely to work with commercial software packages whose licensing costs are affordable or even free. For instance, STATA is a lot cheaper than SAS, so why not get STATA if you can still use it to achieve the same results?
The project scope is important - if all you have to do is tabulate data, perhaps SAS is the best choice. If you need to produce graphics, a blend of SAS and R may be the best option. If you have to conduct specialized statistical computations or analyses, maybe you can refer to a highly specialized software package.
If the project has to be executed rapidly, the software that will get you there first while not breaking the bank will be the safest bet. I recently had to switch from using Matlab to using Octave for one of my consulting projects, as Matlab don't allow you to download one of their trial versions online and you would have to wait for them to ship an installation CD to you. Octave is free, so I could start using it right away.
Both client and consultant preference are important factors in deciding the choice of software. If the client would like their project tackled via SPSS, there is no point in extolling the virtues of R, even though R is free. If the consultant "grew up" with SPSS, they would feel less comfortable using R and recommend to the client that they too use SPSS.
For any given project, the above factors (and I am sure, many others) come into play so that the consultant chooses the optimal software or combination of software for that project. This is part of the mystique of being an effective consultant.
Kind regards,
Isabella
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Isabella Ghement
Ghement Statistical Consulting Co.
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-21-2011 15:17
From: Jeffrey Davidson
Subject: Computer packages used by solo biostat consultants?
Dave,
Now that SAS has the functionality of EAST, is there any advantage to maintaining EAST in your arsenal?
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Jeffrey Davidson
VP Global Biometrics
Octagon Research
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