Design-Expert 7 Read Me

Design-Expert^® version 7.1
software for experiment design

February 4, 2008

ELECTRONIC SOFTWARE DELIVERY (ESD)

If you downloaded your Design-Expert 7.1 purchase via ESD, please read these installation notes before installing it: www.statease.com/files/InstallESD.htm.

ON-LINE REGISTRATION

If you purchased the full version of Design-Expert (single user or network license) and haven't registered, you may do so on-line at www.statease.com/dx_register.html.

WHAT IS NEW IN VERSION 7.1?

A description of what's new can be found in the help system. In the program, choose Help/Contents from the menu bar. Under the topic, "Welcome to Design-Expert 7," you will find a section titled, "What's new in version 7 (the highlights)" with a section for version 7.1.

Also check out the frequently ask questions FAQs section at the end of this file for common help questions.

INSTALLATION NOTES

Supported operating systems

Windows 98 2nd Edition
Windows ME
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista (tested, but not certified as Vista compliant)

System Requirements

Attribute	Minimum	Recommended
Display resolution	800x600	1024x768 or greater
Memory (NT,98SE,ME)/(2000,XP)	128/256 MB	256/512 MB or greater
Processor	Pentium Pro	Pentium IV or later
Operating system	Windows 98 SE	Windows XP or later (Vista)

Math Kernel Library (MKL)

Version 7.1 of Design-Expert uses Intel's Math Kernel Library (MKL) to optimize the computational speed. It is distributed as part of the installation.

Help file on network

Windows XP workstations:

A security change in XP prevents it from opening HTML help files that reside on a LAN or the Internet. If the dx7HelpFile.chm file doesn't work from your network drive see the Microsoft support document, http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=896054

To permit LAN acces follow the instructions in Example 2 and set the MaxAllowedZone value to 1.

If you use WrkSetup.exe to set up Design-Expert on you workstation, it will set the MaxAllowedZone for you.

Windows Vista workstations:

Windows Vista does not allow HTML help to be used over the network. To have the help file available you must install it on your workstation. WrkSetup.exe provides an option to install help locally.

New tool for identifying effects

If you are analyzing a two-level factorial, you can now identify unselected effects (and their values) on the normal/half-normal plots by holding the the Ctrl key and right-clicking on the point on the graph.

KNOWN ISSUES

1. If you have difficulty activating, you may need to temporarily disable you firewall.

2. Large network installations may experience delays in acquiring an available seat. If you have this problem, please contact Stat-Ease technical support..

MISSING FUNCTIONALITY / KNOWN BUGS:

February 4, 2008

BUGS FIXED IN VERSION 7.1.4

Numerous small improvements to the behavior and display of graphs.
Some Help and Error messages have been added or edited for clarity.
Preferences choices updated for consistency.
Correction of various minor problems in the User Interface and in Optimization.
Corrected some display problems in Reports.

OTHER CHANGES IN VERSION 7.1.4

The addition of a new XML command to switch between factorial and polynomial analysis for a single response or all responses.
This release was compiled with Mirosoft Visual C++ 2005 while previous 7.x versions were developed in Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0. There are new DLLs that will be installed as Windows side by side assemblies in the workstation's system area rather than with the program.
Network administrators: There is no longer a choice for DLL location in WrkSetup.exe as the location is determined by the installtion type. However, you will have some choices with the installation of the side by side assemblies.

BUGS FIXED IN VERSION 7.1.3

Power calculations reported for some large signal/noise ratios were wrong and have been corrected.
3D shading was wrong for banded contours when viewing a transformed response. Now corrected.
User added terms were not remembered on a rebuild, but now are retained.

OTHER CHANGES IN VERSION 7.1.3

Sort order is reset to run order when building a design.
Added FDS Graph toolbox the Evaluation for setting power estimate criteria.
Warning added about relying on power for RSM and Mixture designs where FDS is the better tool.
Network users: The location of the HTML Help file, DX7helpfile.chm, can now reside in a different folder than the Design-Expert 7.1 executable. This is to get around the issue with network versions where the MaxAllowedZone needed to be changed on XP computers to use a remote help file. Furthermore, Windows Vista requires the help file to be on on your local computer use it. The choice for a local install is now part of the WrkSetup.exe.

BUGS FIXED IN VERSION 7.1.2

Higher order terms (above cubic) are unavailable if you have a categoric factor. They are now available.
In some circumstances, the FDS table would show values greater than 1.0, which are not possible. This display has been corrected.
Users could get locked out of a network seat if there was a great disparity between their system date and the date the system licence maintains. The error message now displays both the system date and license file date.
If you chose the option to display error graphs scaled by an multiplier, N, the point prediction incorrectly scaled the standard error by N. Point prediction now uses the unscaled standard error.
Like the point prediction, confidence bands on model graphs were also using the scaled standard error but now use the unscaled standard error.
Corrected some issues where certain crossed designs could not be augmented.
Corrected a number of minor display issues in the graphs.

OTHER CHANGES IN VERSION 7.1.2

The sort order for the design layout is now preserved in the saved data file along with other layout information.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here is a sampling of what can be found in the Help system. In the program, choose Help/Contents from the menu bar. Expand the topic node, "Welcome to Design-Expert 7," and you will find a sub-topic titled "Program Hints and Frequently Asked Questions."

Q.	I can't find a command that I expected to be here. Where should I look for it?
A.	Try clicking the RIGHT mouse button. In conformance with Windows standards, the right mouse button is used extensively throughout the program for various options. Also be sure to check the VIEW menu on the menu bar at the top of the screen. Different choices are offered depending on what view is being displayed.

Q.	How can I import data from a spreadsheet?
A.	Data can be imported and exported using the standard Windows cut and paste operations. Simply highlight the group of cells (or select all) and select copy (Ctrl-C). Go to the program you want to paste them into and select paste (Ctrl-V). If you are trying to import a new design from a spreadsheet, first set up a similar dummy design in Design-Expert making sure the factor levels are correctly defined. Next duplicate (or delete) rows in the design layout to get the desired number of rows. Last, copy and paste the data from the other source into the design layout over the old dummy data.

Q.	Why do I get different results than the program gives me when I do the calculations myself?
A.	Differences between program results and hand calculations are normally due to a loss of significant digits when transferring values from Design-Expert to the program or calculator used to make the calculations. These differences can be particularly pronounced when a transformation is being used. For example, for readability, coefficients for the model on the ANOVA sheet are, by default, only displayed with 2 decimal places. You can increase the number of decimal places displayed by choosing the "force precision X decimal places" option under Edit/Preferences/Math. To make sure you are not using truncated values, use the standard Windows cut and paste operations to copy the values (e.g., from the ANOVA sheet) and paste them directly into the spreadsheet or calculator program you are using to perform the calculations.

Q.	How do I view a graph of actual vs. predicted values, or some other combination of variables, which is not already provided in the program?
A.	This can be done by inserting one or two blank responses in the design layout and copying data from reports, like the Diagnostic section at the bottom of the ANOVA. Then choose Graph Columns using these new columns. The extra responses can be deleted when you are finished looking at or printing out the graph.

Q.	In many cases, it's cost-prohibitive for us to replicate the experiments to account for experimental variation. Is there a method using DX7 for us to utilize repetition (multiple samples) in each trial run?
A.	When there are multiple samples for individual runs, it is important to distinguish between experimental error (variation in control factors) and sample error (variation in sample measurements). You need to replicate the whole experiment to measure experimental error. To handle sample error, you can take multiple samples for a particular run and enter the mean and standard deviation of the measurements as two separate responses. This will provide you with a single value (the mean), and a measure of the sample error (the standard deviation). It does not, however, give you any more information about the experimental error than is already provided by the hidden replication of the design.

Q.	How can I change the coding of a factor, or several factors, when the coded values have gotten messed up? This can happen if you enter actual values while displaying coded factors or edit the highs and lows in the design layout rather than the factor info dialog.
A.	Follow these steps: Display the data in the design layout in actual units. Click on a factor header to highlight the data in the column. Copy (Ctrl-C) to the clipboard. Right click on the column header and select "edit info..." Change the +1 / -1 levels to the actual factor levels. Watch out for CCD's so that you don't enter the alpha values here. Click OK and you will see the actual factor levels change to new incorrect values. Paste (Ctrl-V) the original values back into the column. You will get a warning message. Click OK! Repeat steps 2 to 7 for the remaining factors. Unfortunately, this trick won't work with mixtures as you can't edit the pseudo ranges. You will need to rebuild the design.

Q.	In the design builder, parts of the display appear to be missing or overlapping.
A.	The program was designed for a minimum resolution of 800x600 using small system fonts. If you are using 800x600 with large fonts, not all views in the design builder will appear as they should. You can make these screens usable by turning off the design descriptions that appear at the top of the screen. To do this, follow these steps: Get out of the design builder and go back to the main view. Select Preferences from the Edit menu. In the "Math Design" section, check the box that is labeled: "Do not display design descriptions."

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

For Technical Support or other information contact:

Phone:	612.378.9449
Fax:	612.746.2069
E-mail:	support_at_statease.com *
Web site:	www.statease.com
Other info:	:info_at_statease.com *

* replace _at_ with @ to use the e-mail address.

Design-Expert^® is a registered trademark of

Stat-Ease, Inc.
2021 East Hennepin Avenue
Suite 480
Minneapolis, MN 55413