Exercise 2C: Importing your own data in another table type in Prism

Go to parent GraphPad Prism statistical analyses

Import the cfb data set, a csv file containing a survey of people’s finances. For details on importing csv files see the previous section.

First open the file in a text editor to know:

• the separator that was used
• the type of data table

Which character is used to separate the columns ?
A semicolon is used to separate the columns instead of a comma. This is also a valid separator for csv files. On American Windows a comma is used as a column separator while the European Windows uses a semicolon.

You do see commas in this file.

What is the meaning of the commas in this file ?
The comma is used as a decimal separator. American Windows uses a point (dot.) as a decimal separator while European Windows uses a comma.

Is this an XY table ?
No, the first column does not contain X-values. Instead each column contains values for one specific variable. Each row contains the data values of one specific person.

Import the file into Prism.
Create a new table (File -> New -> New data table and graph) Select the appropriate data table type: the data fit best in a Multiple variables table Import the data in this table (File -> Import) In the Import and Paste Special Choices window indicate that the comma is used as a decimal separator and click Import.