Ref # 636
CHARTrunner can chart data that is stored in Minitab files.
By default, Minitab stores data in Projects .MPJ and Worksheets .MTW but by using the following steps, you can store data in other formats. To do this:
- While in Minitab, open the File Menu and select Save Current Worksheet As.
- Select a file type, such as Excel.
- When creating the chart in CHARTrunner, you would use Excel as the Data Source.
A key difference between CHARTrunner and Minitab is that CHARTrunner accesses and charts data directly from the source without importing or exporting the data. If you make a change to data in the source file, the chart can refresh easily to show the new data.
Minitab does allows data transfer via ODBC, but it is more an import/export function. When you save the data, it is saved as a Minitab worksheet, in effect creating a duplicate of the source. You can save it as the original source type, but this is handled as an export. Because the data in Minitab is a copy, changes or additions to the data in the source file will not appear in the Minitab version.
