What’s This in IBM SPSS Modeler

To improve your experience using IBM SPSS Modeler, the Version 1 SPSS experts have created various Tech Tips. This Tech Tip shows how to ask What’s This? in IBM SPSS Modeler. 

IBM SPSS Modeler is an extensive predictive analytics platform designed to bring predictive intelligence to decisions made by individuals, groups, systems, and the enterprise. Modeler has an easy-to-use drag-and-drop user interface with a complete set of tools for accessing data, data examination, preparation, modelling, evaluation, and deployment. 

IBM SPSS Modeler users have a complete toolset to build predictive models from start to finish. Modeler uses node-based, visual programming. Users pick nodes from palettes and place them on the stream canvas. Once nodes have been placed on the stream canvas and edited, they can be linked to form a stream. A stream represents a flow of data through several operations (nodes) to a destination that can be in the form of output (either text or chart), a model, or the export of data to another format (e.g., a database). 

Help is readily available in Modeler. The Help menu contains Help Topics, SPSS Support, CRISP-DM Help, Application Examples, Accessibility Help, What’s This, About, and a link to the IBM Data Science Community. One of the fastest ways to get help as you are working is to use the What’s This option. 

To start, go to the Help menu and select What’s This. Your cursor will turn into a question mark that you can move to the item you want to understand. For example, we want to learn about Anomaly Analysis. Once the modelling palette is open, go to the Help menu and select What’s This. The cursor will become a question mark, and we can click on the Anomaly node on the Modelling palette. This will bring up information on the Anomaly Detection Node. Using What’s This makes it easy to learn as you work.