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Contents | Index
Selecting a File Type
The File Types list box is shown when you click on the List Files of Type: drop down arrow in the File Open dialog box or the Save File as Type: drop down arrow in the File Save As: dialog box.
The default file type for file open is the SPC Data File (*.qdb). The default
setting may be changed in the Default Data Type list box in the Preferences dialog box, available from the Options menu.
Note: If you choose to save files in formats other than qdb, information
related to a data set (such as analysis options, data type, DDE information) will
be stored in the supporting files _header.dbf and _header.ndx. Therefore, if
you copy the data file to a different directory or drive, remember to copy the
_header.dbf and _header.ndx file also.
SPC Data File (*.qdb)
The default file type for data. This file format is very robust for data
storage, allowing up to 30,000 columns and a couple million rows, limited only by
computer memory. Column titles can be up to 40 characters. When using this file
format, all the analysis options and chart format options are saved in this
file, so most charts are easily redrawn from the data file.
Note: Chart specific information entered into the Chart Options dialog box
(such as queries used to select subgroups for analysis) is not saved in a data
file. This information is saved using the chart file format .qdc (see below).
SPC Chart File (*.qdc)
The required file type for saving specific chart analyses. This format is
particularly useful for:
- saving charts generated on an everyday basis, and
- saving charts when options have been edited in the Chart Options dialog box.
Options defined in the Chart Options dialog box are not retained in the other
file formats. (Note that options defined in Analysis Options dialog box and the
Chart Format Options dialog box are retained with the data file). This file
format retains a link to the qdb data file from which it was generated, so to add
data to the chart file, you will be prompted to open the data file from which
it was last linked.
ASCII Tab, Comma or Space delimited
These are text files that use the tab, comma or space character to specify
where one data value ends and the next begins. Most other programs can read and
write data in these formats. They are especially suitable for transferring data
to and from word processors or spreadsheets. When opening files, and,
conversely, when saving files, you can assign the first line of the file to columns
titles by checking the Column titles in first row checkbox.
Data Interchange Format (DIF)
This a text file in a special format that is often used to transfer data to
and from spreadsheet programs. When opening files, and, conversely, upon saving
files, you can assign the first line of the file to columns titles by checking
the Column titles in first row checkbox.
dBase-III and SPC-PC IV V2.0 & 2.1
This format can be read by most database and spreadsheet programs. An
intrinsic limit of this format is that you cannot have more than 128 data columns and
only allows column titles to be 10 characters long. Supporting information, such
as analysis options and DDE information, has to be stored in separate files.
If you try to save a data set with more than 128 columns then you will be warned
that the additional columns will be lost.
SPC-PC II & III
This format is used by the SPC-PC II and SPC-PC III MS-DOS applications from
QA Inc. It is limited in the number of columns that it can contain. Analysis
options are written to .hdr files so that you can use the data without
difficulties.
SPC-PC IV Version 1
Version 1 used standard dBase-III format files but wrote a special row
containing SPC-PC IV-specific information at the beginning of the file. It too is
limited in the number of columns that it can contain.
Kurt Check
This format is used for files created by the Kurt Check or Kurt Check SE
gaging computers.
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