How to load the MS Excel add-in for data analysis

The Analysis ToolPak is a Microsoft Office Excel add-in. This is a program that is available when you install Microsoft Office or Excel. This add-in is an indispensable tool for data analysis be it for descriptive or inferential statistics for your data set. After installing MS Office however, you don’t see it in the Data tab during your first use. In order to use it in Excel you need to load it first. 

1.Once you have opened MS Excel, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Excel Options at the lower left part of the dialogue box.

2.Click Add-Ins found in the left panel of the dialogue box, and then in the Manage box found at the lower part, select Excel Add-ins, then click Go.

3.In the Add-Ins available dialogue box, click the check box for the Analysis ToolPak, and then click OK.

Note:  If Analysis ToolPak is not found in the Add-Ins available dialogue box, click Browse to locate it.

If you get a notification that the Analysis ToolPak is not currently installed on your computer, click Yes to install it.

4.After you have loaded  the Analysis ToolPak, the Data Analysis icon will now be available in the Analysis group on the Data tab.

Let’s try how this add-in works! Read the next post to try some simple descriptive statistics using the Data Analysis command.