We may choose, for instance, to enter the data in text form straight into a word processor. Spreadsheet Probably the most versatile analysis and storage combination is the spreadsheet. Many of the formulae that spreadsheets have built in are applicable to the data summarisation process. It is possible with some spreadsheets to form cross-tabulations. Also, one thing that most spreadsheets do extremely well is graphical presentation of the results of an analysis.
Spreadsheets are also able to interchange data with other systems.
If we want to do this kind of work then the data should b entered directly into a package specifically designed for that level of analysis. If we want to use some of the more esoteric systems we would have to transfer the data either via a statistical package or directly to a graphics package. We would look to use a database program where we want to take advantage of the record manipulation options of database management systems. We might wish, for example, to find all survey forms where the respondent said yes to one question and no to another. These operations can be done with difficulty in a spreadsheet but are exactly what databases are designed to achieve.