A Fortran Preprocessor for Statistical Data Analysis

Summary

Most software packages for statistical data analysis restrict the user’s flexibility in data handling, in program control, and in access to the computations within the program. If the package is implemented as a preprocessor which allows intermixing of the applications statements with the statements of a procedural language, however, the user can have both the ease of use and power of the applications package as well as the flexibility of the procedural language. A family of problem-solving computer systems, called PROTRAN, built around a preprocessor is described, with emphasis on the specific package for statistical data analysis, STAT/PROTRAN. Various considerations and techniques of the implementation of the preprocessor are discussed.