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SPSS Modeler seems like a great tool for data mining (especially for prediction etc.) but it is extremely costly for individuals like me (around 20,000 euros excl. tax). There is also a video.

I am wondering if software as expensive as this really adds value. If it does, my university may consider purchasing it.

What seems unique with this software is that it allows you to do advanced computations without having the programming and statistical knowledge required for languages such as R.

What are your experiences with SPSS Modeler? How does it compare with other GUI based statistical software?

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Tom, (only) Mods can turn post into CW. The simplest solution is to flag your post for mod attention so that we get notified. – chl♦ Jan 8 '12 at 12:00
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I love the comment "it allows you to do advanced computations without having the... knowledge required...". This is, in fact, the primary competitive advantage of SPSS products, and reflects its market strategy; in exchange for this you pay a hefty price, as you note. However, being able to run advanced analyses without the required understanding does not bode well for the quality of the resulting findings. Although R requires a steep, up-front learning curve, it will benefit you in the long run. In addition, there are plenty of tutorials and learning materials available, and it's free. – gung Jan 8 '12 at 19:33
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That's true. SPSS is much more user friendly than R; you can run many analyses quickly and easily with its point and click interface. That can be nice sometimes, but is it worth the money? I think in the long run it's worth your time to learn R. – gung Jan 9 '12 at 15:12
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I agree with gung. As a manager, I would rather spend the 20,000 euros on training staff in R and a better understanding of statistics. Any glib, menu-driven data mining is highly prone to giving misleading results. – Peter Ellis Jan 10 '12 at 19:57
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From a recent Rexer survey: "IBM SPSS Modeler (SPSS Clementine), Statistica, and IBM SPSS Statistics (SPSS Statistics) are identified as the primary tools used by the most data miners. Open source tools Weka and R and are increasingly used by large numbers of both academic and for-profit data miners. Users of IBM SPSS Modeler, Statistica, and Rapid Miner are the most satisfied with their software. SAS Enterprise Miner dropped in data miner’s tool rankings this year. Information on obtaining a free copy of the report is available at RexerAnalytics.com." – rolando2 Jan 12 '12 at 1:50
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