Frequently Asked Questions

Statistico™ is an interactive statistical computing platform inside Excel — delivered as an Office Add-in from the Excel ribbon. It is built for analysts, data scientists, researchers, students, and business professionals who need rigorous statistics without leaving their spreadsheet workflow.

The platform ships in three components — together called the Statistico™ Platform:

• Statistico Analytics Suite — full exploratory and inferential analysis across univariate, correlation, group comparisons, regression, dimensionality reduction, and clustering. Organised into modules, each containing multiple analytical views.
• Statistico Calculators Hub — standalone interactive calculators for probability distributions, power and sample sizes, call center staffing (Erlang and simulation), and more.
• Statistico Specialized Tools — reporting, multivariable visualisation, data manipulation, Pareto analysis, and Excel-to-Office delivery.

The primary route is through the Microsoft AppSource marketplace inside Excel:

• Open Excel → Insert tab → Get Add-ins → search "Statistico™" → click Add.
• The taskpane opens immediately in your ribbon — no restart required.

Enterprise teams can deploy centrally via Microsoft 365 Admin Center. Evaluators and developers can sideload the manifest file directly in Excel for testing.

No account is required for the free tier. You install the add-in and start working immediately. A license key is only needed to unlock premium features such as AI Insights, advanced export formats, and expanded module access. License keys are managed per-user and stored locally — no login or cloud account is required.

Think of them as the three components of the Statistico™ Platform:

• Analytics Suite — the interactive analysis environment. Organised into modules, each containing multiple views (charts, tests, models) that open as dialog windows driven by your selected Excel data.
• Calculators Hub — standalone browser-based tools that run independently of Excel data. Great for quick calculations, power analysis, or study.
• Specialized Tools — workflow tools for reporting, multivariable visualisation, data manipulation, prioritization, and Excel-to-Office delivery. Calculators remain a separate product.

The Statistico™ taskpane offers three data selection methods, accessible from the data input controls at the top of the taskpane:

• Selection — highlight any cells in your worksheet and click Send. The selected range is passed directly to the active analysis module. Best for ad-hoc, one-off exploration.
• Used Range — Statistico™ detects the full extent of populated cells on the active sheet automatically, without requiring a manual selection. Useful when your data fills the sheet predictably and you want a fast one-click input.
• Named Range — type or pick any named range defined in your workbook. Ideal for structured workbooks where data areas are already labelled (e.g. Sales_Q1, SurveyData). Named ranges also pair naturally with Save Configuration, since the range name is stored in the config and resolves to the correct data even if cells shift.
  
  Named ranges can also be dynamic, so new records are picked up automatically on the next run:
  • Excel Table (recommended) — convert your range to a Table (Insert → Table). The table name (e.g. Table1) expands automatically as rows are added; just reference that name in Statistico™.
  • Formula-based name — define the named range with an OFFSET or INDEX formula (e.g. =OFFSET(Sheet1!$A$1,0,0,COUNTA(Sheet1!$A:$A),1)) and it will resolve to the current populated extent each time.
  Because Statistico™ resolves the named range at analysis time (not at config-save time), a growing dataset is reflected automatically — no changes to the configuration needed.

All three methods feed the same analysis pipeline — the choice is purely about how your workbook is organised and your preferred workflow.

Yes. The Statistico™ Add-in is an Office.js add-in, which means it runs on any platform that supports Excel with add-ins: Windows, macOS, and Excel Online (browser). The experience is identical across platforms because the analysis UI runs in a WebView inside Excel rather than as a native OS application.

The Calculators Hub is fully browser-based and works on any modern device.

Statistico™ is built by Metrics Institute, a boutique consulting agency with more than 30 years of hands-on experience helping organisations embed quantitative thinking in real decisions.

Our work has always focused on practical operational problems, not abstract theory. Across industries, we designed and implemented measurement systems that teams actually use — employee surveys and behavioral measurement frameworks, KPI systems for mission-critical processes, executive dashboards, ranking and scoring systems, and large-scale analysis pipelines.

Our journey started with deep roots in the major statistical platforms that shaped the field — SAS, SPSS, and Minitab. Those tools were transformative. But over time, the gap became clear: while many software domains embraced interactivity and live feedback, statistical workflows remained static, rigid, and menu-heavy.

• Analysis required multiple disconnected steps.
• Results were often detached from interpretation.
• Exploration was limited rather than encouraged.
• Learning stayed steep and unintuitive.

We asked a simple question: what would statistical computing look like if it were designed today — for analysts, decision-makers, and learners, not for legacy workflow constraints?

Modern web interfaces, real-time rendering, Excel integration, and AI created the opportunity to rethink the user experience from the ground up. Statistico™ was built around six principles:

1. Result-First Thinking — immediate interpretable output with context and meaning, not menu depth.
2. Interactive Exploration — live controls and dynamic parameter updates so you see the impact instantly.
3. Seamless Integration — a natural workflow inside the familiar Excel environment.
4. Visual Intelligence — charts as analytical instruments that guide interpretation, not just illustrations.
5. AI-Augmented Insight — AI support to interpret results and suggest next steps without replacing expertise.
6. Learning Through Interaction — a platform where doing becomes understanding, for experts and new users alike.

We believe statistical computing is entering a new era: interactive, clear, rigorous, and intelligence-enabled.

• Interaction replaces static workflows.
• Insight replaces output overload.
• Accessibility coexists with methodological rigor.
• Intelligence is embedded directly in the analytical experience.

Metrics Institute continues advising organisations on quantitative strategy, developing advanced analytical frameworks, and building tools that redefine how statistics is used. With Statistico™, we bring our consulting DNA into a platform and place that way of thinking directly in users' hands.

The Statistico Analytics Suite is organised into seven analytical areas, each as a module containing multiple interactive views:

• Explore Data
  • Univariate module — ten views: Histogram, Box Plot, CDF, Percentiles, Kernel Density, Outliers, Normality Tests, PP/QQ Plots, Confidence Intervals, Hypothesis Testing.
  • Correlation module — correlation matrix, partial correlations, network graph, and a reliability coefficients view.
  • Frequency & Contingency Tables — two-way association, chi-square, Cramer's V, residuals, and 2×2 odds/risk measures.
• Analyze Groups — one-way and multi-way ANOVA module; mixed designs module.
• Compare Means — independent samples module (t-test / k-group); paired and repeated measures module.
• Model Relationships — multiple linear regression module; binary logistic regression module.
• Reduce Dimensions — Factor Analysis module; Principal Component Analysis (PCA) module; Scale Reliability module (Cronbach's α, McDonald's ω, item diagnostics).
• Find Segments — K-Means and Hierarchical clustering modules.
• Synthesize — Meta-Analysis module for pooling study-level effect sizes with forest plots, heterogeneity, and publication-bias checks.

Every module opens as a live interactive dialog with adjustable parameters, real-time chart updates, and a descriptive statistics panel. Use the module's sidebar to navigate between its views instantly.

Select the column (or columns) you want to analyse in Excel, then click the relevant module in the Statistico™ taskpane. The add-in reads the selected range, strips headers and non-numeric rows, and passes the clean data to the module's first view automatically. You can update the selection and re-send at any time using the Refresh button in the taskpane.

Yes. The sidebar navigation in each module lets you switch between all its views seamlessly. The data is persisted in localStorage during the session, so within the Univariate module, switching from Histogram to Box Plot to Normality Tests happens instantly without re-selecting your Excel range.

Export Report produces a fully self-contained .html file that embeds rich snapshots of every analysis view you select. Each section captures the chart exactly as rendered — with your data, descriptive statistics, and current control settings — inside its own iframe.

• No Excel or Statistico™ required to open the file — any browser works.
• Available across all analytics modules — univariate, correlation, group tests, regression, and more.
• Controls (sliders, dropdowns, buttons) are visually frozen and functionally disabled, making it a clean, presentation-ready artefact.
• The report includes a table of contents and the variable name with a generation timestamp.
• Share it by email, attach it to a deliverable, or archive it — the file is entirely portable.

The button is labelled Export Report in the sidebar utilities panel and in the header toolbar.

Save Configuration (the Model button in the header toolbar) saves the settings from the module's configuration dialog — variable mappings, method selections, threshold values — together with the Excel range address used for the analysis.

Re-open the saved config at any time to re-run the exact same analysis on the same range. If the data in that range has been updated since the config was saved, the analysis will reflect the latest values automatically.

Typical use cases:

• Data refreshes — your source range is updated weekly; load the config and re-run without touching any settings.
• Peer review — share the config file so colleagues run the same analysis on the same range.
• Resuming work — close Excel, reopen later, load the config and the analysis is ready instantly.

Available in modules that expose a configuration dialog. Check the header toolbar for the Model button.

View Data opens an overlay table that shows the exact values feeding the current analysis. It has two modes:

• Used observations — only the rows that passed filtering (non-blank, numeric, within the selected data range). This is what the charts reflect.
• All observations — the full original column including any excluded rows, with their status indicated.

This is especially useful for data quality checks — confirming that outliers were correctly identified, that missing values were handled as expected, or that a range slider exclusion is behaving correctly. The table shows the variable name, row count, and every individual value.

Click View Data again to dismiss the overlay and return to the analysis.

Performance depends on the host device and browser engine. In practice:

• Up to ~10,000 rows — instant rendering, no perceptible delay.
• 10,000–100,000 rows — chart rendering may take 1–3 seconds; all calculations complete normally.
• 100,000+ rows — possible lag on lower-spec machines; consider filtering or sampling in Excel before passing to the add-in.

The Statistico Calculators Hub is organised into five calculator families:

• Statistical Distributions — 12+ tools covering Normal, t, F, Chi-Square, Binomial, Poisson, Geometric, Hypergeometric, Beta, Uniform, Exponential, Lognormal, and Weibull. Interactive probability and quantile charts update in real time.
• Power & Sample Size — Forward planning (effect size → sample size), reverse planning (sample size → power), and advanced scenario/sensitivity workflows for study design.
• Call Center Staffing — Erlang C-based capacity planning, service level and average speed of answer modelling, and simulation-led what-if analysis for SLA trade-offs.
• Quality Control — Control chart and variation tracking, process capability and sigma-level evaluations, and acceptance/quality decision support.
• Effect Size Converter — Translate among Cohen's d, r, odds ratio, and related metrics to standardize reporting across studies and analyses.

No. The Statistico Calculators Hub is a fully browser-based web application and can be used independently at statistico.live. It is also accessible directly from within the Excel taskpane. No Excel data is needed — you enter parameters directly.

Chart images can be saved directly using the chart context menu (right-click → Download). Individual calculator results can be copied from the screen. A dedicated export/download feature for full result summaries is on the roadmap.

Statistico Specialized Tools is the third product in the Statistico™ Platform. It provides focused workflow tools for reporting, visualization, data preparation, and operational delivery — while Calculators stay a separate product for parameter-driven planning.

Unlike the Analytics Suite (which is data-in, insight-out) or the Calculators Hub (parameter-in, result-out), Specialized Tools are designed around complete end-to-end workflows — from selected Excel data to formatted, shareable output.

Specialized Tools currently include:

• Publication Tables — journal-ready Table 1 and group-comparison tables.
• Pareto Analysis — 80/20 vital-few prioritization on your selected Excel range.
• Multivariable Visualisation — interactive bubble, quadrant, and 3D scatter charts.
• Data Manipulation — recode, compute, filter, and reshape while keeping the original worksheet intact.
• EzPaste — batch-export Excel charts and ranges to PowerPoint, Word, PDF, and HTML.

Meta-analysis now lives in the Analytics Suite under the Synthesize family.

AI Insights provides context-aware statistical interpretation generated by a large language model. It operates at two levels:

• Per-View Explanation — the Explain [View] button on each analysis page describes what the current chart shows, what the sliders and controls do, and gives a concise interpretation of the results for your specific data.
• Full Analysis — the Full Analysis AI button in the sidebar sweeps all nine univariate views, collects their results, and synthesises a comprehensive statistical report covering distribution shape, normality, outliers, confidence, and recommended next steps.

Responses are structured into Conclusion → Evidence → Interpretation → Implications → Action sections for consistency and clarity.

AI Insights is powered by Groq's inference API running openai/gpt-oss-20b by default, with openai/gpt-oss-120b as a quality fallback. Requests are routed through a Statistico™ Cloudflare Worker that validates your license key before forwarding to Groq, so your API credentials are never exposed in the browser.

Only summary statistics and chart metadata — never raw row-level data. The AI prompt contains aggregated values such as mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis, percentiles, normality test statistics, and outlier counts. Your individual data points remain entirely on your device.

AI Insights is a premium feature included in paid plans. A valid license key must be entered in the add-in settings to activate it. During the public beta period some functionality may be available in evaluation mode — check the current pricing page for the latest details.

No. All data processing happens locally in your browser (inside the Office WebView2 engine). Your spreadsheet data is read by the add-in, passed to the analysis view via the Office.js dialog API, and stored temporarily in localStorage for the duration of your session. It is never transmitted to any Statistico™ server.

The only network requests the add-in makes are: (1) loading static JavaScript and CSS assets from GitHub Pages, and (2) optional AI Insights prompts that contain only summarised statistics — never row-level data.

When you request an AI interpretation, the add-in sends a structured prompt containing:

• The variable name
• Descriptive statistics (n, mean, median, std dev, skewness, kurtosis, quartiles, min/max)
• Test statistics and p-values from normality or hypothesis tests
• Outlier count and boundary values

No individual data values, no file names, no user information, and no Excel metadata are included. The request is routed through a Statistico™ Cloudflare Worker (for license validation) and then to the Groq API. See our Privacy Policy for the full data flow.

Because raw data never leaves the device, Statistico™ is well-suited for environments with strict data governance policies. For organisations that also want to use AI Insights with sensitive data, we recommend disabling the AI features or using an on-premises AI proxy. Please contact us for enterprise deployment guidance.

Session data stored in localStorage persists until the Excel add-in's WebView2 context is cleared (typically when the add-in is closed or reloaded). It is scoped to the add-in's origin and is not accessible by other websites or applications. You can manually clear it from the add-in settings page at any time.

The Statistico Analytics Suite, the full Statistico Calculators Hub, and the standard export features are available on the free tier. Premium features — including AI Insights, advanced export formats, and expanded module access — require a paid subscription or a per-user license key.

A 30-day free trial of the premium tier is available without a credit card.

After purchasing a plan, you receive a unique license key. Enter it once in the add-in's settings panel (the key icon in the top-right of the taskpane). The key is stored locally in localStorage and validated against the Statistico™ Cloudflare Worker on each premium request. Keys are per-user and non-transferable.

Yes. Team and site licenses are available for 5+ users. These include centralised key management, volume pricing, and priority support. Contact us with your team size and requirements for a custom quote.

Your account reverts to the free tier automatically. All data and settings are preserved. Premium features (AI Insights, etc.) will show a prompt to renew. No data is deleted and no action is required on your part if you choose not to renew.

Statistico™ requires an Office.js-capable Excel environment:

• Excel for Windows — Microsoft 365 (recommended), Office 2019, Office 2021.
• Excel for Mac — Microsoft 365, Office 2019+.
• Excel Online (browser) — fully supported via any modern browser.
• Excel on iPad/mobile — add-in taskpanes are supported on Excel for iPad (limited features).

Older perpetual Office versions (2016 and earlier) that pre-date the modern Office.js API are not supported.

The most common causes and fixes:

• Firewall / proxy blocking — Statistico™ loads assets from GitHub Pages (avibenita.github.io). Ensure this domain is whitelisted.
• Stale WebView2 cache — Close Excel completely, reopen, and try again.
• Outdated Office — Update Excel via File → Account → Update Options.
• Internet Explorer mode — Older Windows installs may use IE-based WebView. Updating Office to a modern channel switches to WebView2, which is required.

If the problem persists, open the add-in and check the browser developer console (F12) for error messages, then contact support with those details.

Partial offline use is possible if the add-in assets are already cached by the browser. However, the first load always requires an internet connection to fetch the latest JavaScript and CSS. AI Insights and license validation always require a live connection. For fully offline environments, please contact us about an on-premises deployment option.

Statistico™ is built on open web standards with no heavy framework dependencies:

• Office.js — Microsoft's add-in API for Excel integration.
• Highcharts — for interactive statistical charts.
• jStat — JavaScript statistical library for distribution and test calculations.
• Groq API + Cloudflare Workers — for AI Insights inference and license validation.
• GitHub Pages — static asset hosting (HTML, CSS, JS).

No React, Angular, or Vue. The codebase is intentionally lean to ensure fast load times inside the Office WebView2 container.

Use the Contact page to submit bug reports or feature requests. When reporting a bug, please include:

• Your Office version (File → Account → About Excel)
• Operating system and version
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• Any error messages from the browser console (F12)

Feature requests are reviewed monthly and prioritised based on user demand.