SPSS Server | Capabilities

Gain Better Processing throughout Your Entire Organization

Increase productivity

SPSS Server uses server-grade resources to perform data preparation and analysis faster than desktop resources can. It also removes the need to keep a copy of the data on the desktop, freeing local resources and network bandwidth, and allowing you to perform additional tasks while using these resources. Administrative controls in SPSS Server enable you to increase performance for high-priority users and also allocate server resources where they are needed most—rather than on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additional features unique to the server version of SPSS increase the tools available for preparing data and creating reports. These features enable you to:

Sort and aggregate data inside the database prior to its retrieval for analysis
Open multiple XML models created by SPSS, Clementine®, or AnswerTree® and score new data
Filter large amounts of irrelevant data to obtain only features relevant for modeling with the Predictor Selection algorithm
Predict classification of cases by treating each variable as independent and equal by using the Naïve Bayes algorithm
Reduce network traffic and improve performance with the data-free client feature. Your administrator can confine user-viewing rights to the data dictionary only, while allowing users to conduct all data preparation and analysis from the Data Editor. Users can view, manipulate, and deploy output through the Output Viewer.
Process large data preparation or analysis tasks when using the SPSS Batch Facility (SPSSB)

SPSSB (included with SPSS Server) also enables you to process repeated analytical jobs, especially when server use is low (such as overnight). The SPSS Batch Facility runs without requiring an active or connected client machine and can deliver output in text, HTML, and XML formats. It can also save data preparation work to the SPSS (SAV) file format.

Analyze massive data files faster

SPSS provides a scalable client/server version for your enterprise-wide analytical solution. By analyzing data on a server rather than your desktop, you can analyze massive datasets quickly. You can handle large data analysis problems easily because SPSS Server practically eliminates data size limitations. You also receive better performance because less temporary file space is needed when using procedures that change or add more data (such as recoding variables, saving regression residuals, or saving cluster memberships). SQL pushback enables SPSS Server to sort and aggregate data in the database prior to its retrieval. With this capability, you can take advantage of more scalable data preparation abilities at the DBMS level. To significantly speed up data preparation tasks, seamlessly connect to third-party multithreaded sorting applications. You can also gain greater speed in reading and writing large temporary files when you stripe these files over multiple disks.

To significantly speed up data preparation tasks, seamlessly connect to third-party multithreaded sorting applications. You can also gain greater speed in reading and writing large temporary files when you stripe these files over multiple disks.

Streamline and speed data access

With SPSS Server, data remain on the server and don’t need to be copied to the client machine or converted into an SPSS file. You dramatically reduce data handling processing times with conversion-free, copy-free data access from SQL databases when using the SPSS Data Access Pack (included with SPSS Server). Because data remain on the server, you increase the speed of your analysis and reduce network traffic. And, because you don’t have to convert data into SPSS format, you can save even more time.

Process repeated jobs in production mode

Use the SPSS Batch Facility (SPSSB), which is included with SPSS Server, to conduct lengthy data preparation and analysis tasks. This batch processing engine allows for unsupervised, unconnected processing of very large datasets. It’s ideally suited for when server use is low—such as overnight. SPSSB runs without requiring an active or connected client machine. It saves the data that result as SPSS (SAV) data files and produces analytic results in TXT, HTML, and XML formats.

Make better use of existing hardware

SPSS Server is a flexible product that enables you to create a solution customized to your organization’s unique environment. You can run SPSS Server on a wide variety of popular server platforms, which communicate seamlessly with the desktop version of SPSS (currently only possible in the Microsoft® Windows desktop version of SPSS) and enable your IT staff to use resources they may already have. By providing a native 64-bit analytical solution that directly contributes to increased productivity and improved decision making, 64-bit versions of SPSS Server will enable your organization to more easily realize a positive return from its 64-bit hardware investment.

Access your data remotely—even from outside a firewall

Do you or others need to access data outside of your company’s firewall? SPSS Server uses various portforwarding schemes so that remote analysts with permissions can securely tunnel through firewalls and access datasets. And because data are processed on the server, remote employees do not have to download entire datasets for processing—an important consideration for users with limited bandwidth. Network administrators can create a connection that uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption between the server and the client. This ensures that communication between the SPSS client and SPSS Server is unreadable by third parties if intercepted.