General

1. Do I need to update my version of FreeSight to the latest release?

You don’t HAVE to, but we strongly recommend updating to the latest release for many reasons, including:

• Every new FreeSight release or enhancement contains additional functions and features, usually developed at users’ requests. New releases allow you to take advantage of these.
• Whereas the latest version of FreeSight will open FreeSight files created by previous versions, the reverse does not hold true. Like many other applications, an older version of FreeSight will not open files created by a newer version.
• We may stop supporting a release that is over two years old – or, in order to address a Technical Support question for you we may require you to install the new release at that time.

2. How do I open a table?

To open a table from the Home Page View, double-click on the icon for the table, or select the table and press Enter.

You can also open any table at any time by clicking the “Go To Table…” button on the tool bar, at the top-left of the FreeSight Window.

3. How do I switch from a table back to the home page?

You can return to the Home Page View by clicking the “Home” button on the tool bar at the top of the FreeSight window.

4. How do I switch back and forth between two tables?

You can switch back and forth between the last two tables by clicking the “Previous Table” button on the tool bar at the top of the FreeSight window, or by pressing Ctrl+Tab.

5. How do I see commands available to me?

The most commonly used commands can be performed by clicking the buttons on the tool bar at the top of the FreeSight window. Other commands can be found by clicking with your right mouse button to display a pop-up menu of available commands.

At any time, virtually any command that is available to you can be found either in the tool bar, or in the mouse right-click menu, or both.

You can also perform commands using the main menu at the top of the FreeSight window.

6. Can I see a list of all commands available in FreeSight?

A list of all commands can be found in the FreeSight Help document. Press F1 to display the Table of Contents, and then click on “List of All Commands”.

7. What happens if FreeSight terminates unexpectedly, for example from a power outage?

As most computer users are aware, programs can sometimes close unexpectedly without giving you a chance to save your file. This can happen for a number of reasons such as: a power failure occurs; the operating system stops working; or the program itself stops working.

FreeSight has an Automatic Recovery feature which will automatically recover your work in such a situation.

If FreeSight terminates unexpectedly, and you have made changes to the data set, then the next time the FreeSight program is started, a window will appear asking if you want to recover your work. Click here for more information about this feature.

8. What if my data does not import correctly?

If you find that your data did not import correctly, FreeSight can often correct the problem without needing to import the original data again.

Click on the table with the right mouse button, and then select “Import Settings” from the pop-up menu. This will open a window which will allow you to view and change import settings, such as designating header rows for column names, specifying input text file formats etc.

FreeSight will reformat your data accordingly and will automatically recalculate any resulting changes to your data as needed.

Click here to learn more.

9. How do I add more data to my data table?

In the Home Page View, you can add or replace the data in an Import Table by dragging a file from a Windows folder with your mouse, and dropping it onto the icon for the table.

You can also copy data in another program into the Windows Clipboard. Then in FreeSight’s Home Page View, click the right mouse button onto the icon for the Import Table, and choose “Paste Data Values” from the pop-up menu.

For more information, click here.

10. How do I change the order of appended data that is not in the correct order?

You may have appended data in an Appended Table or an Import Table where the columns are not in the correct order. To fix this, click on the table with the right mouse button and choose “Column Append Order” from the pop-up menu.

Click here to learn more about changing the order for an Appended Table.

Click here to learn more about changing the order for an Import Table.

11. How do I select entire rows or columns?

You can select a row of data by clicking the left mouse button on the row number header at the left. When you place your mouse pointer over the row header, it changes to a right arrow to show that you will be selecting across a row of data.

Similarly, you can click on the column headers to select columns. When you place your mouse pointer over the column header, it changes to a down arrow to show that you will be selecting down columns of data.

12. How do I select an entire table?

To select the entire table in the Table View, click on the cell at the top left corner of your data. When you place your mouse pointer over this cell, it changes to a double arrow to show that you will be selecting all data both across and down.

To select an entire table in the Home Page View, simply click on the icon for the table.

13. How do I change values in cells?

In the Table View, you can change the value in a cell by simply selecting the cell and typing a new value.

If you change the value of any cell which is not manual, then this is considered a “correction”. This is indicated by a “red pencil” icon in the cell beside the corrected value. If you move the mouse pointer over the “red pencil” icon , a message will be displayed which shows the uncorrected value of the cell. You can remove a correction from a cell afterwards by using the “Remove Correction” command.

Click here for more information about changing values in cells.

14. Can I move rows or columns of data using my mouse?

Yes! Select the rows or columns you wish to move, and then place the mouse pointer directly over the dark border around the outside edge of the selected area:

Then click down with the left mouse button, drag the rows or columns to the desired location, and then release the mouse button.

If you hold the Ctrl key while dropping the cells, the data will be copied instead of moved.

If you drag cells using the right mouse button, then a pop-up menu is displayed when you drop the data. You can then choose whether you want to copy or move the data, or you can cancel.

15. Can I recover rows or columns of data which I deleted?

Rows and columns of data are retained even after they have been deleted. You can click the “Show Deleted Items” button on the tool bar to make deleted data visible again. Then click on the data you wish to recover with the right mouse button, and choose “Un-Delete Rows” or “Un-Delete Columns” from the pop-up menu.

16. How do I create a manual table?

To create a Manual Table, click the right mouse button into a blank area in FreeSight’s Home Page View. From the pop-up menu, choose “New Table” and then “Manual Table”. You can then open the Manual Table and type data into the cells directly. If you need to add rows or columns in a Manual Table, use the “Insert” command.

17. How do I create a copy of a table?

FreeSight provides three different ways to copy tables for different purposes:

• A Linked Copy Table contains a copy of the data in another table. If the data is changed in the original table, then the Linked Copy Table is automatically updated to match.
• A duplicate copy of a table is an exact replica of the copied table, with all the same incoming connections.
• You can copy table values, which creates a new Import Table containing exactly the same data values as the original table. The new table is not linked, so if you change the original table, the copy will not be affected.

Click here for more information about copying tables.

18. How do I export my tables and/or charts?

You can export tables and charts to PDF files or to Excel spreadsheet files using the “Export” command. Click here to learn more.

You can also export information from a table using the Windows Clipboard. To export data from a table, select the data you wish to export in the Table View, or select the icon for the table in the Home Page View. Then click on the selection with your right mouse button, and choose “Copy” from the pop-up menu which appears. This will place the selected data in the Windows Clipboard. You can then paste the data into another program using that program’s Paste command.

You can also export a chart image using the Windows Clipboard. In the Table View, click on the chart with your right mouse button, and then choose “Copy Chart To Clipboard” from the pop-up menu which appears. This will place the selected chart in the Windows Clipboard as an image. You can then paste the image into another program using that program’s Paste command.

19. Why were other tables deleted when I deleted one table?

When a table is deleted, this may result in other connected tables being deleted as well. For example, you may have a table which is a Linked Copy of another table. If you delete the original table, the Linked Copy Table will be deleted as well. Click here for more information.

20. Why did my table disappear when I deleted the connection arrow?

If you remove the connection arrow for a Copy Connection, a Reference Connection or an Analysis Connection, then the table which the arrow is connected to will be removed also. Click here for more information.

21. How do I add comments to an entire table, or row, column or data cell?

In the Home Page View, you can click on the icon for the table with your right mouse button, and then choose “Attach Comment” from the pop-up menu. Click here to learn more.

In the Table View, select a single row, column or cell, or select the entire table. Then click on the selected area with your right mouse button, and choose “Attach Comment” from the pop-up menu. Click here to learn more.

22. How do I enter a formula?

To enter a formula in FreeSight, you must first insert a manual column using the “Insert” command. Then type “=” followed by the formula into one of the cells in the column. The formula will automatically apply to all cells in the column. Click here to learn more.

23. How do I enter a formula to calculate % of a column of data?

You can easily create a column which provides the percent of total for another column. First, insert a manual column using the “Insert” command. Then type “=[column name] / TOTAL ( [column name] )” into one of the cells in the column, where “[column name]” is the name of the column for which you wish to calculate the percent of total.

Instead of typing the column name, you can also click into the column while entering the formula, and FreeSight will insert the column name for you automatically.

After you have entered the formula, click the “percent” button on the tool bar at the top of the FreeSight window. The formula and formatting will automatically apply to all cells in the column.

Click here to learn more about using formulas.

24. Where can I find all the functions available in FreeSight?

FreeSight provides many functions to use in your formulas.

A list of all available functions can be found in the FreeSight Help document. Press F1 to display the Table of Contents, and then click on “List of All Functions”.

From the Table View, you can also display the list of functions directly by clicking the “Functions” button on the tool bar at the top of the FreeSight window.

25. How can I trace data back to see where it came from?

Certain types of tables contain data which is brought forward automatically from another table. Sometimes, you may want to trace where some particular data comes from. You can do this by clicking on the data in the Table View with the right mouse button, and then choosing “View Source Data” from the popup menu. Click here to learn more.

26. How do I bookmark a row or column?

You can highlight specific rows and columns using “bookmarks”. When a row or column is bookmarked, it will be shown shaded in a selected color. You can use buttons on the tool bar at the top of the FreeSight window to jump directly to a bookmarked row or column.

You can set bookmarks by selecting one or more rows or columns, and then clicking your mouse on the “bookmark” button on the tool bar at the top of the FreeSight window. You can also jump to bookmarks using the bookmark navigation buttons on the tool bar.

Click here to learn more about using bookmarks.

27. How can I automatically fill data in a column?

You can use the “Fill Column” command to fill a manual column with data. Click here for more information.

28. What are Reference Tables and how can they help me?

A Reference Table takes repeated data from one table, and summarizes it into a separate lookup table. Reference Tables can be very helpful for cleaning up inconsistent data. Click here to learn more.

29. How do I use Reference Tables to correct values, and have the corrections flow through to other tables (like Analysis Tables)?

You can make corrections to a Reference Table, and then have these corrections automatically applied to other tables, so that they are also corrected.

Click here for helpful information about making corrections directly in a Reference Table.

Analysis

30. How do I save the Analysis Table I’m in?

To save the current analysis table, simply return to the Home Page View by clicking the Home button on the tool bar at the top of the FreeSight window. You will see the icon for your current analysis table “Analysis of …”. You can change the name by clicking with the right mouse onto the icon, and choosing “Rename” from the pop-up menu.

31. How do I start a new Analysis Table?

To start a new analysis table, select the table you want to analyze in the Home Page View, or open the table you want to analyze in the Table View. Then click on the “Analyze Table” icon on the tool bar at the top left. Choose “Create new analysis table” and click OK. This will create and open a new Analysis Table for you.

32. How do I change the dimensions in an autochart that I have selected?

Once you select an autochart you are brought into the Analysis Table for that chart. To then delete a column in the Analysis table, click on the column header to select it, and then click the “Delete” button on the tool bar at the top of the FreeSight window.

To add a column, click down on the column name in the list on the right side of table, and drag it into the left side or top of the Analysis Table.

Click here for more information about changing an Analysis Table.

33. How can I add or remove totals in an Analysis Table?

You can add or remove totals in an Analysis Table by clicking on the data with the right mouse button, and then selecting “Totals” from the pop-up menu. Click here to learn more.

34. What are the different things I can do with dates in my data?

FreeSight provides a number of special capabilities if you have data which contains dates:

• In any table, you can filter your data using ranges of dates, so that only rows containing dates in the desired range are visible. Click here to learn more.
• In an Analysis Table, you can group and summarize data into different time periods. Click here to learn more.
• In an Analysis Table, you can easily compare data side by side for different time periods. You can also easily calculate moving totals and averages, year-to-date totals, percent changes and much more. Click here to learn more.

35. What if my data is arranged across multiple columns?

Sometimes, you may have data which contains multiple columns with similar information, except for different time periods. For example, you may have 12 columns providing sales for each of 12 months.

FreeSight provides ways to easily analyze this type of data. Click here to learn more.

36. How do I correct values in an Analysis Table?

Click here for helpful information about making corrections directly in an Analysis Table.

37. What if I want to link data to a column in an Analysis Table?

You can link (join) data from another table to an Analysis Table. You can also link data from an Analysis Table to another table. Click here to learn more.

38. How do I analyze my data within certain value ranges?

You can analyze data by grouping and summarizing data into value ranges. Click here to learn more.

39. Can I summarize data already summarized in an Analysis Table?

Since an Analysis Table is a table like any other, it too can be analyzed by another Analysis Table. In some situations, this allows you to perform powerful analysis tasks which would not otherwise be possible. Click here to learn more.

40. Can I do a “full outer join” in FreeSight?

A “full outer join” is an advanced database operation which allows you to analyze data from multiple tables at the same time. Click here to learn more.

Charting

41. How do I change chart settings?

You can change aspects of the chart by clicking on the “Chart Type” button below the chart, or by double-clicking anywhere in the chart to display the “Chart Settings” window. Click here to learn more.

42. How can I chart only some of the data in my Analysis Table?

You can choose to chart only a subset of the data in an Analysis Table.

Select the desired data and click the “Chart Selected Data” button below the chart.

Click here for more information.

43. How can I chart only the top 10 or bottom 10 of the data in my Analysis Table?

You can easily chart only the top or bottom values in your data using the “Top/Bottom N” command. Click here for more information.

44. How can I chart my data without summarizing it?

Sometimes, you may want to chart “raw data” in a table without performing any summarization. Click here to learn how.