“A group of four members of our lab arranged to meet with C.P Yang for four hours to discuss transitioning from Origin version 7.5 to Origin8. We came in with a list of problems we were having making Origin 8 work the way we had become accustomed to working in 7.5 and a number of questions about new features in Origin 8. By the end of the session we had answers to all of our questions, and even more that we didn't even know we had when he arrived! In the process C.P. helped us write individualized code to perform analyses specific to the kind of data we deal with on a daily basis. When he could not adequately address a problem easily on the spot, he offered to develop a solution and send it to us. Each was subsequently sent to us. For example, we often compile data from a number of experiments, i.e. need to combine similar data (worksheets). A nifty script, columns to worksheets, which had been developed in 7.5 did not work well in 8. Not only did CP help us get it functional, but he improved it to account for worksheets in which all the rows did not have the same x values. Wonderful.
In our particular case some questions arose because we were unfamiliar with some of the changes implemented in the version upgrade. In these cases C.P. patiently led our group through a step by step tutorial. For example, during the session we learned how to take full advantage of the expanded fitting capabilities of the new version, allowing for multiple simultaneous fitting of larger parallel data sets; how to utilize the new naming paradigms in order to be able to write code for ourselves in the future; and how to manipulate layouts with multiple graph layers. Over the course of the session we raised a number of questions specific to the types of tasks we need the software to perform on a daily basis which were invariably taken seriously and addressed fully. In the end we came away satisfied not only with what was accomplished during the session, but also having further developed a personal relationship with someone at the company who was now familiar with our data analysis needs. Some of our suggestions were even included in SR5, so that Origin 8 is even easier to use.
Some advice for others looking for similar support would be to not only have a list of problems and questions ready in advance, but to also create some example data files that are ready to be worked with. Also, we found that it would have been helpful to have had a projector or some other way of allowing for multiple people to easily view the facilitator's screen in real-time. Overall we had a very positive experience working with C.P. and were able to immediately implement multiple solutions developed during the session in order to start using Origin8 more comfortably.
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Dorothy A (Dottie) Hanck, Professor - Dept. of Medicine University of Chicago
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