Hi All,
I have a note field that I'm trying to determine a cut off length to display.
I have some numbers
Note Length and # of Notes with that length
How do I come up with a good average? Do I need more information?
Thanks, rod.
+1
A:
Two thoughts:
- If the maximum length isn't too bad, just use maximum.
- If you're going to do the average, you might want to eliminate the items that are one or two standard deviations out. A couple really long (or really short) notes can really skew your average.
Robaticus
2010-06-24 13:36:17
A:
The Average (Arithmetic Mean) would be (Note Length * # Notes with length) / Total # notes of all lengths
Cade Roux
2010-06-24 13:37:04
+2
A:
Are you trying to do this dynamically? Usually these kinds of decisions are driven more by UI/usability concerns, than average length of data.
E.g., for a note preview in a tooltip or table, I might choose to use a max of 50 characters, even though a note might be as big as 4,000 characters.
RedFilter
2010-06-24 13:37:18
If you're focusing on "...a cut off length to display", then I would focus on what you *can* display (or call it "can fit into your display"), not what you *have* to display.
Philip Kelley
2010-06-24 13:42:25
+1
A:
I wouldn't use an average, I would do a distribution graph first and find out the distribution of values..and then adjust the percentage cut-off to whatever goals you are trying to accomplish.
An average can be really skewed by a few outlying lengths. You may find out, for example, that 95% of your notes are under xxx length, and if you can live with xxx, then 95% of your notes will be fully displayed.
EJB
2010-06-24 13:37:58