Overview for Distribution Overview Plot (Right Censoring)

Use Distribution Overview Plot (Right Censoring) to examine reliability data with exact failures and/or right-censored observations on multiple plots of a single graph. These plots provide common ways of describing and assessing the distribution of failure-time data. When data are right-censored, failures are recorded only if they occur before a particular time. A unit surviving longer than that time is considered a right-censored observation. For more information, go to Data censoring.

Using the distribution overview plot, you can do the following:

Evaluate the fit of the selected distribution for each variable (or sample)
Estimate and view the reliability/survival and hazard functions for each variable (or sample) independently
Compare the results for all the variables (or samples) on each plot

When you create a distribution overview plot, you choose to display either a parametric overview plot (by selecting a distribution for your data), or a nonparametric overview plot. The parametric overview plot includes a probability plot for a selected distribution, a survival (or reliability) plot, a probability density function, and a hazard plot. For right-censored data, the nonparametric overview plot includes a Kaplan-Meier survival plot and a hazard plot or an actuarial survival plot and a hazard plot.

Where to find this analysis

To create a distribution overview plot for right-censored data, choose Stat > Reliability/Survival > Distribution Analysis (Right Censoring) > Distribution Overview Plot.

When to use an alternate analysis

If your data include either left-censored observations or interval-censored observations, or have a varied censoring scheme that includes exact failure times, right censoring, left censoring, and/or interval censoring, use Distribution Overview Plot (Arbitrary Censoring).
For a more comprehensive evaluation of right-censored, parametric data, including an analysis for multiple failure modes, use Parametric Distribution Analysis (Right Censoring)
For a more comprehensive evaluation of right-censored, nonparametric data, including an analysis for multiple failure modes, use Nonparametric Distribution Analysis (Right Censoring)