Welcome to our guide on creating your first regression model using SmartPLS! In this tutorial, we will guide you through the following steps:

1. Selecting a SmartPLS workspace folder
2. Creating a new project and importing a dataset

Throughout the tutorial, we will be using SmartPLS to perform a regression analysis and visualize the results. Make sure you have downloaded and installed the software before beginning. Let's get started!

Selecting a SmartPLS workspace folder

When you open SmartPLS for the first time, you will be prompted to Select a Workspace folder. This folder serves as the default location for storing all of your SmartPLS projects.

It's important to choose a Workspace folder that is easily accessible to you, as you will need to access it anytime you want to work on a SmartPLS project. The Workspace folder can be located on your local hard drive, or it can be a folder on a cloud drive (such as Google Drive or Dropbox). This can be useful if you want to access your projects from multiple devices or locations.

Basic UI navigation concepts

The SmartPLS 4 screen is divided into two main sections.

Menu and toolbar

The Main menu and the Main toolbar are designed to make it easy to access the most important functions.

Working area

The Working area splits into a Navigation area on the left and a Detail area on the right and is designed to navigate and understand your projects, data, model, and results. This section can take on several different forms depending on the current context, including:

1. Project View: shows your projects and files on the left, and useful information and links to import sample projects on the right
2. Data View: shows a navigation on the left, and information about the data file on the right
3. Modeling View: displays indicators on the left, and tools to modify the model and review results on the right
4. Report View: shows a report navigation on the left, and results on the right
5. Report Comparison View: allowing for simultaneous display of two different reports

Create your first project

To create a new project in SmartPLS, follow these steps:

1. From the Main menu, select Files and then New project. Alternatively, you can click the New project button in the toolbar.
2. A dialog box will open, allowing you to name your new project. Choose a descriptive and meaningful name, such as My first regression analysis.
3. Click Create. The new project will now appear in the Workspace explorer on the left.

Import a dataset

To import your first dataset:

1. Download the corporate_reputation_data.csv file
2. Select your project in the Project list.
3. Run Files > Import Data File from the Main menu.
4. Navigate to your Downloads folder and select the corporate_reputation_data.csv file
5. The following dialog will open

Identify missing values

If your raw dataset contains missing values that are identified by a specific value (e.g., -99 or -9999), you need to specify this in the Missing value treatment section. Enter the value that represents missing data in the provided text field and click on the Apply marker button. The Missing value treatment section will then also display the total number of missing values in your dataset.

Check scale settings

It is essential to verify that the scales of your variables are accurately set (Metric, Ordinal, Categorical, or Binary), and to check the minimum and maximum values. If the minimum value of your scale is 1 and there are no observations at that level, you must adjust the minimum accordingly. In the given example, variables attr_global, perf_global, and qual_global are showing an initial minimum value of 2, therefore they need to be corrected to a min value of 1 in the 'Min' column.

Finish the import

Once you have completed making any necessary adjustments, click on the Import button. The Data view will open, where you can double-check if your file was imported correctly and all indicators are properly configured. If any further modifications are needed, you can reopen the setup dialog by using the Setup button located on the Main toolbar.

Use the Back button in the Main toolbar to navigate back to your project list.

What’s next?

Congratulations! You are now ready to dive into modeling and calculating your first models in SmartPLS. To get started, we recommend checking out our step-by-step guides for creating your first:

• PLS path model
• Linear regression model

We hope you find these resources helpful as you make progress with SmartPLS. Best of luck on your modeling journey!