Draco provides a simple interface for accessing many tools common to econometric analysis. 

Data Analysis

Draco supports the following features:

• Full support of time series and cross-sectional panel data
  
• Ordinary, Two-stage, Weighted, Logit, and Nonlinear Least Squares regressions
• Simple access to least-squares options, including accounting for autocorrelation using the Cochran-Orcutt method
• Standard statistics of variables including mean,variances, etc.
• One-Factor Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
  
• Creation of new variables based on complex equations using the MESP mathematics engine

Data Presentation

Data is viewed in Draco in spreadsheet form by default, making all data presentable to the user.  Draco also provides powerful graphing abilities using the Openchart2 library.

Interoperability

Draco saves all documents in an SQLite database file that can be opened and modified by any SQLite-capable software.  Furthermore, Draco can save and load the OpenDocument spreadsheet format, compatible with the OpenOffice.org 2.0 productivity suite.  Draco also provides the following:

• Importing of text data, including time series, via a user-friendly interface
• Automatic date parsing from text files during import for the quick creation of time-series data
• Export to simple comma-delimited format, compatible with most any program
• Simple interoperability with the system's clipboard, including Paste with Interpolation, allowing for incoming data to be interpolated based on a selected variable.

Standard Engine

All mathematics are performed using the Linear Algebra Package (LAPACK), ensuring calculations are fast an accurate.  Draco makes use of the jLAPACK implementation, ensuring maximum program portability and consistency across platforms.

Plugins

Draco incorporates a powerful plugin system using JRuby, a pure-Java implementation of the Ruby language.  JRuby provides a standard environment to author custom regression and analysis plugins that integrate seamlessly with Draco.  Furthermore, JRuby offers the benefit of Just-in-Time compilation of plugin scripts, meaning plugins in Draco run nearly as fast as the pure-Java implementations.  Approximatrix has incorporated JLMatrix, an extension to JRuby that implements critical matrix functions using jLAPACK.

Portability

Draco runs on any system featuring an up-to-date Java implementation (Java 1.5 or higher).  Because Draco is pure Java, the software will run as-is on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, and a host of other platforms. 

Documentation

The program includes extensive help facilities through its online help system.

Open Source

Best of all, Draco is free software!  Licensed under the GNU General Public License, all source code to the program is available to the user.  The code can be examined by interested parties, modified, and redistributed without any payment to Approximatrix.  The open source nature of Draco allows users to understand and verify the algorithms used in computations, a benefit that proprietary programs cannot offer.