Introduction to Stata

Overview

• Speaker: Scott
• Agenda: Introduction to Stata interface, uploading datasets, and basic commands and functionalities.

Opening Stata

• When you open Stata, you'll see multiple windows:
  • Command Window: Where you enter commands
  • Review Window: Shows history of commands run
  • Variable Window: Displays variable names and labels
  • Properties Window: Displays properties of the selected variable

Uploading a Dataset

• Stata provides example datasets for practice
  • Example: auto dataset
  • Can be uploaded via File Menu or the command sysuse auto

Windows in Stata

• Command Window: Enter commands directly; past commands can be recalled and rerun.
• Review Window: Keeps a history of all commands run, useful for recalling commands.
• Variable Window: Displays variable names and their labels, which describe the variables.
• Properties Window: Shows detailed properties of the selected variable (type, format, etc.).

Data Formats

• Default file format: .dta (similar to .xls in Excel)
• Stata can also import other formats like .xls, .csv, etc.

Tabs Overview

• Data Tab: For data manipulation (sorting, editing, etc.)
• Graphics Tab: To create various graphs (e.g., two-way graphs)
• Statistics Tab: For statistical analysis (regressions, ANOVA, etc.)
• Help Tab: Extremely useful for beginners; help command provides syntax and examples

Writing Commands

• Commands can be written directly or generated by selecting options in the menus.
• Some functionalities are only accessible via written commands.
• Help Command: help followed by command name provides detailed information.
  • Example: help twoway for twoway graphs

Do File Editor

• Do File: Script file to save commands; useful for running multiple commands at once
• To run a Do File:
  • Write commands in the Do File Editor
  • Save and execute using Ctrl + D

Data Editor and Browser

• Data Editor: Allows direct editing of the dataset (not recommended for extensive edits)
• Data Browser: Allows viewing the dataset without the risk of accidental edits
  • Color codes: Numeric variables (black), strings (red), labeled integers (blue)

Variable Types

• Numeric: Can be integers, long, double, etc.
• String: Contain alphabets; no mathematical operations
• Labeled Integers: Numeric values with assigned labels (e.g., 0 = Domestic, 1 = Foreign)
  • Using tabulate command to show tables
  • Example: tabulate foreign, nolabel shows raw values (0, 1) instead of labels

Conclusion

• Overview of Stata's interface and basic functionalities
• Importance of help command for learning
• Usage of Do File Editor for script management

Thank you for watching!