Debre Markos University

Burie Campus
Research and Community Technology Transfer Coordination
STATA Software Application Training for Staffs
Tadele A. (PhD Candidate)
Alebel B.
Belete A.
Nov, 2024
Burie, Ethiopia
12/21/2024
2 Outline
The training has three sessions
Session -1
 Introduction to STATA
 The Stata user interface
 Data entry on STATA
Session -2
 Data Management on STATA
Session -3
 Methods of Data Analysis
• Descriptive Data Analysis
• Econometrics/Inferential Data Analysis
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3 Objectives
 The objective of this training is to improve the ability of the
trainees/staffs to use Stata to generate descriptive statistics and tables
from survey data, as well as carry out preliminarily linear, non-linear
and panel data regression analysis.
 In particular, the training aims to train the participants in the following
methods:
 Basic file management such as opening, modifying, and saving files
 Advance file management such as merging, appending, and
aggregating files
 Documenting data files with variable labels and value labels
 Generating new variables using various functions and operations
 Using regression analysis to study the impact of various variables on
a dependent variable
 testing hypotheses using statistical methods
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5 Introduction to STATA
 It has got started in California, in the mid-1980s by William
Gould. It was written in the C programming language.
 Stata is a statistical package for managing, analyzing, and
graphing data.
 STATA is modern and general command driven package for
statistical analyses, data management and graphics.
 STATA provides commands to analyze panel data (cross-
sectional time series, longitudinal, repeated-measures, and
correlated data), cross sectional data, time-series data,
survival-time data, cohort study …
 STATA has internet capabilities (installing new features,
updating).
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12 What does Stata look like? Cont’d…
 The STATA window, when opened, looks like the following

Figure 1:The Stata Main Windows

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13 Cont’d…
STATA has five main windows. These are :

 Command Window: This window (at the bottom with a white

background) allows you to enter commands which will be executed as
soon as you press the “Enter” key.
 You can also use recent commands again by using the:

 Page Up key (to go to the previous command) and

 Page Down key (to go to the next command).

 If you click on a variable in the Variable window, it will appear in

the Command window.
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14 Cont’d…
 Results/Output window: The Results window contains
all the commands and their textual results you have
entered during the Stata session.

The Error messages are shown by Red color.

 You can clear out the Results window at any time by
right-clicking in the Results window and selecting Clear
results from the contextual menu.

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15 Cont’d…
 Review window: shows the history of all commands that have
been entered during one session.
• It displays successfully executed commands in black and
unsuccessful commands along with their error codes in red.

 Variables window: shows the list of variables in the

dataset.
 Variables Properties window: to edit/alter properties of the

12/21/2024 variables in memory .

16 Cont’d…
The STATA menu tab and the STATA Toolbar
 The top of the STATA window contains the STATA menu tab
and the STATA toolbar.
 The STATA Menu Tab contains the following menus
 File: is used to open files, save files, view files, import files
form excel, etc.
 Edit: is used to copy files, paste files, etc.
 Data: uses for data description, creating variables, sorting
data, merging data, manipulating matrices, making hand
calculation, changing order of variables, etc.
 Graphics: is used for plotting or drawing purposes such as
charts, scatter plot, lines, histogram, regression diagnostic
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plots, time series plots, etc.
17 Cont’d…
 Statistics: most of the tasks are done here including any
kind of regression such as OLS, Binary choice, time series,
cross sectional, panel data, estimating residuals, etc.
 User: used, for example, to make hypothesis testing,
disaggregating dada, etc.
 Window: used to manage files, edit data, view commands,
etc.
 Help: contains ample/rich information on econometric
models in general including syntax and keywords.

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18 Cont’d…
 The STATA Button or Toolbar This bar may be customized to
contain buttons such as:
 Open button:- this button is used to open saved STATA files (data,
previous output, do-file, etc).
 Save:- this button is used to save statas files (inserted data, STATA
outputs, etc.).
 Print:- this button is used to print STATA outputs (print a log or a graph)
 Log: this button is used to keep a record of the commands and output
during the STATA session.
 Graph:- this button is used to show data graphically
 do-file editor:- this button is used to create STATA do-files
 data editor:- this button is used to record data, or view data being used
 data browser: this button is used to browse data in memory.

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19 Cont’d…
Data entry
 Feeding or inserting Data in to STATA memory
 Method 1: To insert variable name directly
 Click data editor button double click before the first row.
This will pop-up the “generate-create new variable” dialog box shown
below.

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20 Cont’d…dispo_income
 Data is a collection of different pieces of row facts.
 Information : Data after analysis…….(Data + analysis)
 A variable is a characteristic or an attribute that can assume different values.
 Based on the values that a variable assumes, a variable is classified into two:
Qualitative and Quantitative.
 Qualitative/categorical variable: is a variable that does not assume numeric values.
 Quantitative variable: is a variable which assumes numeric values. These
variables are numeric in nature.
 select the variable type: you may choose float, etc.
 Height (1m, 1.5m, 2.6m,. . .)……float (decimal) = Continuous (quantitative)
 Family size (1, 2, 4, 7, . . .)…….int (integer) = Discrete (quantitative)
 Gender (male, female)……byte = Nominal/Binary (Qualitative)
 Blood type (A, B, AB, O)…..byte = Nominal/Multinomial(Qualitative)
 Grade (A, B, C, D, F).....byte = Ordinal/Multinomial(Qualitative)
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21 Cont’d…N
 Give variable name (E.g. consumption) from computer
keyboard correctly.
 Click submit, or ok buttons.
 To Insert values of a variable from computer keyboard
 Click on each cell under the variable name > enter the value
 Continue the process till all values are entered in the STATA
memory.
 Method 2: To copy data from spread sheet or excel
 Open the file > Select the data > right Click on selected data > Click
copy
 Open the STATA > Click the Data Editor tab > Click Paste > click the
variable names option form the dialog box displayed > Click Save
button.
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22 Cont’d…
 Method 3: Opening existing Stata files
 Click file menu >click Open >browse the location of the STATA file
 Click on the file > click open button
Or
 using Use command: use "D:\2017 Material\Training\Sample data.dta", clear
 Method 4: Entering data via the command window
 Type input in the command window.
 Following input type the sequence of variable names (eight letters or
less) separated by blanks.
Command “Input variable name”
 For missing data, enter a period for a numeric variable or blank for string variable
 When we finish entering the data, type end; that will complete the
data entry then save.
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23 Cont’d…
 Import STATA File
 Click the File tab > Click import button > select the data format (
xls, xlsx, cvs….etc.) > Select the location that the file
found(browse the file) > select file> import first row as variable
name > click ok
Or
 Use insheet command:
 insheet using "D:\2017 Material\Training\Disposable
income.xls“
 Export STATA File
 using GUI (Graphical User Interface)
 Click the File tab > Click export button,
 Select the location where to save the file
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 Give File name > Click ok.
24 Cont’d…
To Save a file in the STATA
 Method 1: using GUI (Graphical User Interface)
 Click the File tab > Click Save button, or Click the Save button from
STATA toolbar
 Select the location where to save the file
 Give File name > Click ok.
 Method 2:
 Copying STATA outputs to Microsoft word document
 Select the STATA output > Right click on the selected area
> Click copy text, or click copy table, or click copy as
picture.
 Paste to the Microsoft word document
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25 Cont’d…
 Saving STATA output in logs
 Save the output in log format ( editable in notepad)
 Click File > Log > Begin > Give file name >
 Select Log(*.Log) >
 Select the location where you want to Save the file > Click
Save.
 Save the output In smcl format (not editable in notepad)
 Click File > Log > Begin > give the name for your file
 Select formatted Log(*.smcl)
 Select the location where you want to Save > Click Save.
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26 Cont’d…
To edit the data in memory
 Method 1: Using the Edit command:
 Type edit > press enter
 Edit the values to be altered
 Method 2: Using GUI
 Click on the data editor button > double click the data you
want to edit > type the correct value from computer
keyboard > Click Save button.

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27 Cont’d…
To edit/rename variable, Label, type and format
 Method 1:
 Click Data from STATA menu tab > Click Variables manager This will pop the
following variables manager dialog box up.

 Click on the variable you want to change > type the new name using
12/21/2024 computer keyboard.
28 Cont’d…
 Method 2:
 Click on the variable name on the variable window

 Edit the values you wand in the variable properties window

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29 Cont’d…
 Method 3: use rename command
 Rename abc ABC // this changes the name of the variable from abc to
ABC
To remove/delete the variables and observations in memory
 Using the Clear command : - uses to delete all variables in memory
 Type clear > press enter
 Using the drop command: uses to drop selected variables and
observations in memory:
 drop varname1 varname2 :- drops variables varname1 and varname2
 drop in 2:-drops the second observation
 drop in 3/8 :- drops observations 3 through 8
 drop if x>100:- Drops observations of variable x whose value is
greater than 100:
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30 Cont’d…
 Using the do-file editor Use:- to reproduce your work later
without having to retype each of the commands Click on the
Do-file Editor button to open the Do-file Editor. Then enter the
commands that you wish to submit to STATA.

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