Library Guides: Data Analysis with Stata: FAQs

Where can I use Stata on campus? Can I install it on my own computer?

Stata is installed in all ND computer clusters. Faculty/staff may install ND's Stata license from OIT's website but only onto ND-owned computers. To get Stata onto your personal computer, there is no other option but to buy a personal license (students get discounted pricing).

What other online resources do you recommend?

UCLA ATS (highly recommended)
U Wisconsin SSCC
statalist.org

How do I use Stata as a calculator? Say I want to calculate 1234*5678.

display 1234*5678

How do I create 10 empty rows to fill in?

set obs 10

How do I sort observations in ascending or descending order?

sort, gsort

How do I reorder variables/columns?

order var1 var2 var3
where var1, var2 and var3 are the variables to be ordered from left to right.

How do I get a list of all variables and their attributes?

describe
To view the attributes of particular variables, e.g. var1 and var2: describe var1 var2

How do I quickly find a variable in my dataset?

lookfor

What's Stata's default character for missing values?

For numeric variables, the default character for missing values is ., a period. For string variables, the default character for missing values is "", a blank. For more information, refer to this help page.

My code generates so much output that it pauses until I click on "more" in the results window. How do I turn off this annoying feature?

set more off

Data Analysis with Stata

Business Librarian

Frequently Asked Questions