READING EQUINOX FILES INTO STATA

READING EQUINOX FILES INTO STATA
Statistical data files can be downloaded from Equinox in a number of different formats. This guide
refers specifically to files downloaded in Stata format, and provides instructions using Stata 10.1,
although the processes are likely very similar in other versions of the software.
When a user downloads a Stata file from Equinox and extracts the compressed directory, three
files should be present: a *.dat file containing the actual data; a *.do file that holds a program to
be run within Stata software; and a *.html file that displays the search parameters in Equinox as
they were entered by the user.
Figure 1: Extracted data files downloaded from Equinox
The following instructions outline the process required to read the *.do file into Stata so that the
user may subsequently start using the data within the application.
Step 1
Open the Stata software program
When you first open the program, you will see a number of windows: The Command window is
where you will be typing in commands to be executed; the Results window displays the results of
each command; the Review window provides a history of the commands that have been entered
in the current session; and the Variables window will list all variables within the data set once it
has been read into the program.
Figure 2: Stata software – initial screen upon load
Maps, Data and Government Information Centre
Trent University Library
12/2011
Software: Stata 10.1
1
Step 2
Increase memory allocation
Stata allocates a specific amount of memory to data. In cases of larger data sets, this default
value often isn't enough to read the entire data file. To increase the memory allocation, type the
following command exactly as shown below into the Command window and press Enter:
set mem 100m
The Results window should read as shown in Figure 3 below. This increases the memory allocation
to 100 MB, or 102400 KB.
Figure 3: Stata Results window after increasing memory allocation
Step 4
Edit DO File from Equinox
The compressed directory downloaded from Equinox included a file with the *.do extension. This
is essentially a code file that must be run in Stata before the data can be loaded and saved to
Stata format. To do this, click the 'Window' menu and select 'Do-file Editor > New Do File'.
Figure 4: Opening the Do-File Editor from the Window menu in Stata
In the Do-File Editor, click 'File > Open' and browse to the location of your *.do file. Highlight the
file and click 'Open'. The Do file should appear in the Do-File Editor window.
Figure 5: A Do-file showing in Stata's Do-File Editor
Maps, Data and Government Information Centre
Trent University Library
12/2011
Software: Stata 10.1
2
You will be editing two lines within the file. The first line to edit is close to the top of the page, and
will be the only line without a * in front of the text. The original line will read as follows:
insheet using [path]\ftp44039.dat
Change [path] to the full directory listing of the location of your Do file. For example, if your files
are stored on the D drive in a folder called 'Workspace' and a subfolder called 'Stata', then the line
should read as follows:
insheet using D:\Workspace\Stata\ftp44039.dat
Now scroll down to the last line in the file. This line will read:
save [path\filename]
Change this to the full directory listing of the location where you wish to save the new Stata file.
We recommend saving the file to the same location as the originals, so to do this the line should
read as shown below:
save C:\Workspace\Stata\ftp44039
There is no need to specify a file extension; the file will be saved as a Stata file with the *.dta
extension.
Click the 'Save' icon in the Do-file Editor and then click 'Run' (shown below). When the process is
complete, the Variables window should list all of the variables that exist within your data files.
Close the Do-File Editor.
Figure 6: Save and Run icons in the Do-File Editor
If you wish, check the directory to ensure that the new Stata file has been created. You should
see your original files plus a new file with the name you've provided and a *.dta extension.
Figure 7: Directory showing original files and new Stata file with the .dta extension
Maps, Data and Government Information Centre
Trent University Library
12/2011
Software: Stata 10.1
3
Step 6
Load the data file to Stata
Select 'File > Open' from the main menu in Stata. Browse to the location of the new *.dta file,
highlight the file and click 'Open'.
Figure 8: Opening the file in Stata
The data file is now loaded and available for you to process. If you wish to view the observations,
click 'Window > Data Editor' and a spreadsheet will open displaying the data, as shown below.
Figure 9: Data Editor window in Stata
Maps, Data and Government Information Centre
Trent University Library
12/2011
Software: Stata 10.1
4