A Review of Stata 3.1.

Abstract

Stata 3.1 is a program for data management, graphics, and statistical analysis. Since Version 2.1 was reviewed by Pederson (1991), Stata has added several platforms, third-party products, supporting services, and many features of interest to econometricians. The result is that Stata 3.1 integrates fast and reliable manipulation of data with high-powered statistical analysis. For users who do no more than run regressions, the new features do not detract from the feel of ease and control Stata gives the researcher working with any data set, large or small. A unique system to disseminate user-written programs lets Stata grow continuously without becoming unwieldy, ensuring that Stata will become a standard package in several branches of applied statistics. This review summarizes the hardware requirements of Stata, demonstrates a short but typical Stata session, and discusses some of the unique elements of Stata. Copyright 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.