Observations and VariablesĪ Stata data set is a matrix, with one row for each observation and one column for each variable. You might use edit mode for data entry, but since you should never change your data interactively get in the habit of using browse mode so you don't make changes by accident. You can also invoke the Data Editor by typing edit or clicking the button that looks like a pencil writing in a spreadsheet, and then it will allow you to make changes.
This opens Stata's Data Editor, which shows you your data set in a spreadsheet-like form, in browse mode. Or click the button that looks like a magnifying glass over a spreadsheet.
(There's also a webuse command that opens example data sets from Stata's web site.) To see what's in the data set, type: You'll probably never use it for anything other than this data set. The sysuse command is a variation of the normal use command which loads data that was installed with Stata. Normally the use commands loads data from disk into memory. Every Stata user has access to it so it is frequently used for examples, as we'll use it today. The 'auto' data set has been included with Stata for many, many years. If you're new to Stata we highly recommend starting from the beginning. This is part two of Introduction to Stata.