Stata

Abstract

Stata is general‐purpose statistical software. Currently in version 11, Stata is known for its wide range of statistical routines, ease of data management, and publication‐quality graphics. Stata is available on virtually all computing platforms, including Windows, Macintosh, and most varieties of Unix/Linux. It is designed to run on both 32‐bit and 64‐bit architectures and operating systems. Stata possesses both a command‐line interface and a point‐and‐click menu interface, with a one‐to‐one correspondence between the two. Stata appeals to researchers from a wide range of fields, with concentrations in the health sciences and in economics. Statistically, Stata strengths are in the areas of panel/longitudinal data, survival analysis, and the analysis of data from complex surveys. Users can program their own routines using a mixture of Stata's own interpretive language and the compiled matrix‐programming language Mata, included with all Stata installations. Stata is offered in three flavors: Stata/IC, a standard version adequate for most purposes; Stata/SE, an expanded version for use with larger (wider) datasets; and Stata/MP, a version with specialized code designed to make use of multiple cores/processors and run faster on systems that have them. WIREs Comp Stat 2010 2 728–733 DOI: 10.1002/wics.116