The Workflow of Data Analysis Using Stata [Paperback]

Simply put, this book will drastically reduce the amount of time it will take you to write a do file. In fact, based on the suggestions that long has in this book I was able to write a do file that will run OLS and all the typical diagnostics automatically. All I have to do is assign the variable macros at the beginning of the do file. My summer project is to do the same thing for my other basic statistical models.

The workflow of data analysis using Stata should be required for any course on regression or applied statistics that uses Stata. Any applied researcher using this program needs to buy this book.

Whether you use Stata or not, if you work with data and do research in the area of empirical social science (Economics, Political Science, Policy Studies) then this book is a must for you. And on top of that if you use Stata for your research, then the question is why you do not have this book yet in your library?

This is probably one of of the few books that I ever bought which taught me something new in each page. It has definitely helped me to learn how to organize my work effectively and efficiently. It has also taught me a lot of Stata programming skills.

This book is great. I highly recommend it for anyone dealing with large-scale collaborative data projects.

The author covers everything from saving and filing your data (good life skills even for those who don't use STATA) to documenting and cleaning datasets.

The book reads fast and is interesting enough. Lots of general advice and then a few specific, detailed examples with full-fledged code that are easy to skip if they are not relevant (mercifully, he does not force you through the examples like some books do - they are fairly self-contained modules within the chapters). For each task, he tends to talk about the commands used (with relevant/most-helpful options), but then also about general rules for how to approach the task.

The author's personal narrative dominates the book, but it is clear that he has a lot of experience and for the most part, it is helpful that the book is written that way. Some of the advice is shocking in its simplicity but its usefulness (i.e. "Never name a file 'Final'" lest you wind up with "Final - v1" "Final - v2" and "Final - really really final") - these are problems that are applicable to everyone. As such, although I have a reasonable amount of experience with STATA I felt that this book covered really useful basics in a way that was helpful but not tedious.

Unsurprisingly for someone who writes about organization and workflow management, the book is also well-organized, and designed in such a way that you can read as you go, covering relevant chapters as you face the tasks within. I've been moving along at the pace of my project, highlighting commands as I read so that I can use it as a reference manual once I finish going through the first time. So far, the book has more than paid for itself in time and frustration saved.