Stata Overview

Stata is "faculty sponsored software" and therefore UITS only offers limited support for this software.

Note: If you are a student using Stata for a class exercise, questions about your class work should be directed first towards your class instructors.

Stata Program Functionality:

Breadth of functionality: Excellent

Stata is designed as a general purpose statistical package and can perform most of the major tests that the more popular software packages such as SPSS and SAS can perform and has a powerful built-in graphing capability. The program also has an extensive programming language and comes with several modules that are written in Stata script format to enhance the overall flexibility of the program.

Some of Stata's capabilities include:

Data transformations
Data Examination
Descriptive Statistics
Contingency tables
Reliability tests
Correlation
T-tests
Univariate and Multivariate ANOVA
Regression
Nonlinear Regression
Logistic Regression (bi- or multi-nomial)
Factor Analysis
Probit analysis (bi- or multi-nomial)
Survival analysis
Nonparametric analysis
Categorical data analysis
Graphics generation
Time Series Analysis

Reliability and Robustness: Excellent

Stata performs in a consistent and straightforward manner and there are no known bugs.

State of the Art: Good

Unlike some of the larger more popular packages, Stata regularly comes out with new versions and updates, ensuring that new techniques are incorporated in a regular manner.

User Friendliness: Good

While Stata does not have a graphical-user-interface as yet, the program's command syntax is very easy to use and in most ways simpler to learn and use than similiar command-line driven packages (e.g. SPSS or SAS).

Stata Help Resources:

Network-based help: Good

The Knowledge Base (KB) maintained by the UITS Support Center has answers to few basic questions asked about Stata. This KB may be searched using keywords (e.g., stata). There is no local stata user's group at IU.

Program's Help System: Good

An extensive help system is available in Stata with all of the commands and options reviewable during an interactive session.

Stata Program Availability:

Stata is available on UITS systems. For details, see the Statistics Software Availability page.

UITS may offer this software for personal and departmental purchases. See the Sales page for more information.

Stata Training and Support:

Document Availability: Fair

A complete set of Stata documentation is available for reference at various Software Manual Locations. Documents may be purchased directly from the vendor (Stata Corporation, 702 University Drive East, College Station, TX 77840; 800/782-8272).

Training Availability: Poor

There are no university sources of training for Stata. Those who want to get started with Stata may contact the Stat/Math Center.

User Goup: None

There are no local user groups for Stata. There is an Internet Stata discussion group. To subscribe to the list send a message

     subscribe statalist

     majordomo@hsphsun2.harvard.edu

Once you subscribe you could post your Stata questions to the net.

UITS Consulting Support: Limited Support

Stata is categorized as a faculty sponsored software for support. That is, instructors who use this software for instruction are responsible for consulting support. However, limited consulting support is available from Stat/Math Consulting from 9 am to 5 pm (M-F) via phone, email, and for walkins. Appointment is recommended for walkin consulting.

Other Consulting Support: Fair

Since UITS is providing only limited support for Stata students using the software as part of their coursework should contact their instructors first for help. Registered Stata users can contact the vendor directly for help. Stata users can always turn to their colleagues who are familiar with Stata for help.