How can I convert other packages' files to Stata format data files?

The most popular spreadsheet format is the Microsoft Excel^® worksheet. You can use the import excel command to read .xls and .xlsx files into Stata.

If your data are stored as a SAS XPORT file, you can use the import sasxport command to read this file into Stata.

Most spreadsheet and statistical software packages are able to export data as ASCII text files containing fixed-format, free-format, comma-delimited, or tab-delimited data. If your package has this feature, you should be able to export the data, and then read the data into Stata using the infile, infix, or insheet command, depending on the file format. For information about infiling data and the method you should use, see the help file for infiling.

Another way to convert your data to Stata format is to register your data as an ODBC source and then use Stata's odbc commands to read the data directly into Stata.

Alternatively, you could purchase a separate data conversion package, such as Stat/Transfer, to convert the files from other packages directly into Stata format files without first having to save the files as ASCII text files. You may want to use one of these programs because they usually preserve your value labels, variable labels, and data types, whereas creating and reading ASCII text files into Stata may not do this without extra work. Additionally, you will need to use one of these packages if your spreadsheet or statistical software package does not allow you to export the data as an ASCII text file. Stat/Transfer supports a variety of different packages.

For additional information and a listing of packages supported by Stat/Transfer, or to purchase a copy of Stat/Transfer, click here.