Dear Dewei,
I am primarily a SAS user rather than a Stata user so my response will be
biased toward SAS. I hope you are also posting this q on the SAS list as
well! (http://listserv.uga.edu/archives/sas-l.html)
I find SAS much better for data management. There are many ways to
approach each coding task; code can be optimized for
readability/teachability, or for brevity, or for conservation of space or
CPU time.
SAS can be used with numerous other applications (Excel, WordBasic, etc.)
to perform complex tasks that go beyond its own capabilities.
SAS has a very powerful macro capability to expedite repetitious tasks.
I like being able to have several datasets open at once, and to know
exactly what is in them. With Stata, I tend to feel that the data I am
working with are floating in some nebulous and unnamed space of uncertain
location. This is because SAS and Stata take very different approaches to
data handling.
The syntax in Stata is very regular. It may be easier to learn for this
reason. Stata can handle weighted (survey) data.
Also, Stata is much less expensive.
Your choice depends on what you want to do (and on your budget). Who will
be using the package? What other programs have you used? Perhaps you
would be happier with a product that is similar to one you already
know. Are you working with a web presence? Other programmers/data
analysts? What products are you trying to produce? Where will your data
come from? What shape will they be in?
Laurel Copeland
At 10:56 AM 11/27/2002 -0500, you wrote:
Hi everyone:
My boss ask to evaluate STATA and SAS and make a recommendation. Since I am
new to stata, can someone help me?
Thanks.
Dewei
*
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/res/findit.html
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
*
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/res/findit.html
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
