Re: st: Stata vs SPSS

[Suzy <scott_788@wowway.com>]

"Stata has problem with output formatting and reports."

I agree with this comment and the rest.  Stata graphics capabilities,  
in the sense that things CAN be done... with lines and lines of stata 
commands and the odd way of needing to combine graphs  to derive another 
graph, are way too complex for relatively simple requests. I think Stata 
graphics as well as general output and formatting are areas  that really 
need some attention. This has been discussed more than a few times over 
the past few years. Even with these problems, Stata's capabilities and 
strengths in so many other areas more than make up for the deficiency in 
this area.


Fred Wolfe wrote:


> Our group recently had an experience with SAS vs. Stata that maybe 
> illuminating. We collected, managed and analyzed data from a clinical 
> trial using interfaces that we in part designed that made use of 
> scanning software (Teleform), SQL and Stata. At the end of the study 
> the sponsor unexpectedly asked us for 102 specially formatted tables. 
> The format of the tables was complex, but was based on SAS generated 
> tables that were standard for the sponsor. The tables had multiple 
> columns, statistics placed at special points within the tables, group 
> comparisons and interspersed headings. Although we could easily 
> produce individual components of the tables, the completed tables as 
> requested was something we could not do but that they did easily in 
> SAS. When I say we could not do it, I don't mean it was impossible. 
> But at best it would have required very complex Stata programming. The 
> amount of work required on our part would have been enormous and we 
> refused to do it. Instead, we provided the corporate sponsor with SAS 
> files using -fdasave- so that they could make the tables they wished.
>
> Stata has problem with output formatting and reports. Although this is 
> rarely limiting for manuscripts and short reports, a substantial 
> number of postings to this list (and programs) are concerned with 
> production of formatted output. In the world I live in, I have to 
> share output with colleagues and journals using the most commonly used 
> formats: MS Word (or equivalent) and Excel (or equivalent). I need 
> attractive, non-proportional fonts, flexible page formatting and 
> simple control of labels and titles. Easy to request and very hard to 
> implement, I'm sure. But such abilities would make Stata an even 
> greater package than it is now.
>
> Fred Wolfe
>
> Fred Wolfe
> National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases
> Wichita, Kansas
> Tel +1 316 263 2125
> fwolfe@arthritis-research.org
>
>
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