Gijs,
Is it possible that the variable pid is of storage type double and pidold of storage type float?
Maybe you can try:
gen double pidold=pid
Kris
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Gijs Dekkers
Sent: maandag 8 januari 2007 14:06
To: [email protected]
Subject: st: a variable is decreased by 1 ?
Dear fellow Stata-users,
I really would appreciate some help with this strange problem...
I have a panel dataset, with the individual number 'pid' and the year
variabele 'jaar'. The variable pidnew is an alternative
individual-identification number. This variabel, and 'jaar' don't really
do anything, but I include it to show that the individual does not
changes in what follows.
So, the starting dataset is:
. list pid pidnew jaar if (pid==17025101 & jaar==2002)
+--------------------------+
| pid pidnew jaar |
|--------------------------|
10597. | 17025101 62 2002 |
+--------------------------+
So this is the data line of individual 17025101 in the year 2002. Now I
create a copy ('pidold') of this individual identification number,
. gen pidold = pid
. list pid pidold pidnew jaar if (pid==17025101 & jaar==2002)
+-------------------------------------+
| pid pidold pidnew jaar |
|-------------------------------------|
10502. | 17025101 1.70e+07 62 2002 |
+-------------------------------------+
The resulting variable is difficult to read, for it is in the scientific
notation. So I change the format...
. format pid pidold epid %14.0f
. list pid pidold pidnew jaar if (pid==17025101 & jaar==2002)
+-------------------------------------+
| pid pidold pidnew jaar |
|-------------------------------------|
10597. | 17025101 17025100 62 2002 |
+-------------------------------------+
And all of a sudden, the variabele 'pidold', which is supposed to be
equal to 'pid' has decreased by one! Or, which is more likely, the 'gen
pidold = pid' has not done what it should have done, because the format
of pidold was set so that information was lost. However, I cannot set a
format of a variable prior to its existence.
I have also tried juggling with 'recast' and different formats, but
nothing seems to help.
I would really appreciate your help in finding a solution!
Gijs
--
Gijs Dekkers
Attach� Federal Planning Bureau
Research fellow CESO, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Kunstlaan 47-49 Avenue des Arts
1000 Brussels, Belgium
phone ++32/(0)2/5077413
fax 7373
skype gdekkers2209
[email protected], [email protected]
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