st: propagating values within same name for the following 11 months

[- <mc_allister@gmx.de>]

Dear all:

I don't have much experience with stata: I merged two datasets using 
"date". The problem is that in using date there is only one observation 
per year (sales at the end of the business year, i.e. 02/1990 sales were 
3000 units for the 12 months before; in 02/1992 1500 units for the 12 
months before) while master data have monthly observations (for other 
variables).

Now I want to do the following: within one company name, the value for 
sales should be propagated to the following 11months if there is a 
-missing(sales)- It should if there is already another value for sales 
within the following 11 months.

Hope someone can help me.
Thanks,
Silke Rottenberg


My data look like the following:

"date"                     "name"     "sales"

01/1990                     -            -  
02/1990                     A           3000
03/1990                     -            -
04/1990                     -            - 
..
11/1990                     -             -
12/1990                     -             -          
01/1991                     -             -        
02/1992                     A           1500     
03/1992                     -             -          
...
31/2006                     -             -          


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