I routinely use the GSS including the cumulative file extending from
1972 through 2006. My file is approximately 282.5 megabytes and like
you I have 2G of memory. I have needed to increase the maximum number
of variables Stata can access as well as the total memory. The
following three commands work on my installation:
/* BEGIN CODE */
set maxvar 5200
set mem 300m
use GSS-Cumulative-72-06.dta
/* END CODE */
As others have suggested you can read in s subset of variables if you
know the variable mnemonic . The following Stata code provides one
example:
/* Create a subset of GSS Data */
#delimit ;
use year
cohort
socbar
socrel
socommun
socfrend
race
age
sex
educ
attend
marital
childs
premarsx
reliten
childs
polviews
sexfreq if race!=3 using GSS-Cumulative-72-06.dta, clear;
#delimit cr
/* END CODE */
Last point, when I first read in the GSS data from a text file to
Stata I was able to -compress- the file size by changing the data
storage type to the most efficient possible without losing any
precision. The Stata file provided by ICPSR (if this is where you got
your data) makes no attempt to be efficient. I think I cut the file
size in half by changing the storage types.
Best,
Alan
On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 9:19 AM, Rudy Fichtenbaum
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
> I am trying to load a single year of the General Social Survey but I don't
> seem to have enough memory. I have 2g and Stata 10/SE but Stata will only
> let me assign 1g and that doesn't seem to be enough. Stata suggests dropping
> variables but since I can't load the dataset I don't know how I could drop
> variables. Any suggestions?
>
> Rudy
> *
> * For searches and help try:
> * http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
> * http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
> * http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
>
*
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