Re: st: Comparing Variable Name Labels Between Datasets

[Tim Wade <wadetj@gmail.com>]

Beth, how about something like this:

*save variable labels as local macros
sysuse auto.dta
foreach var of varlist _all {
local `var'd1: variable label `var'
}

clear
sysuse auto.dta
*create erros in variable lables and save as local macros in second dataset
label var make "price"
label var price "Make"
foreach var of varlist _all {
local `var'd2: variable label `var'
}

*compare and list differences

foreach var of varlist _all {
capture assert  "``var'd1'"=="``var'd2'"
if _rc~=0 {
	if "``var'd1'"~="``var'd2'" {
		di "Error in `var'"
		di "First label: ``var'd1'"	
		di "Second label: ``var'd2'"
		}
	}
}


Error in make
First label: Make and Model
Second label: price
Error in price
First label: Price
Second label: Make

hope this helps, Tim


On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 10:23 PM, Beth Gifford <beth.gifford@duke.edu> wrote:
> Hello
> We are working with a large dataset that goes back to 1976-through
> current.  One challenge in working with these data is that the
> variable names change frequently (the same variable may be name V453
> one year and V455 the next).  However, the variables are labeled.  So
> I'd like to do the following:
> a) for each year, pull together a dataset with about 75 variables (DONE)
> b) rename the variables to something sensible and also consistent
> across years (ex. from 1976-2008 the variable for gender would always
> be named gender)  (DONE)
> c) compare the variable name labels across years to double check that
> the new sensibly named variable is measuring what I think that it is
> measuring. (HELP)
> d) append the datasets (easy)
> *I have looked at cf, cf2 and cf3 but I think that they only let me
> compare observations. Encode won't work because it works on the
> valuable labels but not the name labels
> I am using Stata SE 11.0 on a windows machine.  This problem is
> applicable to working with Monitoring the Future data as well as the
> Youth Risk Behavior Surveys.
>
> --
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Elizabeth Gifford, PhD
> Research Scientist
> Center for Child and Family Policy
> Duke University
> 214 Rubenstein Hall
> Box 90545
> Durham NC, 27708-0545
> Work Phone: 919-613-9294
> Fax: 919- 684-3731
> http://www.duke.edu/~ejg141/
> Check out my new creation:
> http://substanceabuse.ssri.duke.edu/
>
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