Re: st: how to encode 2 var's?

[Eric Booth <ebooth@ppri.tamu.edu>]

<>

Similar to what Fernando already suggested, I like using making a lookup table to merge to each list of names. You mention that this cannot be done because of people being in "higher" or "lower" positions -- my guess is that this means that the names in the 2 variables appear in different observations (so they don't line up), even if this is the case, I still think merging in the list of names is a good solution.   

Here's an example of one way to accomplish this (you will need to install Nick Cox's -labmask- found via the command -findit labutil- ):   

**************!
clear
**create fake dataset**
if _rc ssc install labmask, replace
inp str15(name1) str15(name2) othervar
"Tom Smith"  "Ann Jones" 1
"John Tompkins" "Joe Summers" 2
"Ann Jones"  "Ian Johnson" 43
"Joe Summers"  "Tom Smith" 22
"B Jones"  "Tom Smith" 99
end
li

**create look up tables**
preserve
stack name*, g(2) clear
drop _stack
duplicates drop
g id1 = _n
sa "lookup1.dta", replace
li
rename name1 name2
rename id1 id2
sa "lookup2.dta", replace
li
restore

**merge data & encode variables**
forval n = 1/2 {
	merge m:1 name`n' using "lookup`n'.dta"
	drop if _m!=3
	drop _m
	**make sure labutil/labmask is installed
	labmask id`n', values(name`n')
	}
l, nolab
**************!
-- If the fake data I provide do not represent the 2 variables you are working with, please provide more details/examples.


- Eric
__
Eric A. Booth
Public Policy Research Institute
Texas A&M University
ebooth@ppri.tamu.edu


On Feb 28, 2011, at 8:31 PM, Muyang Zhang wrote:

> It may not work for me, for the two variables are for lower and higher
> positions. Some people previously at the lower position appears at the
> higher position later when other guys are at lower position. So
> merging may not work as far as I am concerned. Thanks anyway.
> 
> 
> On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 9:27 PM, Fernando Rios Avila <f.rios.a@gmail.com> wrote:
>> my suggestion is:
>> - if the name is written in the same way (exactly) in both variables, then
>> just encode the first one, and merge the new code with the second one using
>> the name as the id variable.
>> perhaps that will help
>> 
>> 
>> On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 9:13 PM, Fernando Rios Avila
>> <ecofrax@langate.gsu.edu> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>> From: Muyang Zhang <zmyfudan@gmail.com>
>>> To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
>>> Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:11:13 -0500
>>> Subject: st: how to encode 2 var's?
>>> I have two variables of people's name with several names appear in
>>> both variables. How could I encode the two variables that returns the
>>> same id for the same people in both variables?
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Zhang Muyang
>>> China Center for Economic Research
>>> Peking University
>>> Beijing, 100871
>>> China.
>>> *
>>> *   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/
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
>>> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>>> Content-Disposition: inline
>>> 
>>> I have two variables of people's name with several names appear in
>>> both variables. How could I encode the two variables that returns the
>>> same id for the same people in both variables?
>>> 
>>> --=20
>>> Zhang Muyang
>>> China Center for Economic Research
>>> Peking University
>>> Beijing, 100871
>>> China.
>>> *
>>> *   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/
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Zhang Muyang
> China Center for Economic Research
> Peking University
> Beijing, 100871
> China.
> 
> *
> *   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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