XII

USER
MANUAL
Version12

+
Copyright 2013
All Rights Reserved
Circle Systems, Inc.

The Stat/Transfer program is licensed for use on a single computer system or network
node. Use by multiple users on more than one computer is prohibited. If in doubt,
please call and ask about our very economical site licenses.
Stat/Transfer is a trademark of Circle Systems, Inc.

This manual refers to numerous products by their trade names. In most, if not all, cases
these designations are claimed as trademarks or registered trademarks by their
respective companies.

CIRCLE SYSTEMS
SINGLE USER LICENSE AGREEMENT AND LIMITED WARRANTY FOR
STAT/TRANSFER
IMPORTANT READ CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING THE STAT/TRANSFER SOFTWARE. By clicking the
Next button, opening the sealed packet(s) containing the software, or using any portion of the software, you accept all of the
following Circle Systems License Agreement.
THIS IS A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CIRCLE SYSTEMS, INC. AND YOU, THE END USER. CAREFULLY
READ THIS AGREEMENT BEFORE OPENING, INSTALLING, OR USING THE STAT/TRANSFER SOFTWARE (the
software). CIRCLE SYSTEMS WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY PURCHASE ORDER OR SELL YOU A LICENSE TO
INSTALL AND USE THE SOFTWARE UNLESS YOU AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE
AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, DO NOT OPEN THE DISK PACKAGE, OR INSTALL OR
USE THE SOFTWARE ON YOUR COMPUTER; REMOVE ALL COPIES FROM YOUR COMPUTER AND RETURN
THE SOFTWARE AND ANY ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS WITHIN 30 DAYS OF PURCHASE, WITH PROOF OF
PURCHASE, FOR A FULL REFUND OF THE AMOUNT YOU ORIGINALLY PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE.

SOFTWARE LICENSE
Circle Systems grants you the right to load and use one copy of the software on a single computer (your Dedicated Computer).
You may transfer the software to another single Dedicated Computer provided you remove all copies of the software from the
first computer when you install it on the other computer. If one individual uses the Dedicated Computer more than 80% of the
time that it is in use, then that individual may also load and use the software on that individuals portable or home computer.
You may also make a copy of the software for backup or archival purposes. If you receive a copy of the software electronically
and on disk, you may use the disk copy for archival purposes only.
Copyright and other intellectual property laws and international treaty protect this software. Copyright law prohibits you
from making any other copy of the software and user manual without the permission of Circle Systems. You may not alter,
modify, or adapt the software or user manual, or create any derivative works based on them. Circle Systems distributes the
software in computer executable form only, and does not allow user access to the underlying source code and data. You may
not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the software to gain access to such code and data, except to the extent
applicable law expressly permits such activity. Decompiling or disassembling the software may also violate the softwares
copyright.
You may not sublicense, sell, rent, lend, lease, sublicense, or give away the software to others. You may, however, with the
prior written permission of Circle Systems, transfer the software, written materials, and this license agreement as a package if
the other party registers with Circle Systems and agrees to accept this agreement. You may not transfer a license originally
sold in a volume or network license unless you transfer all the licenses at the site. You may not retain any copies of the
software yourself once you have transferred it.
Any unauthorized copying, distribution, or modification of the software will automatically cancel your license to use the
software and violate the softwares copyright.

LIMITED WARRANTY AND REMEDIES

Circle Systems warrants that the software will perform in substantial compliance with the specifications set forth in the user
manual provided with the software, provided that it is not modified and it is used on the computer hardware and with the
operating system for which it was designed. Circle Systems also warrants that any disk media and printed user manuals it
provides are free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use. These warranties are limited to the 30-day
period from your original purchase. If you report in writing within 30 days of purchase a substantial defect in the softwares
performance, Circle Systems will attempt to correct it or, at its option, authorize a refund of the amount you originally paid
for the software. If you return faulty media or a printed user manual during this period, along with a dated proof of purchase,
Circle Systems will replace it free of charge. You must insure items being returned, since Circle Systems does not accept the
risk of loss or damage in transit.
THE WARRANTIES AND REMEDIES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE EXCLUSIVE AND IN PLACE OF ALL OTHERS,
ORAL OR WRITTEN, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. CIRCLE SYSTEMS DOES NOT AND CANNOT WARRANT THE
PERFORMANCE OR RESULTS YOU MAY OBTAIN USING THE SOFTWARE. EXCEPT FOR THE FOREGOING
LIMITED WARRANTY AND REMEDIES, AND FOR ANY WARRANTY, CONDITION, REPRESENTATION, OR
TERM TO THE EXTENT TO WHICH IT CANNOT OR MAY NOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED BY LAW
APPLICABLE TO YOU IN YOUR JURISDICTION, CIRCLE SYSTEMS MAKES NO WARRANTIES,
REPRESENTATIONS, OR CONDITIONS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE, MEDIA, OR
USER MANUAL, INCLUDING THEIR MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, NONINFRINGEMENT OF
THIRD PARTY RIGHTS, INTEGRATION, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CIRCLE SYSTEMS WILL IN
NO EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
ARISING FROM THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE OR MANUAL, EVEN IF CIRCLE SYSTEMS
HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Because software is inherently complex and may not be completely free of errors, Circle Systems is not responsible for any
costs including, but not limited to, lost profits or revenue, loss of time or use of the software, loss of data, the cost of

recovering software or data, the cost of substitute software, claims by third parties, or similar costs. In no event will the
liability of Circle Systems exceed the amount paid for the software.

NOTICE TO U.S. GOVERNMENT END USERS

The software and manual are Commercial Items, as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. 2.101, consisting of Commercial
Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation, as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. 12.212 or
48 C.F.R. 227.7202, as applicable. Consistent with 48 C.F.R. 12.212 or 48 C.F.R. 227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4, as
applicable, the Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation are being licensed to
U.S. Government end users only as Commercial Items and with only those rights as are granted to all other end users
pursuant to the terms and conditions herein. Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States.
Circle Systems, Inc., 1001 Fourth Avenue, Suite 3200, Seattle, WA 98154 USA.

GENERAL
This is the complete and exclusive statement of the agreement between you and Circle Systems. It supersedes any prior
agreement or understanding, oral or written, between you and Circle Systems, its agents and employees, with respect to this
subject. No Circle Systems distributor, dealer, or agent is authorized to make any modification, extension, or addition to this
Agreement and the limited warranty and limitation of liability. The laws of the State of Washington, USA govern this
agreement.

Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 1
WHAT STAT/TRANSFER DOES .................................................................................................................. 1
SUPPORTED FILE TYPES ........................................................................................................................... 2
WHATS NEW IN STAT/TRANSFER ........................................................................................................................... 3
GETTING STARTED .................................................................................................................................................. 5
TRIAL MODE SOFTWARE ......................................................................................................................... 5
ACTIVATION ......................................................................................................................................... 5
ACTIVATING ONLINE .............................................................................................................................. 5
ACTIVATING WITHOUT AN INTERNET CONNECTION ...................................................................................... 5
READ-ME FILE ....................................................................................................................................... 6
DEMO FILES ......................................................................................................................................... 6
WEB UPDATE ....................................................................................................................................... 6
ONLINE DOCUMENTATION ...................................................................................................................... 7
REMOVING STAT/TRANSFER .................................................................................................................... 7
TECHNICAL SUPPORT .............................................................................................................................. 8
THE STAT/TRANSFER USER INTERFACE ................................................................................................................... 9
THE USER INTERFACE ............................................................................................................................. 9
STARTING STAT/TRANSFER ...................................................................................................................... 9
TRANSFER DIALOG BOX ...........................................................................................................................................10
SELECTING THE INPUT FILE FORMAT ........................................................................................................ 10
SELECTING THE INPUT DATA FILE ............................................................................................................ 10
DATA VIEWER ..................................................................................................................................... 13
VARIABLE SELECTION INDICATOR ............................................................................................................ 13
SELECTING THE OUTPUT FILE FORMAT ..................................................................................................... 14
SELECTING THE OUTPUT FILE ................................................................................................................. 15
RUNNING THE PROGRAM ...................................................................................................................... 16
VARIABLES DIALOG BOX .........................................................................................................................................18
VARIABLE SELECTION............................................................................................................................ 18
OUTPUT VARIABLE TYPES ...................................................................................................................... 19
AUTOMATIC OPTIMIZATION OF TARGET TYPES .......................................................................................... 20
MANUALLY CHANGING THE TYPES OF OUTPUT VARIABLES ........................................................................... 21
OBSERVATIONS DIALOG BOX ...................................................................................................................................23
SELECTING CASES FROM THE INPUT FILE................................................................................................... 23
CASE-SELECTION EXPRESSIONS ............................................................................................................... 24
SAMPLING FUNCTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 25
OPTIONS DIALOG BOX.............................................................................................................................................27
GENERAL OPTIONS .............................................................................................................................. 27
USER MISSING VALUES ......................................................................................................................... 29
DATE/TIME FORMATS - READING ........................................................................................................... 30
DATE/TIME FORMATS - WRITING ........................................................................................................... 31
ENCODING OPTIONS ............................................................................................................................ 32
ODBC OPTIONS.................................................................................................................................. 34
ASCII/TEXT FILES - READ OPTIONS......................................................................................................... 34
ASCII/TEXT FILES - WRITE OPTIONS ..................................................................................................... 36
READING SAS VALUE LABELS ................................................................................................................. 37
WRITING SAS VALUE LABELS ................................................................................................................. 39
WORKSHEETS ..................................................................................................................................... 39
JMP OPTIONS .................................................................................................................................... 41
R AND S-PLUS OPTIONS ...................................................................................................................... 41
RATS OPTIONS - WRITING.................................................................................................................... 41
OUTPUT OPTIONS (1) .......................................................................................................................... 42
OUTPUT OPTIONS (2) .......................................................................................................................... 42
USER INTERFACE OPTIONS..................................................................................................................... 43

DEFAULT DIRECTORIES.......................................................................................................................... 44
DATA VIEWER OPTIONS ........................................................................................................................ 44
STAT/TRANSFER PROGRAM GENERATION................................................................................................. 45
AUTOMATIC TRANSFER LOGGING ........................................................................................................... 46
RESTORING AND SAVING OPTIONS .......................................................................................................... 46
ADVANCED ODBC OPTIONS .................................................................................................................. 47
RUN PROGRAM DIALOG BOX ....................................................................................................................................48
CREATING A PROGRAM AUTOMATICALLY FROM THE USER INTERFACE ............................................................ 48
CREATING A PROGRAM MANUALLY ......................................................................................................... 48
RUNNING A PROGRAM ......................................................................................................................... 48
LOG DIALOG BOX ...................................................................................................................................................49
STAT/TRANSFER LOG ........................................................................................................................... 49
LOG LEVEL.......................................................................................................................................... 49
SAVE LOG FILE .................................................................................................................................... 50
CLEAR LOG ......................................................................................................................................... 50
SEND ERROR REPORT ........................................................................................................................... 50
THE COMMAND PROCESSOR .................................................................................................................................51
STARTING THE COMMAND PROCESSOR .................................................................................................... 51
THE COPY COMMAND .............................................................................................................................................52
TRANSFERS FROM THE COMMAND PROCESSOR ......................................................................................... 52
TRANSFERS FROM THE OPERATING SYSTEM PROMPT .................................................................................. 53
COMBINING FILES ...................................................................................................................................................54
SPECIFYING THE FILE TYPE ........................................................................................................................................55
FILE FORMAT SPECIFICATION ................................................................................................................. 55
SPECIAL CASES WHEN SPECIFYING FILES ................................................................................................... 57
OPTIONS SET BY PARAMETERS AFTER COPY.................................................................................................................58
OPTIONS FOR PAGES AND TABLES ........................................................................................................... 58
OPTIONS FOR VARIABLES ...................................................................................................................... 60
OPTIONS FOR MESSAGES ...................................................................................................................... 61
SELECTING CASES ...................................................................................................................................................63
SELECTING VARIABLES .............................................................................................................................................64
KEEP AND DROP COMMANDS .............................................................................................................. 64
CHANGING OUTPUT VARIABLE TYPES ..........................................................................................................................66
THE TYPES COMMAND ........................................................................................................................ 66
CHANGING TARGET OUTPUT TYPES ......................................................................................................... 67
SETTING OPTIONS WITH THE SET COMMAND ...............................................................................................................68
AVAILABLE OPTIONS ............................................................................................................................ 68
OTHER AVAILABLE COMMAND PROCESSOR COMMANDS .................................................................................................74
OPERATING SYSTEM COMMANDS ........................................................................................................... 74
QUIT ................................................................................................................................................. 74
COMMAND PROCESSOR HELP ................................................................................................................ 75
LOGGING STAT/TRANSFER SESSIONS ....................................................................................................... 75
COMMAND FILES....................................................................................................................................................76
CONSTRUCTING COMMAND FILES ........................................................................................................... 76
COMMAND FILE NAME EXTENSIONS ....................................................................................................... 76
EXECUTING COMMAND FILES ................................................................................................................. 76
RUNNING PROGRAMS AND COMMANDS IN COMMAND FILES ....................................................................... 77
ODBC DATA SOURCES ............................................................................................................................................78
THE DBR AND DBW COMMANDS .......................................................................................................... 78
RUNNING BATCH JOBS WITH ODBC ........................................................................................................ 79
VARIABLE NAMING AND LIMITS ............................................................................................................................81
VARIABLE NAMES ................................................................................................................................ 81
LIMITATIONS ON THE NUMBER OF VARIABLES ........................................................................................... 81
STRINGS WITH VALUE LABELS................................................................................................................. 81
INTERNAL LIMITATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 81
RETURN TRANSFERS TO THE ORIGINAL FORMAT ........................................................................................ 82

SUPPORTED PROGRAMS ........................................................................................................................................83

1-2-3 WORKSHEET FILES ...................................................................................................................... 84
ACCESS .............................................................................................................................................. 87
ASCII FILES - DELIMITED....................................................................................................................... 89
ASCII FILES - FIXED FORMAT ................................................................................................................. 91
SCHEMA FILES FOR ASCII INPUT .......................................................................................................... 95
DBASE FILES AND COMPATIBLES .......................................................................................................... 102
DDI (DATA DOCUMENTATION INITIATIVE) SCHEMAS .............................................................................. 104
EPI INFO .......................................................................................................................................... 105
EXCEL WORKSHEETS .......................................................................................................................... 106
FOXPRO FILES ................................................................................................................................... 109
GAUSS FILES ..................................................................................................................................... 110
GRETL .............................................................................................................................................. 111
HTML TABLES .................................................................................................................................. 112
JMP FILES........................................................................................................................................ 113
LIMDEP FILES .................................................................................................................................. 115
MATLAB FILES................................................................................................................................... 116
MINESET FILES .................................................................................................................................. 118
MINITAB WORKSHEETS ...................................................................................................................... 119
MPLUS FILES .................................................................................................................................... 120
NLOGIT FILES .................................................................................................................................. 121
ODBC DATA SOURCES ....................................................................................................................... 122
OPENDOCUMENT SPREADSHEETS ......................................................................................................... 124
OSIRIS FILES .................................................................................................................................... 127
PARADOX TABLES .............................................................................................................................. 128
QUATTRO PRO WORKSHEET FILES ........................................................................................................ 129
R .................................................................................................................................................... 132
RATS FILES ...................................................................................................................................... 134
SAS DATA FILES ................................................................................................................................ 136
READING AND WRITING SAS DATA ....................................................................................................... 136
SAS VALUE LABELS ............................................................................................................................ 138
SAS CPORT .................................................................................................................................... 142
SAS TRANSPORT FILES........................................................................................................................ 143
SPLUS FILES .................................................................................................................................... 145
SPSS DATA FILES .............................................................................................................................. 147
SPSS PORTABLE FILES ........................................................................................................................ 149
STATA FILES...................................................................................................................................... 151
STATISTICA FILES ............................................................................................................................... 154
SYSTAT FILES .................................................................................................................................. 155
TRIPLE-S .......................................................................................................................................... 156
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS .........................................................................................................................157
GENERAL QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 157
CHARACTER ENCODING....................................................................................................................... 158
COMMAND PROCESSOR ...................................................................................................................... 160
LICENSES.......................................................................................................................................... 161
LINUX .............................................................................................................................................. 162
ODBC DATA SOURCES ....................................................................................................................... 162
SAS DATA FILES ................................................................................................................................ 163
SAS TRANSPORT FILES........................................................................................................................ 164
S-PLUS FILES ................................................................................................................................... 164
STATA FILES...................................................................................................................................... 164
WORKSHEET FILES ............................................................................................................................. 165

Introduction
What Stat/Transfer Does
Stat/Transfer is designed to simplify the transfer of statistical data between different programs.
Data generated by one program is often needed in another context, either for analysis, for cleaning
and correction, or for presentation. However, not only must the data be transferred, but in addition,
the variables generally must be re-described for each program with additional information, such as
variable names, missing values and value and variable labels. This process is not only timeconsuming, it is error-prone. For those in possession of data sets with many variables, it represents a
serious impediment to the use of more than one program.
Stat/Transfer removes this barrier by providing an extremely fast, reliable and automatic way to
move data.
Stat/Transfer will automatically read statistical data in the internal format of one of the supported
programs and will then transfer as much of the information as is present and appropriate to the
internal format of another.
Stat/Transfer preserves all of the precision in your data by storing it internally in double precision
format. However, on output, it will, where possible, automatically minimize the size of your output
data set by intelligently choosing data storage types that are only as large as necessary to preserve the
input precision. Stat/Transfer also allows precise and easy manual control over the storage format of
your output variables, in case this is necessary.
In addition to converting the formats of variables, Stat/Transfer also processes missing values
automatically.
Stat/Transfer can save hours and even days of manual labor, while at the same time eliminating error.
Furthermore, you gain this speed and accuracy without losing flexibility, since Stat/Transfer allows
you to select just the variables and cases you want to transfer.
In addition to the standard graphical user interface, a command processor allows you to run a transfer
in batch mode, using a command file. The user interface can automatically generate a command file
to exactly reproduce your data transfer operations. This makes it straightforward to set up fully
automatic batch procedures for repetitive tasks and allows you to precisely document the work that
you have done

Introduction 1

Supported File Types

Version 12 of Stat/Transfer will support the file types given below:
1-2-3
Access
ASCII -Delimited
ASCII - Fixed
Format
dBASE and
compatible formats
DDI Schemas
Epi Info
Excel
FoxPro
Gauss
gretl
HTML tables
JMP
LIMDEP
Matlab
Mineset
Minitab
Mplus (write-only)

NLOGIT
ODBC
OpenDocument
Spreadsheets
OSIRIS (read-only)
Paradox
Quattro Pro
R
RATS
SAS Data
SAS CPORT (read only)
SAS Transport
S-PLUS
SPSS Data
SPSS Portable
Stata
Statistica
SYSTAT
Triple-S

In addition, for data archiving and exchange, Stat/Transfer will write ASCII data together with
programs to read the data back into SAS, SPSS, and Stata. It also supports its own, easy to use,
Schema format for reading in external data in ASCII format.
See the topics for specific file types for more information on supported versions of each type.

2 Introduction

Whats New in Stat/Transfer

New Formats in Version 12
Stat/Transfer Version 12 has added support for the following formats:

Excel 2013

FileMaker

gretl

JMP compressed files

SPSS 21 zsav files

Stata 13

SAS 64 bit catalogs

SYSTAT 13

New Options

Preserve String Widths

Control Conversion to Stata strls

Write Variable Labels to the Second Row of Worksheets

Control Default Input and Output Directories

Advanced ODBC Options

Command Processor
There is a new switch that allows you to read a file of options before transferring from the operation
system.

For Network users

You can now install and uninstall silently, without any user intervention or prompting.

You can install licenses automatically at time of software install.

One copy of a lease license can now serve all licensed users on a network.

Cross Platform Licensing

Stat/Transfer now has cross-platform licensing. This, for example, allows you to use a single
activation code to activate Stat/Transfer on your Windows machine at work and on your Mac at home.

Whats New in Stat/Transfer

4 This Page Intentionally Left Blank

Getting Started

Trial Mode Software

If you have downloaded Stat/Transfer from our website, or otherwise obtained a trial version, it will
work as if it were a full version, except that one out of approximately sixteen cases will be deleted
from your output file. A message box will warn you of this, and the border at the top of the
Stat/Transfer window will say "Trial Mode".
To turn the trial version into a fully functioning copy of the software, go to our website and purchase a
copy with the appropriate license. As soon as the order is processed, you will be sent an activation
code by email.

Activation
After installation is complete, you must activate your software, using a code found on your CD
envelope or emailed to you. It is easiest if you have an internet connection during the activation
process.
For detailed instructions, please see the Support/Activation section of our website,
www.stattranfer.com. If you have any trouble with the activation process, please contact
[email protected] for assistance.

Activating Online
First, go the About tab and press the Activate Online button. On the next screen, enter your
activation code. Press Next and you will be asked to enter your name, organization and email address.
Press Next again to enter a password, which will be used if you re-activate your software on another
computer (see below). You should not use a valuable password. Remember to write down your
password in your software manual or another place where you can find it if you need it.
Finally, when you press Next again, your information will be sent to our server and, if your serial
number is valid, the activation information will be written to your computer. Once activation is
complete, you must restart Stat/Transfer
.

Activating Without an Internet Connection

If your computer is not connected to the internet, you will be offered an activation process by which
the program will generate a small file that you can save onto a thumb drive or other portable media.
You can then take this to an internet-connected computer and upload it to our website. The server will
return a small text file that you can then save to disk. Then, at your original computer, you can
activate your copy by pasting this file into a dialog brought up by the Install License button on the
About dialog box.
If you have any trouble with the activation process, the best way to seek help is by using our web form
at www.stattransfer.com/support/help.html.

Getting Started 5

Installing on a Second Computer

The activation process will send a "machine fingerprint" that identifies your particular computer. If
you have a single-computer license for Stat/Transfer, you are permitted to install it on up to two
computers, as long as you are the primary user of both computers (for instance on a home and an
office computer).
In order to install Stat/Transfer on another machine using the same activation code, you will need to
re-activate the software after you install the program on the second machine. The re-activation
process will ask you for your old password and asks you to create a new password that identifies your
second installation. If you have forgotten or misplaced your old password, you can have it sent to the
email address you gave in your initial activation session by clicking on the Forgot your Password?
button. Remember to write down both your old and new passwords.

Read-me File
The installation or Web update procedure may copy a file called read.me, which will be a supplement
to the on-line help or manual. There is a shortcut to the read.me file from the Windows Start menu,
in the Stat/Transfer group.
You should check to see if the read.me file exists or has been updated. If so, you can read it in any
editor or word-processor.
We make every effort to keep up with changes in the file formats of popular software and the read.me
file will contain the latest information on which versions of these programs are supported. The file will
also contain the latest information on other improvements to Stat/Transfer.
You can also get current information about Stat/Transfer by visiting our website at
www.stattransfer.com.
You can also reach our website from the Stat/Transfer About screen.
-o-

Demo Files
The distribution disk contains sample files in many of the supported formats, which you may find
useful in learning about Stat/Transfers capabilities. The file name indicates which program format
each file corresponds to. In addition there is a file, demo.xls, which illustrates the way Stat/Transfer
treats different kinds of variables. The installation program will copy these files to the same directory
chosen for the installation of Stat/Transfer.

Web Update
We periodically post maintenance releases of Stat/Transfer on our website to support new file formats,
add features, or to fix problems that have come to our attention. However, we have found that many
people are not taking advantage of these releases, so they are using software that is older than it should
be. To address this problem, Stat/Transfer will automatically check the web for updates.
By default, Stat/Transfer will check for new versions once every week. However, you can change this
option. You can check immediately, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or (if you are running on a
computer that is not connected to the web) never. To change the interval at which the program checks
the web, click on the About tab and select one of the options.
Suppose you choose Every Week (the default). Each time you start Stat/Transfer, the program will
compare the current date to the date at which the version was last checked. If the difference is less
6 Getting Started

than seven days, nothing will happen. If it is seven days or more, the update program will ask you if
you would like to check the web.
If you choose to do so, the program will check our website for the latest version. If it finds a version
that is newer than yours, it will ask you whether or not to download the latest release. If you choose to
do so, it will be installed on your computer. The read-me file will also be downloaded, so that you
can check to see what new features have been added.
If you wish, you can tell Stat/Transfer to do an immediate check for a newer version rather than wait
for an automatic check. To do so, go to the About tab and select Right Now. The update program
will then check our website for updates as described above.
-o-

Online Documentation
Manual
The document you are currently reading is available on our website in HTML and PDF format. The
PDF manual is installed with Stat/Transfer for Windows, and can be opened by clicking on the Start
button, then pointing to Programs. Point to the Stat/Transfer folder and when the contents appear,
click on Stat/Transfer PDF Manual.
If you are using Stat/Transfer on other platforms, you can download the PDF file from our website.

Online Help
The Stat/Transfer online help contains all of the information found in the manual. You can access the
online help by pressing the Help buttons or the ? buttons on the Stat/Transfer dialog boxes.

Removing Stat/Transfer
On Windows, if you would like to remove Stat/Transfer from your hard disk, simply select the
Uninstall option from the Start menus Stat/Transfer folder.
On OS-X select the Uninstall item in the Stattransfer12 folder of your Applications folder.
On Linux and Solaris, navigate to the Stat/Transfer program directory and execute the uninstall
program.

-o-

Getting Started 7

Technical Support
Before you seek support, please check the online help or look in the online manual and see if the
solution to your problem can be found there. Be sure to check the Frequently Asked Questions
section. You can also check to see if your problem is addressed in the Support section of our website.
If you have a problem that you cannot resolve by these methods, the best way to seek help is by using
our web form at www.stattransfer.com/support/help.html. We have found that the use of this form,
rather than a free-form email, allows us to provide faster and better support. If you use this form, we
are much more likely to get the information we need to address your problem on the first try. In
addition, your request will be routed to the right person and automatically entered into a tracking
system so that your problem will not fall through the cracks. To ensure the best service, please be sure
to follow the instructions on the form and enter all of the information that is called for.
You can also seek support by using the Log tab. This method is particularly helpful if you think you
have found a bug in Stat/Transfer, because it is possible to automatically send us a compressed and
encrypted copy of the input file that was causing you problems, as well as a complete description of
your environment and your own description of the problem. If you send a support request through this
method, it is a very good idea to also use the form on our website. This will ensure that your problem
is entered into our tracking system.
It is always good to make sure you are running the latest version of Stat/Transfer. You can go to the
About menu tab and look up the exact version of Stat/Transfer that you are using. You can also check
for updates from there.

8 Getting Started

The Stat/Transfer User Interface

The User Interface
Version 12 of Stat/Transfer has a standard user interface and is extremely simple to use.
If you are going to transfer all of the variables and cases in a file, with default output types, then you
can run the transfer from a single dialog box, the Transfer dialog box. You need only specify the
input and output file names.
If you wish to transfer specific variables or cases, or change output types, you are guided by
additional dialog boxes.

Starting Stat/Transfer
On Windows, the installation procedure will install a folder for Stat/Transfer in the Programs menu
and a shortcut to Stat/Transfer. A shortcut to Stat/Transfer will also be installed on your desktop.
Click on either of the shortcuts to start the program.
On OS-X, click on Stat/Transfer in the StatTransfer12 folder of your Applications folder.
On Linux, a shortcut to Stat/Transfer will be installed on your desktop.

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 9

Transfer Dialog Box

Selecting the Input File Format

The input file format is selected in the first line of the Transfer dialog box, the Input File Type line.
Click on the Input File Type control arrow and you can browse through the list of supported file
types. Select an input file type by clicking on it. The file type will be entered in the Input File Type
line.

The ? Button
You can obtain information on a given file type by clicking on the '?' button.

Selecting the Input Data File

The File Specification Line
The Input Data File

The input data file is selected on the second line of the Transfer dialog box, the File Specification
line.
If your files are named using the standard file extensions for Stat/Transfer, given on the next page,
you will ordinarily use the Browse control to select a file.
When you click on Browse, a standard File Open dialog box will open. To select the input file, first
make sure that the path is the correct ones for your input file. If not, change to the correct one.
Next, you need to select the correct file. Note that a wildcard file specification, *.ext has been
created for the File Name entry, where .ext is the Stat/Transfer standard extension for the type of
input data file you have selected.
10 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Transfer Dialog Box

All of the files in the current directory with this extension will appear in a list box below the File
Name line. You can either use this list and click on the name of the file you wish to use, or type the
name on the File Name line.
The ? Button

If you click on the ? button beside the File Specification line, you can obtain information on the file
type currently displayed.

Standard File Extensions

1-2-3
Access
ASCII - Delimited
ASCII - Delimited with Schema
ASCII - Fixed Format
dBASE and compatibles
DDI Schemas
Epi Info
Excel
FoxPro
Gauss
HTML
JMP
LIMDEP
Matlab
Mineset
Minitab
NLOGIT
ODBC
OpenDocument Spreadsheet
OSIRIS
Paradox
Quattro Pro
R
RATS
SAS for Windows and OS/2
SAS for the Macintosh and Unix
SAS CPORT
SAS Transport Files
S-PLUS
SPSS Data Files
SPSS Portable Files
SPSS Syntax and Data Files
Stata
Stata Program and Data Files
Statistica
SYSTAT
Triple-S

wk*
mdb
txt, csv
stsd (Schema file)
sts (Schema file)
dbf
xml
rec
xls
dbf
dat
htm*
jmp
lpj
mat
schema, sch
mtw
lpj
[none]
ods
dict, dct
db
wq?, wb?
rdata
rat
sd2, sas7bdat
ssd01, sas7bdat
stc
xpt, tpt
[none]
sav
por
sps
dta
do
sta
sys
xml

Transfer Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 11

International Character Sets

If you have a problem reading international character sets, please see the Encoding Options entry in
the Options dialog box.
Selecting Worksheet Pages
Whenever you select a worksheet as input, Stat/Transfer will check to see if multiple pages are
present.
If more than one page is found, Stat/Transfer will display a Worksheet Page selection line below the
input File Specification line of the Transfer dialog box. If your worksheet pages are named, as they
are in Excel, for example, these names will be used. Otherwise, dummy names, 'Sheetn', will be
displayed, where n gives the number of the page.
The name of the first page of the worksheet will appear on the Worksheet Page line and, unless you
select another one, will be the page used as the input data set by Stat/Transfer. If the data you wish to
use are on a different page, click on the control arrow and select the appropriate page from the list that
appears.
The option Concatenate Worksheet Pages, reached by clicking on the Options tab and then on
Worksheets, allows you to combine worksheet pages into a single output file. If you check this
option, when you name one page, then all of the pages will be read and concatenated into an output
file of any type. This option is appropriate if your worksheet file contains many sheets that are
identical in structure. These can be then be combined into a single output file.
Selecting Tables for Access and ODBC Input
Whenever you select either an Access file or an ODBC data source as input, Stat/Transfer will display
a Table selection line below the input File Specification line of the Transfer dialog box.
The name of the first table will appear on the Table line and, unless you select another one, will be
the table used as the input data set by Stat/Transfer. If the data you wish to use are in a different table,
click on the control arrow and select the appropriate table from the list that appears.
Selecting Members of SAS CPORT and Transport Files
Whenever you select a SAS CPORT or Transport file as input, Stat/Transfer will display a Member
selection line below the input File Specification line of the Transfer dialog box.
The name of the first member will appear on the Member line and, unless you select another one, will
be the member of the SAS file used as the input data set by Stat/Transfer. If the data you wish to use
are in a different member, click on the control arrow and select the appropriate member from the list
that appears.
Most Recently Used File Lists
If you often use the same input file, you can use the "Most Recently Used" file list to select the file.
By default, for each different file type, Stat/Transfer will maintain a list of the last ten files that have
been opened. You can select any one of these files by first clicking on the control arrow of the File
Specification input field to display the list and then clicking on the file you wish to use.
If you would like to store longer lists, you can do so by setting a higher number in the User Interface
Options of the Options tab.

12 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Transfer Dialog Box

Data Viewer
You can preview your input data by pressing the View button in the Transfer dialog box. Your data
will appear in a scrollable grid. By default, the viewer is on.
The data can be sorted by any variable by clicking on the variable name. You can navigate to any
row by entering the row number in the Quick Navigation box and then pressing Go.
Columns can be moved by clicking and holding the column heading and then dragging the column to
the new location.
To set viewer options, go to the Options tab and click on Data Viewer Options.
To return to the Transfer screen, press Close Viewer.
Long String Viewer
The data viewer will display long strings, international character sets, variable characteristics and value
labels. The long string viewer allows you to see strings that are too long to be viewed at the current
column width.
By default, the viewer is on. To use it, simply left click on the cell you want to examine and a viewing
window will display the string. To disable it, uncheck the Show Long String Viewer option in Data
Viewer Options in the Options dialog box.
By default, the viewing window will close automatically when your cursor leaves the cell that contains
the string you are viewing. To turn off this behavior, uncheck the Hide Automatically option.
Variable Info Viewer
By default, if you click on the variable name at the top of the grid, a Variable Info Viewer box will
open that will show you the variable name, its type and, if available, its label. To disable it, uncheck
the Show Variable info Viewer option in Data Viewer Options in the Options dialog box.
By default, the viewing window will close automatically when your cursor leaves the cell that contains
the variable you are viewing. To turn off this behavior, uncheck the Hide Automatically option.

Variable Selection Indicator

When the input file has been specified, Stat/Transfer by default selects all of the variables for transfer.
A message will appear below the input File Specification line, telling you that all of the variables in
the data set have been selected and giving the total number of variables.
If you wish to transfer all of the variables of the input data set, you need do nothing more to specify
them. If you want to select only some of the variables in the input data set, click on the Variables tab
at the top of the Transfer dialog box.
Once you have finished selecting variables, when you return to the Transfer dialog box, the number
of variables you have chosen will appear.

Transfer Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 13

Selecting the Output File Format

The output file format is selected in the third line of the dialog box, Output File Type. It is always
advisable to give the input file type first, before selecting the output file type.
Click on the Output File Type control to obtain the list of supported file types and to scroll through
the list. Select a file type by clicking on it.

The list of output file formats will be the same as the list of input file formats, but with more choices
of version, and with the following exceptions:

HTML tables and Mplus files will appear on the output format list, since they can be written by
Stat/Transfer, although they cannot be used as input.

OSIRIS files will not appear, since they are only read by Stat/Transfer

SAS CPORT files will not appear since they are only read by Stat/Transfer

When a worksheet has been chosen as input, then worksheets will not appear in the output format
list. These types of conversions, such as a Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet to an Excel worksheet, are not
supported since it is usually possible to do them within your spreadsheet program.

Conversions from one xBASE file type to another are not supported since the file formats of dBASE
and FoxPro are identical. Thus if a dBASE file is chosen as input, then FoxPro will not appear on
the output format list and vice versa.

Stata Output
The two types of Stata files, Stata (Standard) and Stata/SE appear in the list of output file formats.
After you select the Stata file type, the version to be used for output will be displayed next to the file
type. You can change the version to be output by selecting Output Options(1) from the Options tab.
SAS Output
SAS V6, SAS V7-8, and SAS V9 will appear in the list of output files types. You can specify the
platform you wish for the output by selecting Output Options(1) from the Options tab.
Delimited ASCII Choices
If you wish to write delimited ASCII files, you will see two choices in the list of output file types:

ASCII/text- Delimited

ASCII/text- Delimited (S/T Schema)

These are described in the Supported Programs section ASCII Files - Delimited.

Fixed Format ASCII Choices

If you wish to write fixed format ASCII files, you will see several choices in the list of output file types:

ASCII/text- Fixed Format (S/T Schema)

SAS Program + ASCII Data File

SPSS Program + ASCII Data File

Stata Program + ASCII Data File

These are described in the Supported Programs section ASCII Files - Fixed Format.

14 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Transfer Dialog Box

Selecting the Output File

Output File Specification
The output file name is given on the fourth line of the Transfer dialog box. Since Stat/Transfer
supplies a default specification for the output file using the input file specification, it is important that
you always specify the input file name before the output file name.
Default File Specifications
Once the input file is chosen, Stat/Transfer will construct an output or destination, file specification
which has the same path and name as the input file but which has the standard extension appropriate
for the output file type. This name will appear in the fourth line, the output File Specification, of the
Transfer dialog box.
Changing the Name
If you do not wish to use the default name supplied by Stat/Transfer but would like the destination
file to have a different name or extension, you can either use the Browse control to call up the Save
As dialog box, or you can type the name directly into the Transfer dialog box.
Changing the Directory - the Most Recently Used List
If you wish use a different (drive and) directory, you can type in the directory directly. However,
Stat/Transfer maintains a most recently used list of the directories to which you have transferred files.
You can retrieve this list (which will show the output file name that appears in the output File
Specification edit box) by clicking on the down arrow to the left of the output File Specification box.
Table Names for Access and ODBC Output
Whenever you select either an Access file or an ODBC data source as output, Stat/Transfer will
display a Table selection line below the output File Specification line of the Transfer dialog box.
The default name of the output table will be taken from the input file name. If you wish to use
another name, type it in the Table line.
Naming Members of SAS Transport Files
Whenever you select a SAS Transport file as output, Stat/Transfer will display a Member selection
line below the output File Specification line of the Transfer dialog box.
The default name of the output member will be taken from the input file name. If you wish to use
another name, type it in the Member line.
Overwriting Output Files
By default, Stat/Transfer will check to see if the destination file
already exists and warn you that an existing file is about to be
overwritten. You can suppress this warning in the General Options
section of the Options dialog box.

Transfer Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 15

Running the Program

The Transfer Button
When you have specified the input and output file types and names (with information on member or
page, when needed) and, if you wish to, you have also specified information on variables and case
selection, click on the Transfer button and the data will be transferred.
Simple Transfers
If you wish to transfer everything in the input data set and you use the output target types assigned by
Stat/Transfer, you need only specify the input and output file types and names in the Transfer dialog
box. You can then click on the Transfer button and run the job. You do not need to enter anything in
either the Variables or the Observations dialog box.
Stopping a Transfer
While the data are being transferred, the Transfer button is labeled Stop. If you click on it, your
transfer job will be aborted. This is useful if you start a lengthy transfer and then realize that
something is amiss.
When the transfer is complete, a message will appear at the bottom of the Transfer dialog box
indicating that the transfer is finished and telling you how many cases were transferred.
Resetting Stat/Transfer
The Reset control at the bottom of the Transfer dialog box is used when you wish to do more than
one transfer during a Stat/Transfer session.
Once a transfer has been completed, simply click on the Reset control and the input and output file
specifications will be removed, while the input and output file types remain.
Since Stat/Transfer will supply a default specification for the output file using the input file
specification, it is important that you always specify the input file name before the output file name.
If you wish to change the input and output file types for a new data transfer, it is advisable to change
the input file type first and then the output file type.
Saving a Stat/Transfer Program
You can generate a program for the command processor by pressing the Save Program button on the
Transfer dialog box after the transfer is complete.
When this program is written, it keeps all of the selections you have entered in the dialog boxes and it
translates all of the options that you have specified in the Options dialog box into their equivalent
command processor settings. This enables you to reproduce your transfer operation either from the
Run Program dialog box of the user interface or as a batch job from your operating system. It also
allows you to precisely document how your transfer was performed. The program can be viewed or
edited in the Run Program dialog box.
Instead of pressing the Save Program button, you can set an option to activate automatic program
generation. To have a program saved automatically for every transfer, click on the Options tab and
then select Stat/Transfer Program Generation. By default, automatic program generation is turned off.
By default, the program will be saved in the same directory as the output file and will have the same
name as the output file, but will have the extension .stcmd. You can change these defaults in the Save
As dialog box.

16 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Transfer Dialog Box

Automatic Logging
Stat/Transfer always writes a log that is displayed in the Log dialog box. You can view it and, if you
would like, manually save it to disk.
However, you can tell Stat/Transfer to automatically write a log file to disk every time you do a data
transfer. The log file will contain detailed information about what has occurred during your transfer.
To turn on this feature, check the option, Automatically write a log file in the Automatic Transfer
Logging section of the Options dialog box.
By default the log file will go to the same directory as your output file and will be appended to an
existing log file. Options in the Automatic Transfer Logging section allow you can change the
name and whether or not an existing file is overwritten.

Transfer Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 17

Variables Dialog Box

Variable Selection
Automatic Selection of All Variables in the Data Set
When the input file has been specified in the Transfer dialog box, by default Stat/Transfer selects all
of the variables for transfer. A message will appear in the Transfer dialog box below the input File
Specification line, telling you that all of the variables in the data set have been selected and giving
you the total number of variables.
If you wish to transfer all of the variables of the input data set, you need do nothing more to specify
them.
Manually Selecting Particular Variables
If you want to select only some of the variables in the input data set, click on the Variables tab at the
top of the Transfer dialog box. The Variables dialog box will appear with a list of all of the variables.
When you highlight a variable, the variable label will appear in the box at the upper right
By default, all of the variables are selected. You can select or unselect variables one by one by going
to a particular variable and toggling selection on or off for that variable. To do so, click on the check
box next to the name or click on the variable name and press the SPACE key.
If you wish to select or unselect a group of variables, use the Quick Variable Selector.
Quick Variable Selector

The box in the upper right corner enables you to specify selection criteria for the variables displayed
in the list box at the left of the page. This is considerably less tedious for long lists of variables than
manually checking or unchecking them.
To select or unselect all of the variables, type a star, *, in the Quick Variable Selector box and
click either Keep or Drop.
18 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Variables Dialog Box

Selection conditions can take the form of the wildcard characters * or ? or you can use variable
ranges. The question mark matches exactly one character, while the asterisk matches more than one.
Unlike standard wildcards, more than one asterisk can be included in a specification. For instance:
*inc* will match any variable with the string inc in any position. Ranges of contiguous variables
can be specified with a dash (without spaces) between two variable names. For instance distance-a9
will select (or drop) variables distance through a9, inclusive.
Space or comma delimited lists of conditions can be entered at one time. For example:
factor1,cluster,a2-a10,L1*
followed by a click on the Drop button, will uncheck the variables factor1, cluster, a2 through
a10, and any variable which starts with the string L1.
If needed, you can successively refine your selection by entering conditions and then clicking on
either the Drop or Keep buttons, or, alternatively, by manually checking or unchecking variables in
the list box.
Variable Selection Indicator
Select all of the variables you want to transfer. When you have finished, you can click on the
Transfer tab at the top of the dialog box and you will return to the Transfer dialog box, where you
will see a message telling you how many variables have been selected.
Value Labels Browser
If your input file has value labels, the option Value Label Browser allows you to display them for
each variable.
This option is set by clicking on the Options tab and then clicking on User Interface Options. You
can choose to have the value labels displayed in a vertical box, just to the right of the variable names,
or in a horizontal box below the variable names. The default is to display the value labels in a
horizontal box.

Output Variable Types

Since different output formats use different variable types, Stat/Transfer will either automatically
choose output types or allow you to set the output types manually.
Target Output Variable Types
Systems differ widely in the number and variety of variable types they support. When data are
transferred from one file type to another, a variable type in the output format must be assigned to each
of the variables being transferred.
Note that with Stat/Transfer, numerical precision is never lost in the transfer process, since all
numerical variables are stored internally as double precision floating point numbers and are then
written out according to the assigned variable type.
Stat/Transfer automatically reads your dataset an extra time in order to determine the optimum output
types for each variable and the maximum length of string variables. In almost all cases it is
appropriate to accept the output types that Stat/Transfer chooses. However, there are times that you
may wish to override these defaults and set the output types manually.
Target Types Assigned by Stat/Transfer
When assigning default output variable types, Stat/Transfer attempts to use all of the information at
its disposal about the input data variables in order to preserve numeric precision and, at the same
time, minimize the size of the output data set.

Variables Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 19

When reading numerical variables, Stat/Transfer selects a target output variable type based on the
information available to it. This target variable type is not used for internal storage during the
transfer, but is simply the preferred output type. If this type is not supported in the chosen output file
type, the best approximation will be chosen.
The various target output variable types used by Stat/Transfer are:
Stat/Transfer Target Output Variable Types
byte
int
long
float
double
date
time
date/time
string

one byte signed integer (-128 to 100)

two byte signed integer (-32768 to 32740)
four byte signed integer
four byte IEEE single precision floating point number
eight byte IEEE double precision floating point number
date stored as serial day number (the number of days
since December 30, 1899)
fraction of a day (12:00 noon = .5)
floating point number (integer part - serial day number,
fractional part - time)
character string of a maximum length specified by
the input file.

Remember that the target type will not necessarily be the actual output type. If the target type
assigned to a variable by Stat/Transfer is available as one of the variable types of the output file
format, then that type will be used for the output. If the assigned target type is not one of the available
output types, then a format of the next larger size will be used.

Automatic Optimization of Target Types

Stat/Transfer attempts to produce the smallest possible output data set. After reading your data,
Stat/Transfer will make an optimization pass during the transfer, to determine more information about
each variable and then will assign target output types.
First, before the transfer, information from the data file dictionary is read. Unfortunately, for some
input data types, this information is not sufficient to do anything other than set all of the output
variable types to float.
Stat/Transfer will then make an additional optimization pass through your data. By default this will
occur during the transfer. This pass will only be performed if the file contains any string variables or
if the selected output file type is such that the output file could be made smaller by optimization.
Some output file types, such as Stata, have a rich assortment of storage types and benefit from
optimization. Others, such as worksheets or files that have only one numeric type (SPSS for
example), do not benefit.
Stat/Transfer can determine whether any variables can be represented as integers, and, for those cases,
it can determine the smallest possible integral type that can be used to represent the data. Further, if a
variable cannot be represented by an integral type, Stat/Transfer can automatically determine whether
it can be represented by a float instead of a double without a loss of information. Information on the
maximum length of string variables is also accumulated, so that these can be stored in variables of the
smallest possible length.
In almost all cases it is appropriate to accept the output types that Stat/Transfer chooses. However,
there are times that you may wish to override these defaults and set the output types yourself.

20 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Variables Dialog Box

Optimization, by default, takes place during a transfer. The Optimize button is used to optimize
manually before the transfer. This allows you to see the target types that Stat/Transfer has chosen for
your variables before they are transferred, and to change any output types that you wish. This is
discussed in the next section.

Manually Changing the Types of Output Variables

In most cases it is appropriate to let Stat/Transfer automatically optimize your variables and to
accept the output type that Stat/Transfer chooses. However, there may be times when you wish to
specify the output types for some variables.
Changing Target Output Types
The Variables dialog box displays a list of all of the variables in the input data set. When the input
file is opened, Stat/Transfer assigns target output types based on information in the data file
dictionary and displays them next to the list of variables. These will not be the final target output
type assigned by Stat/Transfer. The final output type will be assigned automatically during the
optimization pass.
You can change the output variable types by using the Optimize button on the right side of the
Variables dialog box after you have selected all of the variables that you wish to transfer.
When you press the Optimize button, the optimization step will take place before the data are
transferred. After the optimization step, you can examine the target types that Stat/Transfer has
chosen for your variables and change any that are not appropriate.
After you press the Optimize button, to see the final target output type, choose one of the variables in
the list box on the left and the output type automatically assigned by Stat/Transfer will be displayed
on the buttons on the right.
If you wish to change the output type for a particular variable, simply click on the new type you want
to assign to that variable.
Quick Variable Type Changer

This feature is useful when you want to change the type of a number of variables, where the new type
is the same for all. The Quick Type Changer dialog box enables you to specify selection criteria for
the variables. This is considerably less tedious for long lists of variables than manually changing
each one.
Selection conditions are entered in the same way as in the Quick Variable Selector box, described
above. They can take the form of the wildcard characters * or ? or you can use variable ranges.
The question mark matches exactly one character, while the asterisk matches more than one. Unlike
standard wildcards, more than one asterisk can be included in a specification. For instance: *inc*
will match any variable with the string inc in any position. Ranges of contiguous variables can be
specified with a dash (without spaces) between two variable names. For instance distance-a9 will
select (or drop) variables distance through a9, inclusive.
Space or comma delimited lists of conditions can be entered at one time. For example:
factor1,cluster,a2-a10,L1*
will select the variables factor1, cluster, a2 through a10, and any variable which starts with the
string l1. The output type for these variables is specified from the drop down menu below the line
specifying the variables.
Automatic optimization will, of course, not take place during your transfer when you have used the
Optimize button.

Variables Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 21

Limitations on Changing Output Variable Types

Output variable types can be changed freely for ASCII files and worksheet files. For all other file
formats, you can change freely among the numeric types of byte, integer, long, float and
double and you can change among the time types. However, conversions between any of the numeric
types and dates or strings are not supported.
You should be careful not to choose a smaller type than that chosen by Stat/Transfer unless you are
sure you know more about your data than Stat/Transfer does.
Remember that you are selecting a target type. If the output data format does not support the
specific type you have selected, then Stat/Transfer will use the best match to the type you have
selected.
You can determine the output variable types supported for each output file type by consulting the
appropriate table in the Supported Programs section.
Handling Mixed Data
If you have mixed data in which some variables need doubles and others do not (for example, you
might have precisely measured dollar amounts, which should be in doubles, along with scales of
survey items, which should be in floats) you should press the Optimize button in order to designate
integers for the right variables and then designate floats and doubles to reflect the appropriate level of
measurement for each variable.
Automatic Dropping of Constants
You can tell Stat/Transfer to automatically drop variables that are constant or missing for a selected
subset of data. You select this option by checking the Drop Constants check box in the Variables
dialog box and then pressing the Optimize button.
This feature is useful when the part of a data set selected for transfer contains variables with values
that are either constant or missing (such as a pregnancy variable when only male subjects are selected
or variables in yearly surveys where the same questions do not appear for each year.)
This feature is not likely to be used often, but is extremely valuable when it is needed. If the data set
has a large number of variables, it can be exceedingly tedious to select only the meaningful ones
manually.
Use Doubles Option
The Use Doubles option tells Stat/Transfer whether or not to put variables with fractional parts into
double or float on output. The default is to have Stat/Transfer use doubles.
If you do not change the default behavior, Stat/Transfer will evaluate each variable to see if it can be
represented as a float without a loss of information and will put only those variables that require it
into a double. This default behavior is the safest option.
However, most data are not measured with more than eight or nine digits of precision (survey data,
for example, never are). Therefore, if you need to save space on output and do not need more
precision, you can change the default behavior, so that only floats are used.
You can reset the Use Doubles option by clicking on the Options tab, selecting General Options and
uncheck the Use Double box. Alternatively, for a single transfer, you can uncheck the Use Double
box at the bottom right of the Variables dialog box and then press the Optimize button.

22 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Variables Dialog Box

Observations Dialog Box

When you click on the Observations tab at the top of the dialog boxes, you will see the
Observations dialog box, which allows you to select specific cases or records from your data set.

The scrolling text box in the upper left corner provides brief, on-screen documentation on how to
select particular data records based on conditions that you specify. The variables of the input data set
are listed in the box at the right of the screen.
At the bottom of the screen is the case-selection field in which you enter the case selection, or
WHERE, expression that will specify cases. This expression gives the conditions on the variables
that will define the subgroup of the data set that you wish to select.
Variable names can be entered in this field by selecting their names from the variable list box. When
you double-click on a variable name it will be copied to the case-selection box.

Selecting Cases from the Input File

The scrolling text box in the upper left corner provides brief, on-screen documentation on how to
select particular data records based on conditions that you specify. The variables of the input data set
are listed in the box at the right of the screen.
At the bottom of the screen is the case-selection field in which you enter the case selection, or
WHERE, expression that will specify cases. This expression gives the conditions on the variables
that will define the subgroup of the data set that you wish to select.
Variable names can be entered in this field by selecting their names from the variable list box. When
you double-click on a variable name it will be copied to the case-selection box.

Observations Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 23

Case-Selection Expressions
The WHERE statement is used to give the conditions on the variables that will define the subgroup of
the data set that you wish to select.
The case-selection, or WHERE, expression, has the following form:
WHERE variable expression relational operator selection condition
Here, variable expression consists of a single variable or an expression involving several variables,
relational operator is one of the operators listed below, while selection condition gives specifications
for the variables to be selected.
Variable Expression
All of the usual arithmetic operators [+ - / * ( ) ] are available for use in this expression.
If variable names used in WHERE expressions contain embedded blanks or characters such as
relational or arithmetic operators like /, then they must be enclosed in single quotes.
Internal Variable

An internal variable, _rownum is available which allows specific rows or records of the data set to
be referenced.
Relational Operators
The following relational operators are available:
=
!=
<
>
<=
>=
&
|
,
!

equals
not equal
less than
greater than
less than or equal
greater than or equal
and
or
or (used in a series)
not

The modulus operator is also available:

%

the remainder after division by the operand following

Selection Conditions
If variable values consist of strings, then when they contain blanks or characters such as /, they must
be enclosed in double quotes.
Examples

Examples of selection conditions given by WHERE expressions are:

where educ = 12 & rate > .2
where (income1 + income2)/famsize < 20000
where income1 >= 20000 | income2 >= 20000
where acct != 2001
where name = smith
where dept-sales = auto loan

24 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Observations Dialog Box

where id % 2 = 0 (which selects all even values of ID)

where _rownum < 200 (which selects rows 1 - 199)
Wildcards in Selection Conditions

Wildcards ( * or ? ) are available to select subgroups of string variables. For example:

where account = ?3*
where name = mc*|name = mac*
Note that when the wildcard ? is used, it replaces a single character, while the wildcard * replaces
an unspecified number of characters. Thus the specification ?3* will select account numbers of any
length that have a three in the second place.
Comma Operator

The comma operator , is used to list different values of the same variable name that will be used as
selection criteria. It allows you to bypass potentially lengthy OR expressions when selecting lists of
values. For example, the WHERE expression above can be more easily written:
where name = mc*,mac*
Other examples are:
where age = 21,31,41,51,61
which will select only the listed ages, and
where caseid != 22*,30??,4?00
which will select all cases except those ids starting with 22, or four character ids starting with 30,
or starting with 4 and ending with 00.
Missing Values

You can test to see if the value of any variable is missing by comparing it to the special internal
variable _missing.
For example
where income != _missing & age != _missing

Preserving WHERE expressions

Ordinarily the WHERE expression is cleared after a transfer operation. If you wish to apply the same
expression to several input files, you can check the box Preserve expression between transfers and
your expression will be available for re-use or editing for your next transfer run.

Sampling Functions
Three functions are available for sampling.
Random Samples

The first function

samp_rand(prop)
allows for simple random sampling. Each case is selected with a probability equal to prop.
Observations Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 25

For example, for a random sample of one tenth of a data set, use:
where samp_rand(.1)
Random Samples of Fixed Size

The second function

samp_fixed(sample_size,total_observations)
allows a random sample of fixed size to be drawn. When using this function, the first case is drawn
with a probability of sample_size/total_observations, and the succeeding ith case is drawn with a
probability of (sample_size - hits) / (total_observations - I).
For example, if you had a data set of 1000 cases and wished for a random sample of 25 cases, you
would specify:
where samp_fixed(25,1000)

Systematic Random Samples

Finally, a third function

samp_syst(interval)
performs a systematic sample of every nth case after a random start. For instance, to take every 6th
case, use:
where samp_syst(6)

Sampling Subsets of the Input Data

Expressions are evaluated from left to right. You can thus sample from a subset of your cases by
subsetting them first and then sampling. For example, to take a random half of high school graduates,
use:
where schooling >= 12 & samp_rand(.5)

Sampling Seed and Reproducible Samples

The random number generator that provides the basis of these sampling routines is rand_port() in
Jerry Dwyer, Quick and Portable Random Number Generators. C Users Journal, June, 1995, pp.
33-44. By default, it is seeded using a permutation of the time of day, and will yield a different
sample on each run.
If you need a reproducible sample, you can generate it by using the same seed each time. The seed is
entered in the General Options of the Options dialog box and should be a positive integer in the
range of 1 through 2,147,483,646.

26 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Observations Dialog Box

Options Dialog Box

General Options
Ask Permission before Overwriting Files
The option Ask Permission Before Overwriting Files is on by default. If a file, or a database table
exists, you will be prompted for permission before it is overwritten.
If you wish to suppress these warning messages, click on the box to remove the check mark.
Write New, Numeric Variable Names (Vn)
When you go from one format to another, by default Stat/Transfer will create legal variable names for
you, based as much as possible on the original names. In particular, when you transfer from systems
such as Paradox or JMP, which allow long variable names with embedded spaces, to older systems
which restrict variable names to eight characters, by default Stat/Transfer will truncate these for you.
However, these truncated names often have little resemblance to the names you started with.
Stat/Transfer will use the variable names as variable labels, so that your original names are available.
If you check the option Write new, numeric variable names. (Vn), instead of the default variable
names, Stat/Transfer will create new variable names of the form V1...VN. This is chiefly useful when
dealing with truncated names. If your output system supports variable labels, it is sometimes better to
check this option and have Stat/Transfer simply create numeric names for your variables. You can
then use the variable labels for the description.
Because this option is likely to be useful only in special circumstances, it reverts to the default
between sessions.
Preserve Value Label Tags and Sets
Many software packages allow users to assign the same set of value labels to more than one variable.
(In SAS, the term for value labels is user-defined format). For example, a survey with a list of
questions with Yes and No responses could use the same set of value labels for the variables
associated with each of these questions.
Options Dialog Box
The Stat/Transfer User Interface 27

If the option Preserve value label tags and sets is checked, the mapping of value label sets to
multiple variables will be preserved on output. If tags are used in the input file to identify value labels
sets, these will be preserved. Otherwise, tags will be constructed by Stat/Transfer (LABA-LABZ and
so on).
If this option is not checked, each labeled variable will have a unique value label set and the tag used
to identify the set will be constructed from the name of the variable.
This option is off by default.
Use Doubles
The Use Doubles box can be checked here if you want Stat/Transfer to use doubles when it optimizes
your output data set. By default, this option is on.
Uncheck the Use Doubles option if you need to minimize the size of your output dataset (particularly
for Stata) and you know that the precision of measurement of all of your variables is less than eight
decimal digits.
Preserve String Widths if Possible
Normally, Stat/Transfer will calculate the minimum string width for each variable and use it in the
output encoding. This ensures that the output file will be as small as possible. This option allows you
to maintain the input string width. This is particularly useful when combining different files.
If this option is checked, Stat/Transfer will use the input width will be used as the output width if it can
do it without losing data. More precisely, the variable width will be the minimum of the string width
and the input width. The output can be greater, but not less than the input width. For plain ASCII
data, it will be the same.
Seed for Sampling Functions
By default, the sampling functions in WHERE expressions will generate a starting seed randomly,
based on the clock time. This means that each time you run a transfer on a given file you will select a
different sample. If, in contrast, you need a reproducible sample, you can enter a seed for the random
sampling process. The seed should be a positive integer in the range of 1 through 2,147,483,646.
Variable Name Case Conversions
Stat/Transfer always follows the variable-naming rules of the output file type and will convert input
names so that they will conform to those rules. Some older packages require upper case variable
names. Other more modern packages allow mixed case variable names. Some packages, notably
Stata, S-PLUS and R allow mixed case variable names, but are case sensitive. In these case-sensitive
systems, if Stat/Transfer were to move data from an upper-case system and do no case-conversion, the
user of the data set would need to always hold down the shift key when typing in variable names.
Stat/Transfer allows you to specify your case conversion preferences for case-insensitive packages as
well as case-sensitive packages.
The available options are given in the drop-down menus for both case-sensitive and case-insensitive
programs and are:
Convert to lower
Preserve if mixed case
Preserve always
Convert to upper
The default for case-insensitive programs is Preserve always.
The default for case-sensitive programs is Preserve if mixed case. This choice is designed to handle
mixed case variable names such as FamilyIncome. If both upper and lower case letter are found in a
variable name, it will be left untouched. Otherwise it will be converted to lower case.
Options Dialog Box
28 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Formats which are considered case-sensitive on output are: Stata, S-PLUS, R, and Matlab.
Formats that require upper-case variable names are: SAS Version 6, SAS XPORT, SPSS Portable,
SYSTAT, Epi Info, and older xBASE versions such as Clipper and dBASE II.
All other formats are case-insensitive.

User Missing Values

User Missing Values
You have some control over the way missing values are treated for input files containing more than
one type. At present the User Missing Values options apply to SPSS files (both Data and Portable)
and OSIRIS. The options are selected with the buttons Use All, Use First or Use None.
Some statistical systems distinguish between system missing, such as the result of a divide by zero,
and user-missing, a numeric value which is defined as a missing value by the user. Further,
particularly in survey research, distinctions are made between user-defined missing values that
represent structurally missing data (such as answers to pregnancy history questions from male
respondents), and those that represent categories of non-response or simply the failure of the
interviewer to
properly collect the data.
Conventionally, zero is used to represent inapplicable missing values, and higher numbers are used
to represent such responses as dont know, refused and not ascertained. While inapplicable
data is analytically equivalent to system missing, there can be legitimate research interest in the
patterns of non-response represented by the other categories of missing data.
Use All By default, when multiple missing values are allowed (as in SPSS, for example) they are
mapped into a single missing value on output. This corresponds to selection of the Use All button.
The mapping to a missing value on output is determined by the option Map to extended (a-z) missing.
Use First If you select Use First, the first user-defined missing value will be mapped to the system
missing value and the rest will be transferred intact to the target data set. Use First will often be the
most useful of the options, since it will allow tabulations in the target package of patterns of nonresponse.
Use None If you choose Use None, then all of the user-defined missing values will be transferred
retaining the input value in the target data set.
Map to extended (a-z) missing
By default (when this option is left unchecked), all user missing values that are selected according the
options for user missing values (Use All/ Use First/Use none) will go to a single missing value
which will then be converted to the system missing value in the target package ( . in SAS or Stata,
for example).
If the option Map to extended (a-z) missing is checked, user missing values will be mapped, if
possible, to extended missing values in target packages that support them (SAS, ASCII, or Stata). By
default, this mapping will be done in order, with the first missing value going into .a, the second into
.b, and so on.
Map using variable labels
If the option Map using variable labels is checked, the first letter of the value label will be used as
the missing value. For instance, if the value 0 is a user missing value and is labeled as
inapplicable, it will be mapped to .i. This mapping will only occur for missing values that are
computed with an equal operator.
If there is no label, or if the missing letter has already been used, the missing value will then be
mapped sequentially to .a - .c.
Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 29

Since current versions of Stata and SAS support the labeling of missing values, this option is less
useful. If you have value labels, it is best to keep it unchecked and rely on the value labels to
differentiate your values.
Note that we believe these options are potentially dangerous. To avoid the chance of users checking
one of these options and then forgetting about it, Stat/Transfer does not save the settings when
options are automatically saved at the end of a session.

Date/Time Formats - Reading

You can control how Stat/Transfer reads dates and time. In most cases, users will not need to change
the default settings in order to read date and time variables. However, if you do need to do so, you
provide a general scanning input format in the Scan edit box, which is used when an ASCII file is
opened for reading. The input format given in Scan is used in the initial look at the file, which will
determine variable types and also specific formats for dates, times, and date/time variables. The
default input format is constructed so that it will decipher a number of different date and time possibilities.
Note that if you are using a Schema file to describe your data, the date and time formats given there
will override the formats set here.
The separate input formats for date, time and date/time variables are given in the Date::, Time:, and
Date/Time: edit boxes. These formats must match those given in the general scanning input format.
(The entries in these edit boxes are used when the data file is being used in a transfer and allow for
much more efficient reading of the file.)
The input format strings given in the Scan:, Date:, Time:, and Date/Time: edit boxes are used to
convert character strings to date/time variables. The format strings are read from left to right. If a width
is given explicitly for a particular variable, that will be used when reading the character string.
Otherwise, the width will be determined by the presence of delimiter characters. Characters in the list
below allow characters in a string to be skipped, if necessary.
If the entire input string is not matched by the format string or if the resulting time or date is not
valid, the variable will be set to missing.
Each date and time part of the input format, as well as some special characters, have the form %char
or %Xchar, where the modifier X is used to determine field widths.
The two different cases of %Xchar are:
%numberchar When a number precedes the specification character, char, it specifies the field width
to be used. The next number characters in the input string are scanned for the specified date or time.
%:delimchar If there is a colon and any single character, delim, preceding the specification
character, char, then the field to be read is taken to be all the characters up to but not including the
given delimiter character, delim. The delimiter itself is not scanned or skipped by the format, and
therefore must be entered explicitly in the input format or explicitly skipped. (Note that the modifier
:delim need not be used routinely, since numeric and alpha formats will automatically stop reading
when they reach a delimiter.)
The characters used to create the input formats are listed below. Anything to be read from the input
character string that is not in the list below, such as commas or other delimiters, must be given
explicitly in the input format. White space (spaces, tabs, carriage returns, and so on) is ignored in the
input format string.
%c
%Nc
%$c
%d
%H
%m

skip a single character (see also %w)

skip N characters
skip the rest of the input string
input day of the month
input hour
input month, as integer or as alpha string.

30 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Options Dialog Box

(If alpha string, case does not matter, and any

substring of a month that distinguishes it from the
other months will be accepted.)

%M
%n
%N

input minute
input milliseconds
input milliseconds or tenths or hundredths of seconds.
(If no field width is given and the input string has
a field width of three, then input will be milliseconds.
A field width of 1, either given explicitly or
inferred from the input string, will cause input
of 10ths of a second; a width of 2 will cause
input of 100ths of a second.)

%p

input strings defining am and pm

(Matching is the same as for months.)

%S
%w
%y

input seconds
skip a whitespace delimited word (see also %c)
input year.
(If less than 100, the century changeover year is
used to determine the actual year.)

%Y
%%,%[,%]
[...]

input year as found in the input string.

input the %, [, and ] characters from the input string.
optional specification.
(Text and specifications within the brackets will be read
if present in the input string, but need not be there. )

The default format for scanning times in text files is:

[%m[/]%d[/][,]%y] [%H:%M[:%S[.%N]][%p][[(]%3c[)]]]
which will recognize such diverse strings as:
May 18 1945
May 18, 1945
5/18/45
05/18/45 2:16 PM
Century Changeover Year
When you are reading two-digit years, some may fall in the twenty-first century and some in the
twentieth. You can use this option to control how two digit years are read. Any two-digit year less
than the changeover year will have the first two digits of the complete four digit year set to 20. Any
year greater than or equal to the changeover year will have the first two digits set to 19.
The default for the option is 20, so that the changeover year from one century to another is 1920.
Thus the date 1/1/01 will be interpreted as January 1, 2001, while the date 1/1/31 will be interpreted
as January 1, 1931.
If your data refer to dates earlier than 1920, such as birth dates, you will need to override the default
behavior and specify a different changeover year. If, for example, you specify 00, this would cause
all two digit dates to be interpreted as years in the twentieth century.

Date/Time Formats - Writing

Stat/Transfer gives you considerable control over how dates and times written to output ASCII files.
You can control the formatting for date values, time values and combined date/time values in the
Date, Time and Date/Time edit boxes.
Output formats that you supply are used to convert date and time values to character strings. Each
Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 31

date or time part of the output format has the form %char. Leading zeros cause the value to print
with leading zeros. For example %0d will print the day of the month with a leading zero.
]\The characters below are used to create the output formats. Anything to be printed in the output
character string that is not in the list below, such as commas, spaces or other delimiters, must be given
explicitly in the output format.
%a
%A
%b
%B
%d
%D
%H
%I
%m
%M
%N
%1N
%2N
%p
%S
%y
%Y
%%

abbreviated weekday
full name of weekday
abbreviated name of month
full name of month
day of the month (1 - 31)
day of the year (1 - 366)
hour (24 hour clock) (0 - 23)
hour (12 hour clock) (1 - 12)
month as number (1 - 12)
minutes (0 - 59)
milliseconds (0 - 999)
tenths of seconds (0 - 10)
hundredths of seconds (0 - 99)
am or pm
seconds (0 - 59)
year as two digits
year as four digits
% character

The default formats for converting dates and times to strings are:
%m/%d/%Y
TDate:
%0H:%0M:%0S
Time:
Date**
%m/%d/%Y %0H:%0M:%0S
should
this be
time?:
Encoding
Options

(5/18/1945)
(14:05:48)
(10/1/1990 02:20:09)

Introduction to Character Encoding

In the early days of computing, characters and numbers were represented by seven (and sometimes
fewer) bits. The most popular of these encodings, ASCII, allowed the representation of upper and
lower case letters, numbers and various symbols. Later, different eight-bit relatives of ASCII were
developed, which allowed the encoding of an additional 128 characters, such as accented letters and
various other symbols. For languages such as Japanese, which required many more characters, other
multi-byte character sets were developed. This resulted in different, incompatible character encoding
systems, even for the encoding of a single languages character set. Fortunately, order is now being
restored to this babel with the proliferation of Unicode, a means of uniformly representing the
characters of all languages.
In Stat/Transfer Versions 10 and 12, all characters are represented internally in Unicode. It is thus
capable of handling strings in any language. However, many of the file formats that Stat/Transfer
supports were written in the days in which ASCII was the way of representing strings. Thus, when
read, they will not give Stat/Transfer information on the code-page that is in use and when they are
written, they have no place for Stat/Transfer to store the code page that was used.
For some file formats, the user will not need to worry about any of this. Excel 97 and above, for
instance, stores characters in Unicode. If you are going to Access or SAS Version 9 or above, no
conversion will be necessary as both of these are Unicode aware.
32 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Options Dialog Box

Your computers operating system maintains a setting of the current working code page. In most
cases applications will use that information to encode characters in a consistent manner. However, if
someone in Japan, or Greece, or Russia sends you a file, you will need to tell Stat/Transfer the
encoding that was used to write their files.
The options on this page provide a way for the user to specify, when necessary, the encoding that is
present in an input file and the one that is desired in an output file.
Input Character Set
In general, unless you are sure of what you are doing, you should leave this option at the default
setting, Use current system default code page. If that is checked, you will be able to see which
code page is in use on your computer. That code page will then be used for files that that do not have
known encoding information. If the encoding of an input file can be determined from the contents of
the file (or its format), that will, of course, override this setting.
If you choose to override the default behavior, you can choose a different encoding by first selecting
the Region and then the Character set. Because Stat/Transfer represents characters internally in
Unicode, any character set can, in principle, be converted on input. However, if you select an
incorrect character set, what you will get is likely to be nonsense. Therefore we strongly urge you to
look carefully at your data in the viewer to make sure that all is well and to make sure that the font
you have selected for the viewer is capable of displaying the characters you need.
Output Character Set
Unless you are sure of what you are doing, you should leave this option at the default setting, Use
current system default code page. This is especially true for the output character set because any
input character set can be converted to our internal representation, Unicode. However, you have to
get it just right when going from Unicode to another single or multi-byte character set or you will be
guaranteed to get total nonsense. For instance, if you have read a Japanese file and then want to
convert it to a multi-byte Chinese character set, Stat/Transfer will simply stop in its tracks since this
is impossible (unless the characters consist only of numbers, simple punctuation, and the letters AZ.)
For file formats that are Unicode-aware (e.g. Excel and SAS 9+), Stat/Transfer will write Unicode,
regardless of how you set this option.
On Encoding Errors
Unicode can represent any character. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for other character sets.
When Stat/Transfer moves character data from its internal Unicode representation to a character set
that can represent fewer characters, there is some probability that some will not fit. For example,
Microsoft applications such as Excel store characters in the their Unicode representation and in some
cases, although it looks like the contents of the data can be represented in a Western European
character set, there are some characters that cannot be encoded. These include the right and left
apostrophes and, often, the Euro sign.
The default behavior when this occurs is Substitute. With this option, Stat/Transfer will substitute
characters for those that cannot be converted. For example, it will substitute a single quote for right
and left apostrophes, and, if necessary, non-accented letters for those with accents. If no substitution
is possible, an underscore will be substituted. If you do not want any substitution performed, you
can check the option Stop, which directs Stat/Transfer to stop on the first conversion error
encountered.
A box allows you to control the substitution character and the option Error limit will limit the
number of permitted substations, which defaults to 100.
Note, if your Western European data have Euro and other currency signs, a good choice for your
single byte output character set is ISO-8850-15, which is a more modern version of ISO

Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 33

ODBC Options
The following options allow you to fine-tune your ODBC transfers. They are generally for advanced
users.
Use NULL instead of empty strings
A null string is a string for which a value has never been entered while an empty string has zero
length. Most databases support both NULL and empty strings (Oracle is the exception which
converts empty strings to NULL strings). If you check this box, Stat/Transfer will write NULLS
instead of empty strings into your database.
Prefer datetime over smalldatetime for MS SQL Server
The smalldatetime type in MS SQL Server represents the dates between Jan 1,1900 to June 6, 2079
with accuracy to a minute. If this is sufficient for your needs and you want to save space, uncheck
this option. The DateTime type, in contrast, represents time values to an accuracy of close to 3
milliseconds and dates back to 1753.
Rows to read when scanning datetime variables
In some databases (including Access) there is only one date type, which can hold dates, times, and
date/time values. Stat/Transfer will, by default, read ten rows of data to determine the type of such
variables. If ten rows are not enough for your data, you can set a higher number here
Prefer (w)varchar over (w)char
On output, if your data are stored in char or its Unicode variant wchar, the length of the field will
be equal to the length of its widest member. On the other hand, varchar is stored in variable length
fields that save storage when the length of the string data varies between cases. In general, you will
want to leave this option at its default and write variable length string types when these are permitted.
Show the name of the table/view owner
A table or view in a database is identified by its owner and its name. If you are in an environment in
which tables with different owners have the same name, you will need to check this option to make
sure that you can select the proper table.
Append to Access and ODBC tables
This option (which is off by default), allows you to append your data to an existing database table.
Stat/Transfer will match as many variables as is possible to those already in the table and add your
data to the matching columns. At least one column must match exactly and the table must be free of
constraints that would prohibit a simple append operation, such as those requiring unique keys.

ASCII/Text Files - Read Options

Delimiter
This option will give you a list of possible delimiters for input ASCII files. You can choose to have
Stat/Transfer automatically sense which delimiter to use or you can choose one from the list: commas,
tabs, spaces or semicolons If you have a delimiter that is not on the list, click on Other and enter the
delimiter you wish to use.
Combine Adjacent Blanks
This option is available for space delimited files only. It is useful if data values are delimited by one
or more blanks or tabs.

34 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Options Dialog Box

The default for Combine adjacent blanks is off. If you turn this option on, you can select
Spaces in which case multiple blanks are treated as one blank, or you can select Spaces and tabs,
in which case multiple instances of tabs and blanks are converted to a single space.
Variable Names
By default, Stat/Transfer will sense whether the first line of your input data set contains field names
or data. You may, if you wish, explicitly override this default.
AutoSense: If this option is set to AutoSense, Stat/Transfer will look at the first and second rows of
data. If there is a change from a string to a number for one or more variables between these rows,
Stat/Transfer will use the first row as the field names. This will fail if your first row contains the field
names, and all of your variables are of the string type. In that case you should choose one of the
following two options:
First Row: When this option is set to First Row, Stat/Transfer uses the data found in your first row
as the field names.
Make Up: When this option is set to Make Up, Stat/Transfer treats the first row in your file as data
and assigns the field names col1 coln.
Numeric Missing Value
It is possible to specify a string that will be interpreted as a missing value when Stat/Transfer reads
ASCII files. For example, your input data set may use the string NA to represent missing values or
it may use a period.
Enter the string that represents missing values in the input data in the Numeric Missing Value field.
If you wish to read extended missing values for either delimited or fixed ASCII files, use the option
below or enter the work extended.
Read Variable Labels from Second Row
If this option is checked, variable labels will be read from the row that follows the variable names
(ordinarily the second row).
Rows to Skip
Enter the number of rows you want to skip at the top of the file. This option is useful for skipping
headings and titles.
Convert extended (a-z) missing values
If this option is checked, the keyword extended will be entered into the Numeric Missing Value
field. When extended is entered, extended missing values (.a - .z, ., and ._) in either delimited
or fixed ASCII files will be read from the file. Note that reading missing values is case-insensitive
(that is, .a and .A, for example, are equivalent).
These extended missing values will be automatically written to the output file for output formats that
support them (SAS and Stata).
String Quote Character
This is the character that is used to enclose string fields in the input data set. The default character is
set as double quotes. You can choose the appropriate character for the input data. However, if string
variables are not enclosed by any character, you can leave this option set at the default double quote.
Maximum Number of Lines to Examine
Stat/Transfer first reads your ASCII data to determine what type of variable is present in each
delimited position. By default it will read your entire data set. If your data are consistent, so that the
first few lines suffice to show each variable type, and your data have enough rows that it actually takes

Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 35

more than a few seconds to examine them all, you might want to set this option to a numeric limit,
such as 50.
Decimal Point
If your data set uses a symbol other than the default period to indicate the decimal point in a number
(a comma, for example), enter the character on the Decimal Point line.
Thousands Separator
If your data set uses a symbol other than the default comma to mark thousands in a number (a period,
for example), enter the character on the Thousands Separator line.

ASCII/Text Files - Write Options

Delimiter
The Delimiter option will give you a list of possible delimiters for output ASCII files. You can
choose a delimiter from the list: commas, tabs, spaces, and semicolons, or if you have a delimiter that
is not on the list, click on Other" and enter the delimiter you wish to use. The default is a comma.
String Quote Character
The character specified here will be written before and after string variables on output. It is typically
a double quote. This character is only strictly necessary if your fields have an embedded delimiter. If
you enter a blank here, string fields will not be enclosed by any character.
Numeric Missing Value
It is possible to specify the string that will be used to represent missing values when Stat/Transfer
writes ASCII files. For example, you may want to create an output file for a program that expects a
specific missing value, such as a period for SAS.
If you want to write a string other than the default blank to represent missing values in the output data
set, then enter that string in the Numeric Missing Value field.
If you wish to write extended missing values for either delimited or fixed ASCII files, use the option
below or enter the word extended.
Write Extended (a-z) Missing Values
If this option is checked, the keyword extended will be entered into the Numeric Missing Value
field. When extended is entered, extended missing values (.a - .z, ., and ._) in either
delimited or fixed ASCII files will be written to either delimited or fixed format ASCII files.
Line Endings
The line endings of ASCII files for Windows differ from those for Unix or OS-X. Windows files
have a carriage return and a line feed at the end of each line, while Unix and Mac files have only a
line feed. If you wish to write an output file for use on a Unix machine or a Mac, then you must tell
Stat/Transfer to write the correct kind of line ending.
The default is Windows. To write Unix and Mac files, select Unix & OS-X from the drop-down
menu.
Write Variable Names in First Row
The option Write Variable Names in First Row is on by default. If you turn it off, field names will
not be written in the first row of delimited ASCII output files.

36 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Options Dialog Box

Generated Programs and Schemas

Write complete paths

This option is used when generating programs to accompany fixed format ASCII files. When Write
complete paths is checked, the complete path specification will be written into the programs for the
output types SAS Program + Data File, SPSS Program + Data File and Stata Program + Data
File. This option is checked by default.
The option Write complete paths is useful if you are going to read in the program and
accompanying ASCII data on your own machine.
However, if you are going to store your data and program archivally or send it to another user, it is
best to leave this option unchecked, so that only the default directory . and the file name are written.
This allows the program to be more easily moved to another machine, since it can be executed by
setting the default directory rather than editing the program.
Shorten names and labels for older versions

If this option is left unchecked (the default) programs will be written for the latest version of SAS,
SPSS and Stata, using the longest possible variable names and labels.
On the other hand, if the option Shorten names and labels for older versions is checked, variable
names will be truncated to a width of eight characters, if necessary, and labels will be suitable for
older versions of the software. Use this option if you want to maximize compatibility.
Preserve Input Widths

By default, Stat/Transfer will optimize your data and write fixed format ASCII data into the
narrowest width that is possible. Stat/Transfer also formats ASCII data using a format in which the
decimal point is allowed to float.
In some cases, particularly for SPSS files that were originally created from fixed format ASCII data
or for fixed format data read with a Stat/Transfer Schema, the input file will contain enough
information to skip the optimization step and write out a file that has the same widths as the data that
were originally input to SPSS. If this is the case for your data and you want fixed decimals and the
original widths, check this option.
Note that for most other file formats, this option will result in incorrect output. You should check
your results and use this option at your own risk.

Reading SAS Value Labels

Stat/Transfer can read SAS user-defined formats (value labels) directly from a Windows SAS catalog
file, from a catalog or data set in a CPORT library, from SAS data files for all supported platforms,
and from a SAS Transport library.
SAS Value Labels - Reading
You can choose whether and how user-defined formats are to be read using the selections from the
drop down menu.
Do not read formats
If this option, the default, is selected, no formats will be read.
Read directly from a catalog file (.sas7bcat)
If you have a Windows SAS catalog file containing formats and wish to read them, select Read
directly from a catalog file.

Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 37

If this option is selected, the entry %ipath%/formats.sas7bcat will automatically appear in the Name
box below the SAS Value Labels - Reading box. This instructs Stat/Transfer to look for a file
named formats.sas7bdat in the same directory as your data file.
You can change the path if your file is in a different location.
Read from a catalog in a CPORT Library (.stc)
Select this option if you have a Windows CPORT library file that contains the formats for your data
set. (Your data will usually be read from a CPORT file as well, but need not be.)
If this option is selected, the entry %ipath%/%iname.stc will automatically appear in the Name box
below the SAS Value Labels - Reading box. This instructs Stat/Transfer to look for a file with the
same name as your input file and the extension .stc, in the same directory as your data file.
You can change the path if your file is in a different location.
If the Use default catalog name box is checked, Stat/Transfer will look in the CPORT file for a
catalog named formats, which is the SAS default. If you would like to read your formats from a
different catalog, uncheck the box, and then click on the Read Library button to get a list of catalogs
in the CPORT file. You can then select the catalog that contains the formats that are appropriate for your
data.
Read a SAS datafile (.sas7bdat)
The selection, Read a SAS datafile, is the appropriate option if you are working on a SAS platform
other than Windows and wish to read user-defined formats. As described in the Supported Programs
section SAS Value Labels, for cases where you are not working in Windows, Stat/Transfer can read
user-defined formats that are produced in SAS data set form by PROC FORMAT using the cntlout
keyword.
When this option is selected, then by default, Stat/Transfer will look in the same directory as your
input data set for a file named sas_fmts.ext, where .ext is the extension of your input file. If you
would like to use a file located somewhere else or with a different name, you can change it in the
Name box below the SAS Value Labels - Reading box. You can type in a complete file
specification, or you can use the macros below as part of the file specification.
%ipath%
%iname%
%iext%

The path, including the directory, of the input file

The name, without the extension, of the input file
The extension, without the dot, of the input file

Read from a dataset in a CPORT Library (.stc)

This option is appropriate if your formats were written with the cntlout option of PROC FORMAT
into a CPORT library.
If this option is selected, the entry %ipath%/%iname.stc will automatically appear in the Name box
below the SAS Value Labels - Reading box. This instructs Stat/Transfer to look in the same
directory as your data file for a file with the same name as your input file and the extension .stc.
You can change the path if your file is in a different location.
If the Use default dataset name box is checked, Stat/Transfer will look in the CPORT file for a data
set named sas_fmts. If you would like to read your formats from a different data set, uncheck the
box, and then click on the Read Library button to get list of data sets in the CPORT file. You can
then check the data set that contains the formats that are appropriate for your data.
Read from a SAS Transport Library (.tpt)
This option is appropriate if your formats were written with the cntlout option of PROC FORMAT
into a Transport library. This is a very good way of transporting formats from an unsupported
platform, such as IBM mainframe SAS.
38 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Options Dialog Box

If this option is selected, the entry %ipath%/%iname.tpt will automatically appear in the Name box
below the SAS Value Labels - Reading box. This instructs Stat/Transfer to look for a file with the
same name as your input file and the extension .tpt, in the same directory as your data file. You can
change the path if your file is in a different location.
If the box Use default member names is checked, Stat/Transfer will look in the Transport file for a
member named sas_fmts. If you would like to read your formats from a different member, uncheck
the box, and then click on the Read Library button to get a list of members in the Transport file.
You can then check the member that contains the formats that are appropriate for your data.
Continue if the Format File is not Found
If Stat/Transfer is told to look for a user-defined format file of some type and the file containing the
labels is not found when a transfer is initiated, by default the transfer will stop and an error message
will be generated.
If the box Continue if the format file is not found is checked, processing will continue in spite of
the error. Value labels will not be written to the output file.
Continue if there is an Error Processing Formats
This will instruct Stat/Transfer to continue processing if there is an error reading the format file or if
no matching formats are found in the file.

Writing SAS Value Labels

Write a PROC FORMAT program
Stat/Transfer can optionally write a PROC FORMAT program that you can use to import value labels
from other systems into SAS. To turn on this option, check the Write a Proc Format Program box.
The program file will by default be written to the same directory as your output data file, with the
same name as your output file, but with the extension .sas. You can change this default in the
Filename edit box. You can type in a complete file specification, or you can use the macros below as
part of the file specification.
%opath%
%oname%
%oext%

The path, including the directory of the output file

The name, without the extension, of the output file
The extension, without the dot, of the output file

Worksheets
You have several options to specify what part of an input worksheet to read and how to read variable
names.
Data Range

You can choose different ranges to be read in input worksheets by using the Data Range drop-down menu.
AutoSense This option is the default selection. When it is selected, Stat/Transfer will read to
the first non-blank cell and use that as the upper left corner of the data range. By default, it will
then read data until it encounters an entirely blank line. This default behavior with regard to
blank rows can be changed using the Blank Rows options given below.
Specify Named Range You can change the default Autosense behavior by specifying a named
range. If you select the option Specify Named Range, then the Range line will become active
and you must enter the name of a named range in your worksheet.
Specify Explicit Range You can also change the default behavior by specifying an explicit range.
If you select this option, then the Range line will become active and you must enter explicit
coordinates that define the range (such as C3:F280).
Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 39

When a range has been specified by either one of these methods, Stat/Transfers default treatment of
entirely blank rows will also be overridden. They will be returned in your output data and, in addition,
blank rows at the end, through the last row of the specified range, will also be returned. Note that
because this option generally only applies to specific worksheets and because Stat/Transfers defaults
usually work fine, the setting is not saved between sessions.
Field Name Row

By default, Stat/Transfer will attempt to autosense whether or not the data in the first non-blank row
(or the first row of a specified range) are variable names or the first row of data. It does so by looking
for at least one column in which there is a string in the first row and a number in the second. If this
behavior is inappropriate for your worksheet (for example, if you have only string data), you can
override it. Note that the setting is not saved between sessions.
You can specify one of the following options from the Field Name Row drop-down menu: AutoSense
The default behavior.
First Non-Blank Row This option will take the values in the first non-blank row as the field
names even if there is no change to a numeric type in the second row.
No Names in Worksheet This option will treat the first non-blank row as data. Stat/Transfer will
assign variable names col1 through coln.
Specify Row Explicitly This option will take the field names from a specified row. If you
select Specify Row Explicitly from the drop-down menu, then the Row line will become
active and you must enter a row.
Blank Rows

This option menu is used when Autosense is chosen for the Data Range option.
Stop Reading This is the default behavior. After finding the beginning of the data by identifying
the first non-blank cell, Stat/Transfer will read data until it encounters an entirely blank line. It
will end the transfer at this point.
Skip Blank Rows If the option Skip Blank Rows is chosen, Stat/Transfer will read the entire
worksheet page, searching for and returning further non-blank rows. However, any blank rows that
it finds will not be written out.
Return Blank Rows If this option is selected, then all rows of the input worksheet page
including blank ones will be written to the output file. This option may return unexpected blank
rows from the end of a page that contains formatting but no data.
Read Variable Labels from Second Row

If this option is checked, variable labels will be read from the row immediately following the variable
name row, typically the second row.
Write Variable Labels to the Second Row

This option will write variable labels, if present, to the second row of the worksheet. If there are no
variable labels present in the file, this option will have no effect.
Numeric Missing Value

If there is a string in your worksheet, such as NA, that you would like to have treated as a numeric
missing value, enter it here. Note that a single . is treated as missing by default.
Concatenate Worksheet Pages

The option Concatenate Worksheet Pages allows you to combine worksheet pages into a single
output file. This option is appropriate if your worksheet contains many sheets that are identical in
structure. These can be then be combined into a single output file of any type.
For example, you may have a workbook that has 50 sheets, with one sheet for each state and the same
variables on each sheet. If you check this box, Stat/Transfer will effectively combine the sheets into
Options Dialog Box
40 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

one large input file, dropping the field names, if necessary, on the second and higher sheets. You will
end up with the data from all of your worksheet pages in a single output file.
Output Fieldname Row

This check box controls whether or not your field names will be written as the first row of the output
worksheet. By default it is checked.

JMP Options
Write value labels to JMP files
If this option is checked Stat/Transfer will write value labels to the output JMP file.
Use custom properties as variable labels
JMP allows users to assign custom text strings to columns. Check this box if you would like
Stat/Transfer to use that text as value labels for your variables.

R and S-PLUS Options

Convert R and S-Plus factors
Both R and S-plus have a type known as a factor. This consists of an ordered set of zero-based
numbers [0n] with a corresponding set of alphanumeric labels. For instance, a factor representing
yes and no survey responses could be represented by a vector of zeros and ones and a vector of
strings yes and no where 0= yes and 1 = no.
Since factors have no direct analog in other statistical systems, you can choose to represent them in
one of two ways.
Numeric variables with labeled values: If you choose Numeric variables with labeled values,
Stat/Transfer will create a value label set and map it onto the numeric values. This is an appropriate
choice for transferring the data into output formats that support value labels, such as SPSS, Stata, or
SAS.
String variable: If you choose String Variables, Stat/Transfer will match the numeric variable to its
string equivalent and write the string into your output dataset.
Write version one string missing
If you are using Version One of R, check this option and the appropriate value will be written for null
or missing strings. If you are using a later version of R, leave this unchecked.

RATS Options - Writing

RATS options are not "sticky". They must be set before each file transfer. Also, because they may
involve selecting variables from the input file, that file must be selected before they are set.
Start date and frequency
The default, Use first date variable, will use the first date variable in the file. By default it will
autosense the frequency from that variable. If you wish to use another frequency, go to the
Frequency box and select Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly or Annual.
If you have more than one date variable in your file and wish to use one other than the first, check
Use specified date variable and then go to the For Start Date box and select the appropriate one
from the list. If you do not wish to use the frequency default, Autosense, go to the Frequency box
and select from the list.

Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 41

If there are no date variables in your file, or you do not want to use them to specify the output
frequency, check the Specify a start date option. You can then select a specific frequency from the
Frequency list and also enter a start date in the Select start date box.

Output Options (1)

SAS Data Representation
Stat/Transfer can write SAS files in formats that are appropriate for using with SAS on a variety of
different platforms. You can control the kind of SAS file you write by using this option. The available
formats are equivalent to SAS OUTREP values for the various platforms.
The default representation is Windows, which is appropriate for 32 bit Windows platforms.
Stata Version
With the option Stata Version, you select the version you wish to use for your chosen Stata output
type. You cannot select an output version lower than seven if you have chosen to write Stata/SE
output.
Note that the type of Stata file is chosen in the Transfer dialog box. For Version 7 and higher, Stata
comes in two flavors (Standard Stata and Stata SE or Special Edition). These differ in their limits for
the number of output variables and the maximum permitted length of string variables. You select
whether you want Stata Standard Edition or SE using the Output File Type drop-down menu in the
Transfer dialog box.
Write Matlab Date/Time as strings
By default, Stat/Transfer will write dates, times or datetime variables into Matlab as numbers. Dates
are serial date numbers with a base of Jan 1, 0000. Times are fractions of the day and date/time values
are the sum of these two components.
You will need to use internal Matlab functions to turn these numbers into something readable. If you
are not planning to do any computations on your dates, you can check this option and S tat/Transfer
will write your date values as formatted strings in your Matlab file.
Add descriptions to value labels (/) for Statistica 7+ files
Statistica has, in addition to value labels for variables, a description field. If you check this option,
the output value labels will be formed from the input value label plus the description, if it is available.

Output Options (2)

These options control how Stat/Transfer constructs the names in the output section of the Transfer
dialog box from the information in the input section. Despite the setting of these options, you can
always edit the names that Stat/Transfer constructs for you.
Output table/member name rule for spaces
This option tells Stat/Transfer how to handle spaces in table or SAS member names. The default is to
translate spaces into underscores.
You can choose to leave them untranslated or to have Stat/Transfer warn you if there are spaces. We
do not recommend leaving spaces untranslated.
Output file name rule for invalid characters
This option tells Stat/Transfer what to do when there are invalid characters in output file names.
Stat/Transfer will, by default, translate characters that are invalid in file names into underscores.
42 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Options Dialog Box

You can, instead, choose to leave them as they are, or you can have Stat/Transfer issue a warning.
Output file name case
You can choose how you would like Stat/Transfer to handle case conversion in your file names.
The default is Smart case conversion, in which filenames in mixed case are preserved and those
in all upper are converted to lower.
In addition to this option, you can choose to have Stat/Transfer preserve the case of your file names,
convert them to lower case, or convert them to upper case.
These options are not "sticky". They must be set before each file transfer. The input file must be
selected before they are set.
gretl Row Labels
Use these options to control which variable, if any, is used for the row label in gretl files.
Use first date or string variable uses the first date or string variable encountered in the file.
None does not write a row label at all.
Selected allows you to select a specific date or string variable from the drop down list below. This
list will not be available until you select your input file from the Transfer screen.

User Interface Options

Value Labels Browser
If your input file has value labels, you can display them, for each variable, on the Variables dialog
box by checking this option. You can choose to have the value labels displayed in a Vertical area,
just to the right of the variable names or in a Horizontal area, below the variable names. The
default is to display the value labels in a horizontal box below the variable names.
File History Length

Stat/Transfer stores a history of the files that you have read for each Input File Type. You can control the
number of files that are stored with this option. The default is ten specifications for each file type.
Add Time and Date to log messages
If this is checked, the time and date will be written to each line of your log.
Clear Log before opening input file
By default, the messages that are written to the Log dialog box are cleared when a new file is
opened. You can override this behavior and save all messages by unchecking this box. Note that if
you are concerned with permanently documenting your transfer activities, you should use the
Automatic Transfer Logging option that will automatically write a log to disk for each transfer.
Stat/Transfer GUI font
This controls the font that is used in the Stat/Transfer user interface (GUI). It will be dependent on
your operating system. You can use the Choose Font button to call up a dialog box that will allow
you to choose a different font. After you make your selection, you will need to close and then restart
Stat/Transfer for your change to take effect. Note that you can get seriously ugly results by
choosing an inappropriate font. It is a good idea to remember the font that you started with.

Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 43

Default Directories
These options allow you to control which directories will appear by default in the input and output
file selection controls on the Transfer Screen.
Input File Directory
Last Used opens the file selection control in the same directory as the last input file that was selected
and transferred.
Fixed Directory allows you to choose a directory. This will be useful if your input files almost
always come from the same directory.
Output File Directory
Same as Input constructs an output file specification from the input file directory, the input file name,
and the appropriate extension for the output file format. In addition, the drop down list under the file
specification will contain a list of file specifications constructed from a most recently used list of
output directories.
Last Used constructs the file specification from the last used output directory. The drop down list of
other previously used paths will still be available.
Fixed Directory, will construct the output file specification from a constant directory of your own
choosing.

Data Viewer Options

Long String Viewer
The long string viewer allows you to see strings that are too long to be viewed at the current
column width.
Show Long String Viewer

By default, the viewer is on. To use it, simply left click on the cell you want to examine and a
viewing window will display the string. To disable it, uncheck the Show Long String Viewer
option.
Hide Automatically

By default, the viewing window will close automatically when your cursor leaves the cell that
contains the string you are viewing. To turn off this behavior, uncheck the Hide Automatically
option.
Long String Viewer Width

The value entered here gives the maximum number of characters that will be displayed on a line of
the long string viewer. If more characters are needed, the string will be wrapped in a box of the
given width. If fewer are needed the size of the viewer window will be adjusted downward to fit.
Maximum Length Displayed

This is the maximum string width that will be displayed in the long string viewer. Note that the
maximum length of a string in Stat/Transfer is 32767 characters.
Variable Info Viewer
If you click on the variable name at the top of the grid, a Variable Info Viewer box will open up
that will show you the variable name, its type and, if available, its label.
Show Variable Info Viewer

The Variable Info Viewer box is on by default. You can turn off this feature by unchecking the box.
Hide Automatically

44 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Options Dialog Box

By default, the viewing window will close automatically when your cursor leaves the cell that
contains the variable you are viewing. To turn off this behavior, uncheck the Hide Automatically
option.
Autosize Column Names
The columns in the data viewer are sized to accommodate the width of the data. By checking this
box, you can have the columns sized to accommodate the variable names.
Data Viewer Font
You can use this option to control the font that is used in the data viewer. Note that if you are
displaying international character sets, you should choose a Unicode font, or at the very least a font
that is capable of displaying the characters that are present in your data.

Stat/Transfer Program Generation

These options control the generation of command processor programs by the Stat/Transfer user
interface, whether automatically at the end of each transfer or manually, when the Save Program
button is pressed by the user.
The programs will contain all options that are necessary to completely reproduce the transfer and
are useful not only to re-run your transfer in the future, but also, together with the log files, as
documentation of your work. The programs can be re-run by opening them in the Run Program
dialog box, or by running them directly from the operating system or the command processor itself.
Automatically generate command processor program
If this option is checked a program will be generated at the conclusion of each transfer operation.
This program will contain all of the settings that are necessary to reproduce your transfer operation.
If you would like a program to be generated after each transfer, check this option. It is unchecked
by default.
Filename
When this option is selected, by default Stat/Transfer will write the file to the same directory as your
output file and give it the same name as your output file, but with a .stcmd extension. If you would
like to change the location or the name, you can do so in the Filename edit box. Because this will
be used for every transfer, you should not type in a specific name, but you can, if you wish, use a
specific directory. We recommend that you use the following macros to specify the file name and
also to specify a directory if you do not choose a specific one.
%ipath%
%iname%
%opath%
%oname%

The path, including the drive (on Windows), of the input data file
The name, without the extension, of the input data file
The path, including the drive (on Windows), of the output data file
The name, without the extension, of the output data

file You should always use the .stcmd extension.

The default filename is %opath%/%oname%.stcmd.
Ask Permission before overwriting the program file
This option controls automatic program generation. If checked (the default) you will be prompted
before program files are overwritten.
Ask Permission before overwriting the output file
This option controls the overwrite option that will be written to a generated program, both for
Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 45

automatically generated programs and those generated from the Save Program button on the
Transfer dialog box.
If checked, the default, when the program is run you will be asked permission before an output data
set is overwritten. If it is not checked the -y option will be appended to the copy command in the
program so your output data files will be overwritten without prompting.
Insert Quit at end of program
If this option is checked, programs run from the command processor prompt or the operating
system will cause the Stat/Transfer command processor to terminate at their conclusion. It will not
affect the behavior of programs run from the Run Program dialog box.
This option is checked by default because it allows you, for example, to click on a program in
Windows Explorer to have it run and then cleanly terminate. However, you may wish to keep the
command processor open to examine the results, or run other programs, or execute a series of
programs from another. In that case, you would not want quit to be inserted at the end of your
programs.

Automatic Transfer Logging

Stat/Transfer always writes a log that is displayed in the Log dialog box. You can view it and, if
you would like, manually save it to disk. However, the options described here control a different
feature that will automatically write a log file to disk every time you do a data transfer.
Always write a log file
To turn on this feature, check the option Always write a log file.
Filename
By default the log file will have the same path and name as the output file, but will have the
extension
.stlog. You can change this behavior by entering a different value in the Filename field. You can use
the following macros:
%ipath%
%iname%
%opath%
%oname%

The path, including the drive (on Windows), of the input data file
The name, without the extension, of the input data file
The path, including the drive (on Windows), of the output data file
The name, without the extension, of the output data file

If log file exists

This option controls what happens if the log file exists in the location that you have specified. The
possible values are:
Prompt before overwriting
Overwrite without asking
Append to existing log
The last option, Append to existing log, is the default.

Restoring and Saving Options

Restore Default
The Restore Default button resets all of the options to their default values.
Restore Saved
46 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Options Dialog Box

The Restore Saved button replaces the currently selected options in the dialog boxes with those
stored the last time the options were saved, either from an explicit save with the Save button or from
your last exit from Stat/Transfer.
Save
The Save button saves all of the current options, with the exception of the Write New, Numeric
Variable Name option, the User Missing Value selections, and the options for Input Worksheets:
Data Range and Input Worksheets: Field Name Row. This is the same behavior that occurs when
you quit a Stat/Transfer session.

Advanced ODBC Options

User Name (UID)
Password (PSW)
On Windows, you will not need to use these options at all, since the ODBC driver manager will
prompt you, if necessary.
On Linux and Macintosh, some drivers don't prompt (FileMaker is one of these), and you will need to
enter your database user name and password here. For security reasons, Stat/Transfer will not store
these options.
The following options are for advanced users only.
Use Unicode version of SQL API and SQL_C_WCHAR if possible
On Windows, this should always be checked. If it is checked, the Unicode version of the ODBC API
and a wide character type will be used.
On Mac and on Unix, some older drivers do not properly support Unicode. If you are having
difficulties with the Unicode default, this option should unchecked. If you uncheck it, you may have
to review your driver's documentation and set the Session Encoding to a character set that is
supported by your driver

SQL statement
These options (separately for reading and writing) allow you to enter an SQL statement that will be
executed before the select statement on read and before any data are written on write. Your statement
cannot return any data. For example, you can execute a Drop Table or set commands for your
database.

Options Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 47

Run Program Dialog Box

You can load, edit and run a Stat/Transfer command processor program directly from this tab in the
user interface. Typically, these will be programs that have been automatically generated by the user
interface, but you can run any Stat/Transfer program from this window.

Creating a Program Automatically from the User Interface

You can generate a program for the command processor by pressing the Save Program button on the
Transfer dialog box after the transfer is complete or by setting an option to activate automatic
program generation.
When this program is written, it keeps all of the selections you have entered in the dialog boxes and it
translates all of the options that you have specified in the Options dialog box into their equivalent
command processor settings. See the section Saving a Stat/Transfer Program for details.

Creating a Program Manually

You can manually create Stat/Transfer command programs as ASCII documents. Commands are
entered into the document just as they would be if you were using the command processor and
entering them at the Stat/Transfer prompt. See the Command Processor section, Page 50, for
details.

Running a Program
Begin by pressing the Open button and selecting the program you wish to use. The program will
appear in the top window of the screen, where it can be viewed and, if necessary, edited. If you make
any changes to the program, the Save button will become active and a Save as dialog box will allow
you to save the program back to disk.
To run the program, click on the Run button. Output from the command processor will appear in the
Output window. If you want to stop a program in mid-run, click on the Stop button.
Log Dialog Box
48 The Stat/Transfer User Interface

Log Dialog Box

Click on the Log tab and you will see the Stat/Transfer Log dialog box.

This feature gives information on what is occurring during a transfer and allows better technical
support.
When you carry out a transfer with the user interface, Stat/Transfer will write status, progress and
error messages, which can be read as the transfer progresses and can be saved to a file. In case of
errors or problems, this file can be sent to Circle Systems technical support, [email protected].

Stat/Transfer Log
The log messages for a single session of Stat/Transfer will appear in the Stat/Transfer Log window.
You can, if you wish, save these messages to a permanent file.

Log Level
This option is designed to determine the information that is written to the log window during a
transfer. Currently these settings control the error messages for SAS catalog reading only. Their
coverage will be expanded in the future.
The options are: Critical Errors Only, Information and Errors, Verbose.

Run Program Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 49

Save Log File

If you want to save the log that is written to the Stat/Transfer log window, click on the Save button.
The entry %opath%/%oname.stlog will automatically appear in the Name box. This instructs
Stat/Transfer to write the log file to the same directory and with the same name as your output file,
with the extension .stlog.
If you wish to use a different name, change it in the Name box.
The messages will then be saved to a file.

Clear Log
You can clear the contents of the log by pressing the Clear Log button.

Send Error Report

If you are experiencing a problem with Stat/Transfer, you can send an error report to our support
department, by clicking Send error report.
When you click this button, another window will open, in which you can enter a complete description
of the problem, your name and your email address. This message as well as your log file will be sent
to Support at Circle Systems when you click the Send the data button.
You can, if you wish, also send the input file that is causing the problem. When you check the Send
the input file to Circle Systems box, your input file will be sent along with the rest of the
information. By default the file will be sent in a compressed and encrypted format. Including the
input file will generally make it easier for Support to troubleshoot your problem.

50 The Command Processor

The Command Processor

Stat/Transfer has a command processor that will perform transfers using a copy-like syntax and which
allows batch jobs to be run for repetitive transfers. You can select variables and cases,
automatically optimize the output variable types, or change output types manually.
You can give commands to the Stat/Transfer command processor in different ways: directly (at the
Stat/Transfer prompt, or at the operating system prompt), or from a stored command file.

Starting the Command Processor

Starting from Windows
Go to the shortcut Stat/Transfer Command Processor in the Stat/Transfer folder under Programs
on the Start menu.
The Stat/Transfer prompt will appear.
Starting from the Operating System Prompt
You can also call the command processor directly from the operating system prompt, by typing st.
The Stat/Transfer prompt will appear.
When you call the program, you will either need to be in the directory in which you installed
Stat/Transfer, or have that directory on your path, or precede st by the path to Stat/Transfer.
Starting Transfers from the Operating System Prompt
You can run a transfer directly from the operating system prompt. If you give the st command and
you give input and output file names, or a command file name, you will carry out an immediate data
transfer, without seeing the Stat/Transfer prompt.

Log Dialog Box

The Stat/Transfer User Interface 51

The Copy Command

Transfers from the Command Processor
The basic command used when running the Stat/Transfer command processor is COPY, which has
the following form:
COPY infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2

-x1 -x2

where infilename.ex1 and outfilename.ex2 are the input and output files, respectively and .ex1 and
.ex2 are standard extensions used to determine the file types. (See Page 54 for standard extensions.)
The file names can be complete file specifications.
An alternative for specifying the file type is to use a file-type tag instead of a standard extension.
This is discussed on Page 54.
Parameters -xi following the file names allow some options to be selected, such as automatic
optimization of variables or suppression of warning messages. See Page 57.
You can give additional commands before you give the COPY command. These allow you to select
cases and variables, to manually change output variable types and to set a number of options. See
Pages 67 - 70. (Note that these commands can be given only at the Stat/Transfer prompt or in a
command file or in a start-up file. They cannot be used when running interactively from the
operating system prompt.)
If no commands for selecting cases or variables are given, then by default, all of the variables and
cases will be transferred.
For example, to copy all of the variables and all of the cases from an Excel file, indata.xls, to a SAS
file, outdata.sas7bdat, type:
copy indata.xls outdata.sd2
where the file type is given by using standard extensions.
Instead of entering commands directly, you can store them in a command file and execute that file at
the Stat/Transfer prompt. See Page 75.

Wildcard Transfers
Wildcards can be used to copy multiple files in one transfer. For example:
copy in/*.dta out/*.sas7bdat
will convert all of the Stata files in the directory /in to SAS files in the directory /out.
Standard wildcards work in the input file (? and * ). The output filename should always be
specified with an asterisk and will be consist of the input filename, with the new extension.
We recommend that you use wildcard specifications with an input directory that contains just the files
you wish to transfer. To avoid the possibility of overwriting existing files or of being prompted about
this possibility, the directory should be empty on the output side. You may also specify the -y
parameter, to suppress prompting, but you should do so with extreme caution.

52 The Command Processor

The Copy Command

Transfers from the Operating System Prompt

You can run a transfer directly from the operating system (OS) prompt or you can execute a
command file.
If you wish to run a transfer directly from the OS prompt, then the COPY command is implicit, and
(if the command processor is on your path) you type the following:
ST infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2 -x1 -x2 ...
where infilename.ex1 and outfilename.ex2 are the input and output files, respectively, just as they are
for the COPY command used within the command processor. File-type tags are used in the same
way, as well.
In order to run a transfer from the command line, you will either need to be in the directory in which
you installed Stat/Transfer, or have that directory on your path, or precede st by the path to
Stat/Transfer.
The same parameters, -xi, that are used from within the command processor from the Stat/Transfer
prompt, are also used at the OS prompt.
When a transfer is run directly from the OS prompt, variable selection and case selection are not
possible. All variables and all cases will be transferred. Carrying out a transfer from the OS
command line is equivalent to copying the file from one format to another.
For example, to transfer all of the variables and cases from an Excel file, indata.xls to a Stata file,
outdata.dta, type:
st indata.xls outdata.dta
Options set with SET commands are available only if they are included in a startup options file.
Wildcard transfers can be specified from the OS prompt, just as they are from the st prompt.

The Copy Command

The Command Processor 53

Combining Files
If you wish to combine multiple input files into a single output file, use the COMBINE command
instead of the COPY command:
COMBINE *.ex1 filename.ex2 -[f[+]filename]
where *.ex1 are the input files to be combined (all in the same directory), filename.ex2 is the output
file and .ex1 and .ex2 are standard extensions used to specify the file types. The parameter
-[f[+]filename] is described below. The input files will be concatenated into one output file.
The syntax for this command is similar to that of the COPY command using wildcards, except that
the output file specification does not contain a wildcard.
The files to be combined do not need to have identical variables and the variables do not need to be in
the same order.
By default, the first file in alphabetical order becomes the reference file and the variables in this file
and their characteristics determine the structure of the output file. The variables in succeeding files
are then matched to the first file. If a file does not have a variable with a matching name or the type
of the variable does not match, it will not be included in the output.
The switch -f allows you to specify which file will be used as the reference file. For example, if
you have file1, file2, and file3 as input and you want to use file3 instead of file1 as the reference, you
would specify -ffile3. Note that you use the file name without the extension.
The file name itself may contain some information about the data in the file. For example, you might
have input files with data for each state, with files named with the state name. In such cases, you may
wish to have an additional variable created from the input file names and written to the output file.
The parameter -f+ tells Stat/Transfer to create a new variable from the input file names. This can be
combined with the reference file specification. For example, -f+file3 tells Stat/Transfer to use file3
as the reference file and to create a new output variable from the input file names.
All of the options used with the COPY command can be used with the COMBINE command.

54 The Command Processor

Specifying the File Type

Specifying the File Type

File Format Specification
Standard Extensions and File-Type Tags
When a COPY command is given, Stat/Transfer tries to determine the file types of both the input and
output files by looking for standard extensions.
An alternative for specifying the file type is to use a file-type tag instead of a standard extension.
In some cases, this tag is needed even when standard extensions are used.
See the table below for a list of the standard extensions and file-type tags used by Stat/Transfer, or a
list of standard extensions and file-type tags can be obtained by typing:
help formats
at the command prompt.
Standard Extensions
If you use standard file extensions for your input and output file names, these will usually tell the
Stat/Transfer command processor what kind of file is to be read or written. Occasionally you will
need to add a file-type tag as well.
File-Type Tags
File-type tags are needed in two different situations:
For output files when the standard extension for different versions of a file type is the same.
For file names that do not have standard extensions.
Distinguishing Versions of an Output File Type

In those cases where different versions of a given file type use the same standard extension, the
standard extension will not enable Stat/Transfer to distinguish between different versions on output.
To write a version other than the default version, the output file name must be preceded by a file-type
tag, which identifies the appropriate output version. Note that for JMP files, a file type tag may be
necessary on input as well.
For example, Stata and Stata/SE both have the standard extension .dta. By default, if the output file
name has the extension dta, a standard Stata file will be written. If you wish to write a Stata/SE file,
then the output file name must be preceded by the file-type tag stata/se.
Whenever the same standard extension appears in the table below for different versions of a given file
type, you must use a file-type tag. The default version is marked with an asterisk.
File Names without Standard Extensions

If your file does not have a standard extension, you must precede the file name by a file-type tag,
which indicates the file type.
For example, if you want to write a Windows SAS file that has a .dat extension instead of an
.sas7bdat extension, you can type
copy indata.xls sas outdata.dat
where the file-type tag sas indicates that the output file is to be a SAS Windows file, while the
standard extension .xls identifies the input file as an Excel worksheet.

Combining Files

The Command Processor 55

Standard extensions and file-type tags used by the Command Processor

File Type

Standard
Extension

1-2-3
wk?
Access
mdb txt,
ASCII - Delimited
csv
ASCII - Delimited with Schema
stsd (Schema file)
sts (Schema file)
ASCII - Fixed with Schema
dbf
dBASE and compatibles
DDI Schemas
xml
Epi Info
rec
Excel 2007
xlsx
Excel 97+
xls
Excel Version 2
xls
FoxPro
dbf
Gauss 96
dat
HTML
html
JMP Version *
jmp
Please see the discussion of JMP in the Supported Files section
LIMDEP
lpj
Matlab 7
mat
Matlab
mat
Mineset
schema, sch
Minitab
mtw
Mplus
inp
NLOGIT
lpj
ODBC
[none]
OpenDocument Spreadsheet
ods
OSIRIS
dict, dct
Paradox
db
Quattro Pro
wq?,wb?
R
rdata
RATS
rat
SAS V6 for Windows and OS/2
sd2
SAS V6 for Mac, Unix-HP, Sun,
ssd01
sas7bdat
IBM SAS V7 and V8
sas7bdat
SAS V9
SAS CPORT
stc
SAS Transport Files Stpt, xpt
PLUS
.
S-PLUS for HP, IBM, Sun Unix
.
SPSS Data Files
sav
SPSS Data for HP, Sun Unix, IBM sav
SPSS Portable Files
por
SPSS Program and ASCII data
sps
Stata (Standard)
dta
dta
Stata/SE
Stata Program and ASCII Data
do
sta
Statistica Version 5 and 6
sta
Statistica Version 7+
sys
SYSTAT
Triple-S
xml

56 The Command Processor

Specifying the File Type

File-Type
Tag
123
access
delim
stdelim
stfixed
xbase
ddi
epi
excelx
excel
excel2
xbase
gauss96
html
jmp*
lpj
matlab7
matlab
mineset
minitab
mplus
nlogit
odbc
od
osiris
paradox
quattro
r
rats
sas2
sas1
sas
sas9
cport
sasx
splus
splus-hl
spss
spss-hl
spssp
spss-dat
stata
stata/se
stata-dat
statistica
statistica7
systat
sss

Default

**

**

**

**
**

**

**

Distinguishing Between File Names and File-type Tags

The command processor uses the presence of a period . to differentiate between extensions and filetype tags. Therefore, when using the COPY command, you must either use a period in your file name
or, if the name does not contain a period, then you must use one after the file name.
For example, if you have a Stata file named populat, and you are going to a 1-2-3 file, populat.wk3,
the COPY command would look like:
copy stata populat. populate.wk3
The file-type tag must be used since the input file does not have a standard extension. The period
after the file name tells Stat/Transfer that this is the file name.

Special Cases when Specifying Files

Specifying S-PLUS Files
A period must always be added to standard S-PLUS file names, since these do not have any extension.
No file-type tag is needed, however, since the standard extension for S-PLUS files is none.
For example, to transfer the S-PLUS file indata to a Matlab file outdata.mat, type
copy indata. outdata.mat
The period tells Stat/Transfer that indata is a file name, not a file-type tag.
Specifying ODBC Data Sources
Note that for ODBC, the file name is not relevant. You simply use the file-type tag odbc to
represent the file name:
copy odbc outfile.sd2
See the section ODBC Data Sources, Page 119, for more information.
Input Worksheets, Access Data Sources, and SAS Transport Files
You can select worksheet pages, Access data source tables, and members of SAS transport files by
using parameters that follow the COPY command. See Options for Pages and Tables, Page 57.

Specifying the File Type

The Command Processor 57

Options Set by Parameters after COPY

Several options are set with parameters of the form -xi. These are given after the COPY command
and can be given in any order.
COPY infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2

-x1 -x2 ...

They can also be used at the operating system prompt,

ST infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2

-x1 -x2 ...

Note that parameters can be entered in either upper or lower case.

Options for Pages and Tables

Database Tables
Tables from or to databases such as Access must be specified on the command line with a parameter
that follows the COPY command:
-Ttablename
For example:
copy dept.mdb out.dta -tsales
will move the sales table to the file out.dta.
Special Considerations for Database Table Output

Sometimes, when both the input and the output file require a table or subfile specification, the -T
switch can be ambiguous. In that case, you can modify the switch with a > or <. The parameter T> means the input table specification and -T> means the output table specification.
For example to transfer sheet 3 of an Excel file to an Access table named cities, you could write:
copy in.xls out.mdb -T<sheet3 -T>cities
Wildcard Operators

The wildcard operators * and ? allow you to move more than one input Access data source table
with a single command.
For example, suppose the Access data source company.mdb consists of two tables, sales and
marketing. Then
copy company.mdb dept.xls -t*
will move each table in company.mdb to a separate Excel worksheet. The output worksheet names
will be the root name of the output file (that given in the COPY command) with the table names
appended, dept_sales.xls and dept_marketing.xls.
Wildcards in the file name can be mixed with wildcards in the Table parameter. For example, to
transfer all tables in all of the Access files in the directory indata and write them out in Stata format,
you would use
copy indata/*.mdb outdata/*.dta -t*

58 The Command Processor

Options Set by Parameters after COPY

Specifying Worksheet Ranges

Worksheet ranges can be specified with a parameter that follows the COPY command:
-R[page!]coor
where coor gives the coordinates of a specific range and the optional page specification, page!, gives
the worksheet page, either as a name or a page number, followed by !. If no page is given, then by
default the first page is used.
For example,
copy sales.wk1 dept1.sas7bdat -ra1:i20
will move the range A1:I20 to the file dept1.sas7bdat, while
copy testdat.wb3 trial1.sav -r4!c6:t200
will transfer the range C6:T200 from page 4 of the worksheet testdat.wb3 to the file trial1.sav.
Specifying Worksheet Pages
Worksheet pages can be specified with either of the parameters:
-Tn

or

-Tname

where n is the page number and name is the page name. You must use quotes around the entire
parameter if name contains blanks.
Examples are:
copy dept.xls out.dta -t3
copy dept.xls out.dta -tnov sales
Wildcard Operators

The wildcard operators * and ? allow you to move more than one input worksheet page with a
single command.
For example, suppose the worksheet company.xls consists of two pages, sales and marketing. Then
copy company.xls dept.dbf -t*
will move each page to a separate dBASE file. The output file names will be the root name of the
output file (that given in the COPY command) with the page names appended, dept_sales.dbf and
dept_marketing.dbf.
Wildcards in the file name can be mixed with wildcards in the page parameter. For example, to
transfer all of the pages in all of the worksheet files in the directory indata and write them out in
Stata format, you would use
copy indata/*.mdb outdata/*.dta -t*
Selecting Members of SAS CPORT or Transport Files
Whenever you select a SAS CPORT or Transport file as input, the first member will be the one used
as the input data set, unless you select another one.
If the data you wish to use are in a different member, you must use the parameter
-Tmembername
where membername is the member you wish to select.

Options Set by Parameters after COPY

The Command Processor 59

For example, to transfer the data from the member part4 of the SAS Transport file indata.xpt to the
Gauss file outdata.dat, type:
copy indata.xpt outdata.dat -tpart4
Wildcard Operators

The wildcard operators * and ? allow you to move more than one member of a SAS Transport file
with a single command. The wildcard operators are used for SAS members in the same way that they
are used for worksheet pages, as discussed above.

Options for Variables

Automatic Optimizing of Output Variable Type
Stat/Transfer attempts to produce the smallest possible output data set. After reading your data,
Stat/Transfer will, by default, make an optimization pass during the transfer, to determine more
information about each variable, and then will assign target output types. (See Target Output
Variable Types, Page 20, for a discussion of output types used by Stat/Transfer.)
The optimization pass will be performed if the file contains any string variables or if the selected
output file type is such that the output file could be made smaller by optimization. Some output file
types, such as Stata, have a rich assortment of storage types and benefit from optimization. Others,
such as worksheets or files that have only one numeric type (SPSS for example), do not benefit.
Stat/Transfer can determine whether any variables can be represented as integers, and, for those cases,
it can determine the smallest possible integral type that can be used to represent the data. Further, if a
variable cannot be represented by an integral type, Stat/Transfer can automatically determine whether
it can be represented by a float instead of a double without a loss of information. Information on the
maximum length of string variables is also accumulated, so that these can be stored in variables of the
smallest possible length.
If you wish to tell the Stat/Transfer command processor to turn off automatic optimization of the
output variable types, you must use the parameter -o-:
COPY infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2 -oWhen this parameter is given, Stat/Transfer will not make an optimization pass through the input file
even if it would benefit from it. We do not recommend using this option.
Optimization is turned back on with the parameter -o.
In almost all cases it is appropriate to accept the target output types that Stat/Transfer chooses.
However, there are times that you may wish to override these defaults and set the output types
yourself. You can change output variable types manually, as described in the section Changing
Output Variable Types, Page 65. If you choose to do so, the parameter -o should not be used with
the COPY command.
Floats Option
The behavior of the use of floats or doubles during the optimization pass has changed.
By default, Stat/Transfer will evaluate each variable to see if it can be represented as a float without
a loss of information, and will otherwise put those variables that require it into a double.
If you want to change the default and use floats, there is an -of switch, which tells Stat/Transfer
to put variables with fractional parts into floats on output.

60 The Command Processor

Options Set by Parameters after COPY

Most data are not measured with more than eight or nine digits of precision (survey data, for
example, never are). If you are concerned with the size of your output dataset, you might want to
use the floats option.
To tell the Stat/Transfer command processor to force numbers with fractional parts into floats where
appropriate, use the following:
COPY infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2 -of
When this parameter is given, Stat/Transfer will both optimize the variable types and use floats. The
floats option can only be used when output is optimized.
If you choose to set output variable types manually, the parameter -of should not be used with the
COPY command.
Automatic Dropping of Constants from Output File
You can tell Stat/Transfer to automatically drop variables that are constant or missing for a selected
subset of data.
In order to tell Stat/Transfer to automatically drop constant or missing variables, the parameter -oc
is used:
COPY infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2 -oc
When this parameter is given, Stat/Transfer will both optimize the variable types and drop variables
where needed. Note that the drop-constant option can only be used when the output is optimized.
You can use the doubles parameter and the drop-constants parameter simultaneously, using the
parameter -ocf.
COPY infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2 -ocf
If you choose to set output variable types manually, the parameters -oc or -ocf should not be used
with the COPY command.

Options for Messages

Overwrite Output File Warning
By default, Stat/Transfer will ask permission before overwriting files. If a file exists with the same
name as the specified output file, you will be prompted for permission before the file is overwritten.
You can use the parameter -y to suppress the warning messages.
COPY infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2 -y
In this case, if an output file already exists with the same name, it will be overwritten with no
warning.
Suppress Messages at the Stat/Transfer Prompt
When running a transfer from the Stat/Transfer prompt, by default a number of messages monitoring
the progress of the transfer will appear.
The parameter -q will suppress all messages from Stat/Transfer, with the exception of error messages
and warnings that a file is about to be overwritten.
COPY infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2 -q

Options Set by Parameters after COPY

The Command Processor 61

Show Messages at the Operating System Prompt

When run from the operating system prompt, Stat/Transfer will only issue error messages and
warnings that a file is about to be overwritten.
If you wish to see messages monitoring the progress of the transfer, use the parameter -v to get more
verbose output.
ST infilename.ex1 outfilename.ex2 -v

62 The Command Processor

Options Set by Parameters after COPY

Selecting Cases
Cases to be transferred can be selected when you are using the COPY command from the
Stat/Transfer command processor or when you are using a command file.
When you are using a command file at the operating system command line, you can enter operators
for case selection. However, transfers that are typed in at the operating system command line will
transfer all of the input cases.
You can select cases from the input file with the Stat/Transfer command processor, using the same
WHERE statement that you would use with the user interface. A complete description of WHERE
statements is given in the Stat/Transfer User Interface section Selecting Cases, Page 23.
When using case selection with the command processor, the WHERE statement is entered before the
COPY command.
The accuracy of the WHERE statement will be checked only when the COPY command is executed.
For this reason, particular care should be taken when typing in variable names.

Selecting Variables

The Command Processor 63

Selecting Variables
Variables to be transferred can be selected when you are using the COPY command from the
Stat/Transfer command processor or when you are using a command file.
When you are using a command file at the operating system command line, you can enter operators
for variable selection. However, transfers that are typed in at the operating system command line will
transfer all of the input variables.
Variables can be selected with one of the commands KEEP, DROP, or TYPES. Only one of these
commands can be given and it must be given prior to the COPY command.

KEEP and DROP Commands

The commands KEEP or DROP are used when you wish to select variables but do not wish to change
the output variable types assigned by Stat/Transfer.
You can use the SET command DROP-KEEP to reuse the same variable list for more than one
transfer (see Page 71).
You can give the variables that you wish to transfer or to omit either as a list or in a file.
Specifying a List of Variables
KEEP or DROP can be followed by a list of variables to be used or omitted, respectively. The
variables should be separated by spaces or commas.
KEEP|DROP variablelist
Ranges can be given and wildcards are allowed. For example:
drop age,sat1-sat10,inc*
will drop the variables age, sat1 through sat10 and all fields beginning with inc.
Using a File to Specify Variables with KEEP or DROP
If you have a file containing a list of variables to be kept or dropped, then instead of a variable list
after the KEEP or DROP commands, you can specify the name of the file, preceded with an @
symbol. For example:
keep @varkeep.lst
will read the file varkeep.lst for a list of variables to be kept. These can be delimited with spaces or
new lines. The VARS command, discussed below, can be used to create the file.
Note that files used with KEEP or DROP cannot contain the target output types for input variables.
Such files must be read with the TYPES command.
The VARS Command
To facilitate the creation of a file containing selected input variables, a command is available that will
write a list of variables to a file:
VARS filename variablelist [-oc]
where filename is the name (with a standard extension) of the input file containing the variables to be
transferred and variablelist is the name of the file that is to contain the data list. All of the input

64 The Command Processor

Selecting Cases

variables will be written, one per line, unless the parameter -oc has been given If variable labels are
available, these will also be written as comments in the file.
The parameter -oc, the drop-constants option, is used if you wish to drop constant or missing
variables from the variable list you are creating.
Once the file has been created, you can use your favorite editor to delete the variables that are not to
be used with the DROP or KEEP command.
Writing to the Screen

If, for some reason, you wish to have the input variables listed on the screen, use the VARS command
without specifying an output file:
VARS filename

Changing Output Variable Types

The Command Processor 65

Changing Output Variable Types

The TYPES Command
If you wish to change the output variable target type, you do so using the TYPES command and a
file, vartypelist, containing the selected input variables and their target output types. (See Page 19 for
a discussion of output variable types used by Stat/Transfer).
TYPES vartypelist
Note that a @ symbol does not precede the file name.
For example,
types type.lst
will read the file TYPE.LST for a list of variables to be used, along with the target output type chosen.
Each variable along with the target output type must be on a separate line.
When you use the TYPES command, you should not give any of the optimization parameters -o. of , -oc, or -ofc with the COPY command.
The VARS command, which is used to create the file, vartypelist, is discussed below.
TYPES CLEAR Command
When a TYPES command has been given it will be used with all succeeding COPY commands, until
a new TYPES command is given or until the following command is entered:
TYPES CLEAR
The VARS Command
The VARS command, given at the Stat/Transfer prompt with appropriate options, can be used to write
a file giving the output variable types assigned by Stat/Transfer, as well as variable names and labels:
VARS filename vartypelist [-t] [-o[f][c]]
where filename is the name of the input file and vartypelist is the name of the file that is to contain
the variable list with variable types. All of the input variables will be written, unless the parameter
-oc has been given. They will be written one per line, and if variable labels are available, these will
also be written as comments in the file.
The parameters -t and -o must be given. The parameter -t will write out the target output type for
each input variable, while the parameter -o optimizes the output variable types. The -of, -oc, and
-ofc parameters will select optimized types with the float and drop-constants options before writing
the variable list.
Once the file has been created, you can use any editor to delete the variables that are not to be
transferred and to change any output types you wish. The resulting file should still have one line for
each variable that you wish to transfer.
Note that the only checking done at the time the TYPES command is given after a COPY command is
for the existence of the file. Thus, editing needs to be done with care.

66 The Command Processor

Selecting Variables

Changing Target Output Types

Valid types are string, byte, int, long, float, double, date, time, and date/time (see Target Output
Variable Types, Page 20). You should be careful not to choose a smaller type than that chosen by
Stat/Transfer unless you are sure you know more about your data than Stat/Transfer does.
Output variable types can be changed freely for ASCII files and worksheet files. For all other file
formats, you can change freely among the numeric types of byte, integer, long, float and
double and you can change among the time types. However, do not make changes such as string to
number, or number or string to date.
Remember that you are selecting a target type. If the output data format does not support the
specific type you have selected, then Stat/Transfer will use the best match to the type you have
selected.
You can determine the output variable types supported by a given output file type by consulting the
appropriate table in the Supported Programs section.

Setting Options with the SET Command

The Command Processor 67

Setting Options with the SET Command

When using the command processor, most of the options in the user interface are available. Some of
these options are set by parameters following the COPY command, discussed on Page 57. All others
are selected with a SET command.
The general form of this command is:
SET optionname value
These SET commands should be given before the COPY command.
A list of available options set with the SET command can be obtained on the screen by typing either
of the following:
help set
help set all
Note that these options are not available for transfers run by typing them in on the operating system
command line, unless you use the startup options file discussed below.
Setting Options
If you wish, you can type each SET command in at the Stat/Transfer prompt before you give the
COPY command. However, if several options are to be set, this can be tedious and error-prone.
Instead, a list of all of the available options and their default settings can be written out to a file,
filename, by typing:
SET LIST filename
Using the resulting file, settings can be conveniently edited and then used in a command file (see
Page 75) or in the startup options file discussed below.
Startup Options File
You can set options globally and automatically at startup by putting them in a file called
profile.stcmd, which should be in the same directory as your Stat/Transfer program file.
If the file profile.stcmd is found, it will be executed as the command processor starts up.

Available Options
The following options are available with the SET command. Case does not matter when they are entered.
Most of these options have already been discussed in the sections on the various options set in the
Options dialog box of the user interface. Go to the sections given by the headings below.
The options marked with asterisks, **, are discussed after the list of available options.
SET Command Options
General Options
NUMERIC-NAMES
PRESERVE-LABEL-SETS
SAMP-SEED
VAR-CASE-CI
VAR-CASE-CS

68 The Command Processor

(Y/N)
Write new, numeric variable names
(Y/N)
Preserve variable label tags and grouping where possible
(Auto/Number)
Seed for sampling functions
(lower/preserve-mixed/ Variable case conversion rule for case-insensitive output file
preserve-always/ upper)
(lower/ preserve-mixed/ Variable case conversion rule for case-sensitive output file
preserve-always/upper)

Changing Output Variable Types

* WRITE-OLD-VER
* DROP-KEEP
* BYTE-ORDER

(Y/N) or (Number/N)
(Clear/Save)
(HL/LH)

Write older versions of output file

Reset variable selection statement
Set byte order for output SPSS and S-PLUS files

User Missing Values

USER-MISS
(All/First/None)
MAP-USER-MISS
(Y/N)
MAP-MISS-WITH-LABS (Y/N)

Honor user missing values

Map user missing values to extended missing values
Map user missing using first letter of variable label, if possible

Date/Time Formats - Reading

DATE-FMT-READ
(Format string)
TIME-FMT-READ
(Format string)
DATETIME-FMT-READ (Format string)
DATE-SCAN-FMT
(Format string)
CENTURY-CUTOFF
(Value)

Format for reading dates from ASCII files

Format for reading times from ASCII files
Format for reading date/time from ASCII files
Format for scanning ASCII files for dates and times
Century cutoff for two-digit year, defaults to 20

Date/Time Formats - Writing

DATE-FMT-WRITE
TIME-FMT-WRITE

(Format string)
(Format string)

DATETIME-FMT-WRITE(Format string)

Format for writing dates in ASCII files

Format for writing times in ASCII files
Format for writing date/time in ASCII files

Encoding Options
IN-ENCODING
OUT-ENCODING

(System/Other)
(System/Other)

Translate from this encoding when reading files

Translate from this encoding when writing files

If you choose to override the default behavior, you can choose a different encoding by going to the user interface, clicking
on the Options tab and selecting Encoding Options. First select the Region and then the Character Set. The value in
parentheses after the name of the character set is the value you should enter for Other. Be sure to read Encoding
Options, page 32.

ODBC Options
ODBC-NULL-STRINGS
ODBC-USE-DATETIME
ODBC-DATE-ROWS-TO-READ
ODBC-VARCHAR-OVER-CHAR
DB-TABLE-APPEND

(Y/N)
Use nulls for missing strings
(Y/N)
When possible, use larger datetime type
(10/Number/All) Number of rows to read to determine the type of date variable
(Y/N)
Use varchar if it has the same length as char
(Y/N)
Append to Access or ODBC database tables

ASCII Options-Reading
DELIMITER-RD

(Autosense/Comma/Tab/
Space/Semicolon/Other)
COMBINE-DELIMITERS
(Off/ Spaces only/
Spaces&Tabs)
ASCII-RD-VNAMES
(Autosense/First-row/
Make-up)
ASCII-VAR-LABS-2ND-ROW (Y/N)
SKIP-ROWS
(0/Number)
NUM-MISS-RD
(Missing value characters/
Extended/None)
QUOTE-CHAR-RD
(Character/None)
MAX-LINES
(Number/All)
DECIMAL-POINT
(Character)
THOUSANDS-SEP
(Character)

Delimiter for reading ASCII files, Other is any character,

such as |
Combine adjacent delimiters when reading space
delimited files
Field names when reading ASCII files
Read variable labels from row following variable names
Number of rows to skip at the top of the file
Numeric missing value when reading ASCII files
Quote character used, defaults to
Maximum ASCII lines to examine for variable type
Decimal point for reading ASCII files, defaults to .
Thousands separator, defaults to ,

Setting Options with the SET Command

The Command Processor 69

ASCII Options-Write
DELIMITER-WR

(Comma/Tab/Space/
Semicolon/Other)
QUOTE-CHAR-WR
(Character/None)
NUM-MISS-WR
(Missing value characters/
Extended/ None)
SET LINE-END
(Win, Unix)
WRITE-FIELD-NAMES
(Y/N)
CODE-OMIT-PATHS
(Y/N)
PROG-PRESERVE-WIDTHS (Y/N)

Delimiter for writing ASCII files, Other is any character,

such as |
Quote character used, defaults to
Numeric missing value when writing ASCII files
Line endings for either Windows style or Unix style files
Write field names to ASCII files
Omit paths from generated program files
Preserve input variable widths in output programs

SAS Value Labels - Reading

READ-SAS-FMTS
** READ-FMT-NAME
** UDF-CAT-MEMBER
** UDF-DAT-MEMBER
CAT-ABSENCE-OK
CAT-ERROR-OK

(Y/N)

Read value labels

(Filespec)
(catalogname)
(datasetname)

Name of SAS value label catalog or data file

Name of the catalog in the CPORT file to be used for reading formats
Name of the dataset in a CPORT or Transport file to be used for
reading formats
Continue processing if no format file is found
Ignore errors in processing SAS catalog

(Y/N)
(Y/N)

** The various choices for reading SAS value labels are discussed for the section SAS Value Label
Options, on Page 37. The following SET command sequences correspond to these choices:
Do not read formats

SET READ-SAS-FMTS N

Read directly from a catalog file

SET READ-SAS-FMTS Y
SET READ-FMT-NAME filename.sas7bcat (the extension indicates a catalog file)

Read from a catalog in a CPORT library SET READ-SAS-FMTS Y

SET READ-FMT-NAME filename.stc (the extension indicates a CPORT library)
SET UDF-CAT-MEMBER catalogname
Read from a SAS datafile

SET READ-SAS-FMTS Y
SET READ-FMT-NAME filename.sas7bdat (the extension indicates a data file)

Read from a dataset in a CPORT library SET READ-SAS-FMTS Y

SET READ-FMT-NAME filename.stc (the extension indicates a CPORT library)
SET UDF-DAT-MEMBER datasetname
Read from a SAS Transport file

SET READ-SAS-FMTS Y
SET READ-FMT-NAME filename.tpt (the extension indicates a Transport file)
SET UDF-DAT-MEMBER datasetname

SAS Value Labels - Writing

WRITE-SAS-FMTS
WRITE-FMT-NAME

(Y/N)
(Filespec)

Write Proc Format program for SAS

File name for Proc Format program

Worksheet Options
WKS-NAME-ROW
WKS-DATA-RANGE

70 The Command Processor

(Autosense/First-row/
No-name/Number)
(Autosense/Name/
Coordinates)

Reading of worksheet variable names

Specifying a data range as input

Setting Options with the SET Command

WKS-VAR-LABS-2ND-ROW (Y/N)
WKS-BLANK-ROWS
(Stop/Skip/Use)

Read variable labels from the row following the variable names
Treatment of worksheet null rows

CONCATENATE-PAGES (Y/N)

Concatenate worksheet pages into a single output file

WKS-NA-STRING

(string)

WKS-WRITE-VNAME

(Y/N)

Indicate a string to be considered numeric missing when

reading worksheets
Write a field name row in worksheet output

JMP Options
JMP-LABELS
(Y/N)
JMP-CUST-PROPERTIES (Y/N)

Write value labels into JMP files

Append custom properties to variable labels when reading JMP files

R and S-Plus Options

FACTOR-AS-STRING

(Y/N)

R-OLD-NA

(Y/N)

Convert factors into strings (Y) or leave as numerical

variables with labeled values (N)
Write Version One missing strings

RATS Options
RATS-DATE-VAR

(First, specified, None)

The variable in the input file that specifies the series start
and frequency in RATS output
RATS-DATE-VAR-NAME (Variable name)
If rats-date-var is set to "specified", the variable name
should be set with this option
RATS-VAR-DATE-FREQ (Autosense, Daily, Weekly, This option will be applied if rats-date-var is set to Monthly,
Quarterly, Annual) "specified" or "first"
RATS-START-DATE
(Date in DD/MM/YYYY This will be used if "rats-date-var" is set to none
format)
RATS-DATE-FREQ
(Daily, Weekly, Monthly, This is applied if "rats-date-var" is set to none)
Quarterly, Annual)

Output Options
AS-OUTREP

(Alpha_True64
Alpha_Vms_32
Alpha_Vms_64
Alpha_Ia64
Hp_Ux_32
Hp_Ux_64
Intel_Abi
Linux_32
Mips_Abi
Os2
Rs_6000_Aix_32
Rs_6000_Aix_64
Solaris_32
Solaris_64
Windows_32
Windows_64)

MLAB-DATETIME-AS-STRING
STAT7-VLAB-DESCRIP
DDI-AGENCY

(Y/N)
(Y/N)
(example.org)

SAS data representation

Write Matlab Date/Time values as strings

Concatenate Statistica 7+ value labels and descriptions
Agency name/url written into DDI Schema files

Setting Options with the SET Command

The Command Processor 71

SET Options Used Only in Command Processor

Write Older Version of Output File

WRITE-OLD-VER

(Y/N) or (Number/N)

By default, except for Stata, a particular output file type will be written using the latest version
supported by Stat/Transfer. For example SAS Version 9 files will be written if SAS is specified.
If Stata is specified as the output file type, Stata Version 12 files will be written by default. If Stata
Version 12 files were to be written, then users of older versions of Stata would see an error message,
"File is not in Stata format" generated when Stata sees the newer file type. The default Stata Version
12 files can be read by all Stata versions.
To write a file for a previous version of a particular file type, use either of the SET commands:
SET WRITE-OLD-VER Y|N
SET WRITE-OLD-VER versionnum
where versionnum is the version number of the output file you wish.
If you use the first form of the SET command, Stat/Transfer will use the next-to-the-last version of
the output file type you have selected. For example, if you have selected a SAS output file, then
set write-old-ver y
would tell Stat/Transfer to write a SAS Version 8 output file.
If you wished to create a Stata 5 output file, you would use
set write-old-ver 5
Note that you can use either form if you wish to use the next-to- the-last version.
Reset Variable Selection Statement

DROP-KEEP

(Clear/Save)

If data are transferred from more than one input file during a single session, then you need to specify
the variables that are to be transferred from each file, using the KEEP or DROP variable selection
command. The DROP-KEEP option of the SET command allows you to reuse or clear the variable
selection command.
Input Files Specified Separately
If input files are given with separate COPY commands (that is, without using wildcards), then the
default behavior is that you must give a KEEP or DROP variable selection statement before each
COPY command. This corresponds to the option Clear for DROP-KEEP.
However, if the same variables are to be transferred from each file, you can specify that the same
KEEP or DROP command apply to all input files that follow, until another KEEP or DROP command
is encountered. To do so, use the SET command
set drop-keep save
Input Files Specified with Wildcards
If the input files are specified with wildcards, the default behavior is that the KEEP or DROP variable
selection command you give before a COPY command applies to all of the files specified in that
command. Thus the default when files are specified with wildcards is Save.
If you set the DROP-KEEP option to Clear, then the variable selection statement will apply only to
the first file. All of the other files given by the wildcard specification will transfer all of their
variables.

72 The Command Processor

Setting Options with the SET Command

Note that the default changes depending on whether or not the input file specification contains
wildcards. The default is Clear for no wildcards and Save for wildcards.
Set Byte Order for S-PLUS and SPSS Output Files

BYTE-ORDER

(HL/LH)

By default, Stat/Transfer will write files in low-high byte order for S-PLUS and SPSS output files.
This is appropriate for Windows. However, Unix machines vary in their byte order. DEC Alpha and
Intel processors are low-high byte order, other Unix machines are high-low. You can change the
default in order to write a file appropriate for a Unix machine with the second byte order. For
example, if you wish to produce an S-PLUS file suitable for a Sun machine, you would use the SET
command
set byte-order hl

Setting Options with the SET Command

The Command Processor 73

Other Available Command Processor Commands

Several commands are available at the Stat/Transfer prompt which are the same as operating system
commands. You can also get help from the command line and, if you wish, you can produce a log of
your transfer session.

Operating System Commands

Changing Directory
You can change directories by typing the cd command, just as you do at the operating system
prompt. Note that the cd command given with no parameters will return the current directory.
Changing Drive (Windows)
You can change drives by typing the drive letter followed by a colon, just as you do at the DOS
prompt.
Listing Files
You can obtain a list of files by using the dir or ls command. For example,
dir *.xls
will list all files with the extension .xls files in the current directory.
Running Other Programs and OS Commands
You can execute operating system commands and run other programs from the Stat/Transfer
command line by preceding the program name and arguments with any of the following: dos,
shell or !. For example
shell del logfile.dat
dos del logfile.dat
!del logfile
You might use the following command, which allows you to unzip a file with a command given to
Stat/Transfer:
!unzip sasdata.zip mysas1.sd2
where ! has been used instead of dos or shell.
A sequence of commands can be entered directly at the Stat/Transfer prompt or stored in a file for
batch execution.

Quit
You can terminate your Stat/Transfer session by typing quit or q.

74 The Command Processor

Other Available Command Processor Commands

Command Processor Help

Online Help
You can reach online help from the Stat/Transfer command line by typing:
help
To return to the command line, close the HELP screen.

Help in the Command Processor

You can issue the following commands to get help without leaving the command processor:
help commands
help copy
help formats
help running
help set
help set all
help set general
help set date
help set sas
help set ascii
help set worksheet

To get a list of the available commands, type:

help help

Logging Stat/Transfer Sessions

You can log your transfer session to a file by typing:
LOG USING filename
where filename is the name of the log file.
All of the commands that you enter and all messages from Stat/Transfer will be written to the file.

Other Available Command Processor Commands

The Command Processor 75

Command Files
You can enter Stat/Transfer commands in a command file, as well as interactively at the Stat/Transfer
prompt or the operating system prompt.
When you enter commands at the prompt, the command is executed immediately. When you store
commands in a file, the commands are executed when you execute the file.
You can execute command files from the Stat/Transfer prompt or from the operating system prompt.
When you wish to run batch jobs, you must use command files.

Constructing Command Files

You can create Stat/Transfer command files as ASCII documents. Type commands in the document
just as you would type them at the Stat/Transfer prompt.
You can put comments in command files by preceding the comments with a double slash, //.

Command File Name Extensions

Stat/Transfer assumes that command files have the extension .stcmd (Stat/Transfer Command).
The old extension .stc, which conflicts with the extension used by SAS for CPORT libraries, is still
supported, but is now deprecated.
If you are executing a command file from the Stat/Transfer command line, you need not give an
extension unless the file does not have the extension .stcmd.
If you wish to run a command file from the operating system command line, it must have the
extension .stcmd and the extension must be given.

Executing Command Files

Executing Command Files from the Stat/Transfer Prompt
You can execute a command file at the Stat/Transfer prompt by typing:
EX commandfilename
If you enter commandfilename without an extension, an extension of .stcmd is assumed by
Stat/Transfer.
A command file named weekly.stcmd could be executed by typing
ex weekly

Executing Command Files from the Operating System Prompt

You can execute a command file at the operating system prompt by typing
ST commandfilename.stcmd
In order to use command files from the operating system prompt, you will need to be in the directory
in which you installed Stat/Transfer, or have a path defined to it or give the path explicitly.

76 The Command Processor

Command Files

For example, a command file, repeat.stcmd, will be executed if, at the operating system prompt, you
type:
st repeat.stcmd
Note that the extension, which is explicitly given, must be .stcmd. If the file is not in the
Stat/Transfer program directory, the complete path to it must be given.
If you do the same transfers repeatedly, the ability to execute command files in this way allows you to
set up a shortcut that will perform your transfers with a single click on a desktop icon.
Running and Editing Command Files from the Windows Explorer
When you double click on a Stat/Transfer command file in the Windows Explorer, the command
processor will be launched and the command file executed.
If the last command in the file is quit, you will be taken directly back to the Explorer. Otherwise,
the command quit at the command line will return you to the Explorer.
You can edit a command file by right-clicking then selecting edit.

Running Programs and Commands in Command Files

Command files can contain commands to execute programs, as well as Stat/Transfer commands.
You can execute operating system commands and run other programs from the Stat/Transfer
command line by preceding the program name and arguments with any of the following: dos, shell
or !. For example,
dos del logfile.dat
!del logfile.dat
These options will, for example, allow you to zip or unzip files with commands given to the
Stat/Transfer command processor in a command file. A command file might contain the following
set of commands.
// unzip a SAS file
!pkunzip sasdata.zip mysas1.sd2
// copy it to an SPSS file
copy mysas1.sd2 myspss1.sav
// zip your new SPSS file
!pkzip myspss1.zip myspss1.sav
// delete the SPSS file
!del myspss1.sav
// delete the SAS file
!del mysas1.sd2
where // indicates to the command processor that what follows is a comment and ! has been used
instead of dos.
A sequence of command such as these can be entered directly at the Stat/Transfer command prompt
or stored in a command file for batch execution.

Command Files

The Command Processor 77

ODBC Data Sources

Generally, the process of opening an ODBC data source for reading or writing requires information
beyond a simple file name. Thus, you may need to give commands which define the data source
name, the table name, and sometimes a password or database name.

The DBR and DBW Commands

Stat/Transfer has two commands specifically for ODBC data sources:
DBR (short for database read)
DBW (short for database write)
These commands must precede the COPY command.
Each of these commands is followed by a single parameter that gives necessary information for the
ODBC data source. The parameter consists of the parameter name followed by a value for that parameter.
DBR | DBW parametername value
The parameter names are:
DATASOURCE the name of the ODBC data source
DATABASE the name of the database
PASSWORD logon password for the data source
TABLE the name of the table you want to read or write
SERVER the name of the machine the database is running on
SQL a sql statement to retrieve specific fields and/or join tables
CONNSTR an ODBC connection string (explained below)
The parameter CONNSTR is the most useful of these in command files.
Which parameter is necessary for a particular database depends on the database and on the driver. You
must enter as many DBR and DBW commands as necessary to supply all of the parameters.
For example, if you want to read from the employee table of a SQL Server database you could specify
the table with the following command.
dbr table employee
You could then submit a COPY command:
copy ODBC out.sd2
to copy the table to a SAS file named out.sd2.
To write to a table, data, in an ODBC data source, you could use the commands:
dbw table data
copy indata.sd2 ODBC
Retrieving Parameter Values

During a Stat/Transfer session you can obtain the value of any parameter by entering DBR or DBW
and the parameter name without a value:
DBR | DBW parametername
If no value has been entered yet, you will be told that the value is blank.
Clearing Parameter Values

The DBR and DBW values are persistent across COPY commands during a session. Thus you will
need to change or clear them if you are executing multiple COPY commands using different data sources.
78 The Command Processor

Command Files

You can clear the value of any parameter by entering clear in place of a value. For example:
dbr connstr clear
clears the value of the parameter CONNSTR. Note that it is necessary to clear parameter values if
you want to be re-prompted by the ODBC driver manager for any values that you have previously entered.

Running Batch Jobs with ODBC

With SQL Server and other client-server databases, you are likely to need a password and other
parameters. Fortunately, when you connect from the command line, the ODBC driver manager will
prompt you for whatever information is needed. However, in order to run a job in an automatic batch
mode with a command file, you need to supply the necessary information automatically.
The simplest way to do this is to take advantage of the fact that ODBC will return a connection string
that contains all of the information that you entered. This information is in the proper form to
complete the connection again without any prompting from the ODBC driver manager.
You can obtain the connection string from an ODBC data source by connecting interactively to the
source and then entering either:
dbr connstr

or

dbw connstr

You will find that the connection strings are generally long and complicated, so that typing one into a
command file after retrieval is tedious and error prone. Furthermore, because the connection string
may contain your password, you might not want it written openly to a command file.
Stat/Transfer solves these problems with operators that allow you to write or retrieve the value of any
parameter and by allowing encryption.
The Write and Retrieve Operators
The operator > allows you to store the value of any parameter in a file, while the operator < allows
you to read back a stored value.
DBR | DBW parametername > | < storagefile
Thus, in order to write the connection string for an input ODBC data source to a file, connect.str*, type:
dbr connstr > connect.str
To retrieve the connection string and make it available to an input ODBC data source, type:
dbr connstr < connect.str
To use a connection string in a batch job, you can connect interactively to the ODBC data source, use
the > operator to store the connection string in a file and then use the < operator with a DBR or
DBW command in a command file.
Encrypting Connection Strings
Because the connection string may contain your password, you may not want it written to unprotected
files. You can encrypt and decrypt the stored value of any parameter by adding a pound sign to the >
or <operators.
For example:
dbr connstr ># connect.str
writes the connection string in encrypted format and
dbr connstr <# connect.str
retrieves and decrypts the connection string.

Variable Naming and Limits 79

80 The Command Processor

ODBC Data Sources

Variable Naming and Limits

This section contains general information about Stat/Transfers handling of variables and about some
general program limitations. Specific information for each of the supported file formats is given in
the next section.

Variable Names
Stat/Transfer will, by default, ensure that variable names are legal in the target data set and are
unique. It does this by adding special characters when needed, changing case where appropriate,
substituting underscores (or another legal character) for invalid characters and by truncating variable
names to an acceptable length. It then eliminates duplicates created by this process by appending a
number to the end of the second and higher instances of duplicate variable names.
The original variable names will, if possible, be retained as variable labels.
If you check the option Write New, Numeric Variable Names (VN), in the General Options section
of the Options dialog box, Stat/Transfer will create new variable names of the form V1...VN, instead
of the default variable names, This is chiefly useful when dealing with truncated names, which often
have little resemblance to the names you started with. If your output system supports variable labels,
you may wish to use this option to assign numeric names for your variables. You can then use the
variable labels for description.
Because this option is likely to be useful only in special circumstances, it reverts to the default
between sessions of Stat/Transfer.

Limitations on the Number of Variables

Stat/Transfer will check whether the number of variables that have been selected exceeds the
maximum permitted by the target program and will inform you if too many variables have been
selected.

Strings with Value Labels

Both SAS and SPSS support the labeling of string variables. Stat/Transfer will automatically transfer
such value labels, both to the internal file formats of SAS or SPSS and to the program files written by
Stat/Transfer to create fixed format ASCII files.

Internal Limitations
The maximum width of an alphanumeric variable is 32,000 characters.
Variable names are limited internally to a maximum length of 255 characters.
Data are generally processed one case at a time, so the number of cases is not limited. Exceptions to
this are the worksheets and file formats that must be transposed, such as S-Plus. These transfers are
limited by available virtual memory. It is unlikely, however, to be a problem.

Variable Naming and Limits 81

Return Transfers to the Original Format

Because systems vary widely in the types of variables they support and the information they store
about them, you must be careful when transferring data from one format to another and then
transferring back to the original format. Stat/Transfer will always transfer numeric values without
losing accuracy. However, other information about variables may be lost.
For example, SPSS maintains value labels and up to three types of missing value for each variable. If
you transfer from an SPSS data set to Paradox, the value labels will be dropped and missing values
will be translated into a single Paradox internal format. If you were then to transfer your data back to
SPSS, missing numbers would all be translated into the SPSS system missing value, not the original
values, and because Paradox does not store value labels in the data set, the value labels would be lost.
Because many systems do not explicitly support dates, you should be particularly cautious when
planning two-way transfers of date variables. Stat/Transfer will generally convert date variables into
MM/DD/YY strings when transferring to systems that do not explicitly support dates. This makes the
date intelligible in the destination system. However, when you transfer back to the source system,
Stat/Transfer has no way of knowing that these strings are dates and will treat them simply as
character variables.
If you are planning such a two-way transfer, you may wish to treat date data as numbers rather than
as dates. Stat/Transfer stores dates internally as the number of days since December 30, 1899. Thus,
if you wish, you can choose to put dates directly into your destination data set as numbers in this
form by selecting the proper target type at the Variables dialog box. If you do so, these will survive
a two-way transfer involving a system that does not explicitly support dates.

82 Variable Naming and Limits

Supported Programs
Specific information for each of the supported file formats is given in the sections that follow.

Input and Output Variable Types

For a given input file format, Stat/Transfer will select a target output variable type for each input
variable type. For any given input file, these target types are automatically chosen during the
optimization pass during a transfer. If you wish to see the target types that have been chosen, use the
Optimize button in the Variables dialog box or look in the file generated by the VARS command.
These target output types can be changed manually.
The actual output variable type that results from each target variable type will depend on the output
file format. The available output variable types are given for each of the supported file formats in the
section for that specific format.
Note that all numerical variables are stored internally in Stat/Transfer as double precision floating
point numbers and are then written out according to the assigned variable type. Thus, no numerical
precision is lost.

Read-me File
The installation or Web update procedure may copy a file called read.me, which will be a supplement
to the on-line help or manual. There is a shortcut to the read.me file from the Windows Start menu
in the Stat/Transfer group. For OS-X and Unix the read.me file can be found in the installation
directory.
You should check to see if the read.me file exists or has been updated. If so, you can read it in any
editor or word-processor. We make every effort to keep up with changes in the file formats of
popular software and the read.me file will contain the latest information on which versions of these
programs are supported. The file will also contain the latest information on other improvements to
Stat/Transfer.
You can also get current information about Stat/Transfer by visiting our website at
http://www.stattransfer.com.
You can reach our website from the Stat/Transfer About screen.

Supported Programs 83

1-2-3 Worksheet Files

Stat/Transfer will read and write files from any version of Lotus 1-2-3 (including Release 3.x and
Windows).
Standard extensions:
Lotus 1-2-3 Version 1 through 2.x
Lotus 1-2-3 Version 3.x and Windows

wk1
wk3

Reading 1-2-3 Worksheet Files

Because worksheet files are in general not designed to hold statistical data, only worksheets in certain
formats can be read.
Worksheets must be in worksheet database format or in certain modifications of this. It is most
straightforward with worksheets in database format.
Database format

Worksheet database files are structured worksheets where each row is a single case and each column
contains a variable. Data can consist of numbers (including serial date numbers), labels, or formulas.
The first non-blank row of a worksheet database file usually has strings in each column that give the
names of the variables. The data then begins in the next row. However, variable names may be in
different rows or not present at all.
You have several options to specify what part of an input worksheet to read and how to read variable
names. An option allows you to read variable labels from the row after the variable names.
Data Range

You can choose different ranges to be read in input worksheets by using the drop-down menu for
Data Range in the Worksheets section of the Options dialog box or using the SET command,
WKS-DATA-RANGE.
If you use Autosense (the default), Stat/Transfer will read to the first non-blank cell and use that as
the upper left corner of the data range. It will then read data until it encounters an entirely blank line.
This is the default behavior. You can change the behavior with respect to blank rows by using the
Blank Rows option.
Rather than have Stat/Transfer automatically sense the number of rows to be read, you can use the
other options for Data Range to specify a range, either by giving a named range or by giving explicit
coordinates.
When a range has been specified, Stat/Transfers treatment of entirely blank rows will also be
overridden. They will be returned in your output data and, in addition, blank rows at the end of the
worksheet, through the last row of the specified range, will also be returned.
Determining Variable Names

By default, Stat/Transfer will attempt to determine whether or not the data in the first non-blank row
(or the first row of a specified range) are variable names or the first row of data. It does so by
looking for at least one column in which there is a string in the first row and a number in the
second.
If this behavior is inappropriate for your worksheet (for example, if you have only string data), you
can specify different options in the Field Name Row drop-down menu of the Worksheets section of
84 Supported Programs

1-2-3 Worksheet Files

Options dialog box. You can specify that variable names must be taken from the first non-blank row,
that they be taken from a specific row, or that the worksheet does not contain variable names, so that
Stat/Transfer should assign them (col1 through coln.)
Determining the Data Types and Widths

After identifying the label row, Stat/Transfer will look, if necessary, at the entire column to find the
first non-blank cell in order to determine the data type of each column. If the first non-empty data
cell of a particular column is a number (or a label with a single period), Stat/Transfer will transfer the
column as a number. If the data cell contains a label, the variable will be transferred as a string.
The width of the column for each numeric variable and the format of the first non-blank data cell in
that column are used, where possible, to set the default target, or output, types for the numeric
variables. If the format of the first data row has any decimal places (for example, F(2)), the target
type will be float. On the other hand, if the cell format has no decimal places (for example, F(0))
the target types will be various flavors of integers which depend on the column width. If the column
width is less than three, the target type will be byte. If the column width is less than five, the target
type will by int. Otherwise the target type will be long. Any date format in the first data row will
set the target type to date.
The maximum width of character variables is determined by examining the widths of all of the strings
in a column.
Stat/Transfer is lenient in typing variables from worksheets. If it is expecting a character variable and
it encounters a number it will convert it to a string.
Combining Multiple Input Worksheet to a Single Output File

The option Concatenate Worksheet Pages, found in the Worksheets options in the Options dialog
box allows you to combine worksheet pages into a single output file. This option is appropriate if
your worksheet contains many sheets that are identical in structure. These can be then be combined
into a single output file of any type.
For example, you may have a workbook that has 50 sheets, with one sheet for each state and the same
variables on each sheet. If you check this box, Stat/Transfer will effectively combine the sheets into
one large input file, dropping the field names, if necessary, on the second and higher sheets. You will
end up with the data from all of your worksheet pages in a single output file.
Writing 1-2-3 Worksheet Files
On output, by default, Stat/Transfer will write variable labels in the first row of the worksheet. Data
values will be placed in the second and succeeding rows. You can change this behavior in the
Worksheets options in the Options dialog box.
Column widths and formats will be determined by the variable information available. Dates and
character variables are straightforward. For numerical data, information on the width and number of
decimal places of variables, where available, is used to set the column widths and formats.
Missing Data
On input, blank cells and cells containing labels consisting of a single dot are read as missing.
If there is a string in your worksheet, such as NA, that you would like to have treated as a numeric
missing value, you can specify it using the Numeric Missing Value option in the Worksheets
section of the Options dialog box.
When transferring data to worksheets from other formats, missing values will be written out to
worksheets as blank cells.

1-2-3 Worksheet Files

Supported Programs 85

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to Lotus 1-2-3 from Stat/Transfer

Target Type
byte
int
long
float
double
string

Output Type
Numeric cell
(formatted if information is
available)

date

Serial date number

(with date format)
Time fraction
(with date format if available)
Date number + time fraction
(with date/time format if available)

time
date/time

86 Supported Programs

1-2-3 Worksheet Files

Label

Access
Stat/Transfer will read and write Access databases on Windows.
Although the data are transferred through the Microsoft Access ODBC driver, Access files are treated
as a normal Stat/Transfer file type. You can thus choose the file from the normal Open or Save dialog
boxes and need not be concerned with the process of configuring an ODBC data source for each file.
In order to use Microsoft Access you must have the ODBC and Access components installed with the
Stat/Transfer program. If you did not do this when you installed Stat/Transfer, you can re-run the
installation program and install the components.
Standard extension: mdb
Reading Microsoft Access Databases
Stat/Transfer can either read single tables or multiple tables that are joined in an Access view.
Access has a single date type Date/Time, which is used to store date, time and date/time values.
The format of the column determines how these are displayed. There is no straightforward way
outside of Access to determine how a column is formatted. Stat/Transfer reads the first ten cases of
the file to determine if each Date/Time column contains date data, time data or both. This
information is used to set the type.
Variable labels are transferred when reading Access tables.
Writing Microsoft Access Databases
On output, tables can be created in a new file, new tables can be created in an existing file, or existing
tables can be overwritten with a new table.
In addition, new data can be appended to an existing database table. This option is off by default and
must be turned on by using the Append to Access and ODBC Tables option in the
ODBC/Access Options of the Options dialog box or the SET command DB-TABLE-APPEND in
the command processor.
Stat/Transfer will match as many variables as possible to those already in the table and add your data
to the matching columns. Obviously at least one column must match exactly and, in addition, the
table must be free of constraints, such as those requiring unique keys, that would prohibit a simple
append operation.
When writing time or date data to Access, there is no way for Stat/Transfer to set the format. Because
of this, these variable types are written as Date/Time values. You may, if you wish, change the
format with Access after you have transferred your data.
Missing Data
Access supports a null value, which is the same as Stat/Transfers missing value.
Output Variable Types
The output variable type that results from each target variable type is given in the following table:

Access

Supported Programs 87

Output to Access from Stat/Transfer

88 Supported Programs

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
date, time, date/time
string

Short

Access

Long
Single
Double
Date/Time
Character

ASCII Files - Delimited

Stat/Transfer will read and write delimited ASCII. Note that as of Version 10, ASCII is used as a
shorthand, since Stat/Transfer supports a variety of character sets besides ASCII. If you need to read
or write data in a character set that is something other than your systems default character set, you
will need to set the encoding options.
Standard extension: txt, csv
Reading ASCII Delimited Files
When reading ASCII delimited files, you can use the user interface or command processor options to
specify:

What character is read as the delimiter. You can explicitly specify the character or you can
allow the program to sense it automatically.

That adjacent blank delimiters be combined.

Whether or not the first row is treated as variable names, or whether Stat/Transfer should
automatically sense it or whether Stat/Transfer should assign variable names.

The character that is used to enclose string fields in the input data.

The number of lines Stat/Transfer will read to determine each type of variable present. By
default the entire data set is read.

What character is read as missing value.

The decimal point and thousands separator in your data.

A scan format to determine whether a given field is a date, time or a date/time. The formats
for dates, times and date/times are then used to actually read the data. The default formats
will usually read these fields, but formats for unusual fields can be specified.

A century changeover year. If you are reading two-digit years, you can use this option to
control how they are read. The default for the option is 20.

All of the user interface options available for reading ASCII files are set in the Options dialog box, in
the sections Date/Time Formats - Reading and ASCII/Text File - Read Options and are discussed
on Page 30 and Page 34. The command processor options can be found on Page 67 in the section
Setting Options with the Set Command.
If you wish to have more flexibility in reading delimited files, you can describe the file with a
Schema file (see Page 93).

Writing ASCII Files

When writing ASCII delimited files, you can specify:

The character that will be used as the delimiter in each record: commas, tabs, spaces, or
semicolons, or some other character.

The character that will be used to enclose string variables on output. It is typically a
double quote.

What character will be used for missing values.

What line ending to use.

The date and time formats.

Whether Stat/Transfer should write variable names in the first row of the output.
ASCII Files - Fixed Format

Supported Programs 89

All of the options available for writing ASCII files are set in the Options dialog box, in the sections
Date/Time Formats - Writing and ASCII/Text File - Write Options. these options are discussed in
detail on Pages 31 and Page 36. The command processor options can be found in Setting Options
with the Set Command, Page 67.
Missing Values
By default, missing values are indicated on input and output by one delimiter immediately following
another. You may change this default behavior in the ASCII/Text File - Write Options section of
the Options dialog box or with the SET command.
Extended missing values are supported. If the missing values option is set to extended, then when
an ASCII file with extended missing values is transferred to a SAS or Stata file, the input missing
values will transfer to the equivalent SAS ones. When a SAS file is transferred to an ASCII file with
extended missing values specified, any missing values ._ in the input SAS file are written out as .
in the output.
Note that if a blank is used as the delimiter, missing values will be hard to determine.
Output Variable Types
The output variable type that results from each target variable type is given in the following table:
Output to Delimited ASCII from Stat/Transfer)

90 Supported Programs

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string

Number
(with a precision of up to
15 decimal places)

date
time
date/time

Character
(written according to the ASCII
format options currently in effect

ASCII Files - Delimited

Character

ASCII Files - Fixed Format

Stat/Transfer will read and write fixed format ASCII.
Standard extension: sts

Reading Fixed Format ASCII Files

Stat/Transfer can read fixed format ASCII files. These are data files where each field has a fixed
column location and width, rather than having the start and end of the field marked by a delimiter
character, such as a comma or tab.
Unlike the delimited ASCII format, where Stat/Transfer can read the data based on the information
contained in the data file, fixed format files require a separate description of each fields location in
the record. You will need to provide this information in a separate Stat/Transfer Schema file (See
Page 93). In the Schema file you can also define missing values, value and variable labels, and other
characteristics of your data, as well as the path to the data file, or the data file itself.
Using the User Interface

To use fixed format ASCII files as input with the Stat/Transfer user interface, select ASCII Fixed Format (S/T Schema) from the list of supported file types at the Input File Type line of the
Transfer dialog box.
In the File Specification line of the Transfer dialog box, rather than entering the name of the fixed
format ASCII file itself, enter the name of the Schema file that describes it. Schema files will
generally have the name of the input fixed format data file and the extension .sts. The Schema file
then points to the data file. Thus, the location of the data file must be accurately given in the Schema
file.
If Stat/Transfer wrote the Schema file originally, then the exact path that Stat/Transfer used to write
the ASCII file on your machine was entered as the file location in the Schema file.
The file location can be changed by opening up the Schema in any plain text editor and giving the
file location with the FILE command. Comments in the first lines of the Schema or program file will
guide you in changing the specified file location.
Using the Command Processor

To specify a fixed format ASCII file as input to Stat/Transfer when using the command processor,
give the name of the Schema file as the input file in the COPY command. The file should have the
extension .sts. If for some reason your file does not have the extension .sts, then you can use the
file-type tag stfixed.
The Schema file then points to the data file as described above.
Writing Fixed Format ASCII Data Files
On output, Stat/Transfer can write fixed format data files, and will, if directed, create a Stat/Transfer
Schema file. Alternatively, you can choose to have Stat/Transfer write programs to accompany
output fixed format ASCII files that will allow these files to be read into SAS, SPSS, or Stata.
Fixed format ASCII data files, along with the associated program files, are useful for passing your
data to colleagues. In addition, they are a prudent way to archive your data for future use, as they
are not dependent on changes in computer architecture or the fate of a particular software package.
You have various options when writing the program files. See Page 31 and Page 36.
Using the User Interface

When you click on the Output File Type control in the Transfer dialog box, you will see the
ASCII Files - Fixed Format

Supported Programs 91

following entries in the list of supported output file types:

ASCII - Fixed Format (S/T Schema)

SAS Program + ASCII Data File

SPSS Program + ASCII Data File

Stata Program + ASCII Data File

ASCII - Fixed Format (S/T Schema)

This selection writes an ASCII data file plus a Stat/Transfer Schema file.
The schema file name will appear in the output File Specification line of the Transfer dialog box.
Stat/Transfer constructs the output file specification by using the same drive, directory, and name as
the input file and appending the file extension .sts. The output file itself will have the same name as
the input and schema files, but with the extension .dat. The complete name and path of the output
ASCII data file will be encoded in the Schema file.
The data file and Schema file can be read back by Stat/Transfer. This is useful, for instance, if you
want to add variable labels, value labels, and/or missing values to data stored in a file format that
does not support these features.
For instance you could write the contents of an Excel spreadsheet to a fixed format ASCII file and
then edit the contents of the Schema to add missing values or value labels that could then be
transferred to SPSS, SAS or Stata.
XXX Program + ASCII Data File
The final three selections
SPSS Program + ASCII Data File
SAS Program + ASCII Data File
Stata Program + ASCII Data File
will each write a fixed format ASCII file along with a single program that will allow the file to be
read into SAS, SPSS or Stata. In addition, for the selection Stata Program + ASCII Data File, a
dictionary file will be written for Stata.
The program file name will appear in the output File Specification line of the Transfer dialog box.
Stat/Transfer constructs the output file specification by using the same drive (Windows), directory
and name as the input file and appending the file extensions .sas, .sps, or .do. The output file itself
will have the same name as the input and program files, but with the extension .dat. If a Stata
program file has been selected, the dictionary file will have the same name as the input and program
files, but with the extension .dct. The complete name and path of the output ASCII data file will be
encoded in the program file.
You can then load the program file (that with the .sas, .sps, or .do extension) directly in SAS, SPSS or
Stata to produce a data set with same name as the program file. If necessary, the ASCII file
specification encoded in the program files can be changed using any text editor that handles plain text
(see below)

92 Supported Programs

ASCII Files - Fixed Format

Using the Command Processor

You can write fixed format ASCII files using the command processor.
The only change from the description given above for the user interface is that the type of output is
specified by using an appropriate extension for the output file name in the COPY command, rather
than making a selection from the user interface.
The file extensions used to specify each type of output are:
Fixed format ASCII with a SCHEMA file
Fixed format ASCII with a SAS program
Fixed format ASCII with an SPSS program
Fixed format ASCII with a Stata program

sts
sas-dat
spss-dat
stat-dat

Changing File Specifications in the Schema or Program File

When a fixed format ASCII file is used as input, either to Stat/Transfer with a Schema file or to SAS,
SPSS or Stata with a program file, the first file that is read is either the Schema file or a program file.
This file then points to the actual data file. Thus the location of the data file must be accurately given
in the Schema or program file.
When the ASCII file with its accompanying Schema or program file is written on output, by default,
the exact path that Stat/Transfer uses to write the output ASCII file on your machine will be entered
as the file location in the Schema or program file. If you change this behavior with the Options for
Generated Programs (Page 37), the output ASCII data file specification will be written to all of the
program files using the directory ./ as the path.
The file location can be changed by opening up the Schema or program file in any plain text editor
and giving the file location with the FILE command. Comments in the first lines of the Schema or
program file will guide you in changing the specified file location.

Missing Values
By default, missing values are indicated on input and output by a blank field. This behavior can be
changed with the Numeric Missing Value option to extended in the ASCII READ or ASCII
WRITE sections of the Options dialog box or with the SET command.
When an ASCII file with extended missing values is transferred to a SAS or Stata file, the input
missing values will transfer to the equivalent SAS ones. When a SAS file is transferred to an ASCII
file with extended missing values specified, any missing values ._ in the input SAS file are written
out as . in the output.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

ASCII Files - Fixed Format

Supported Programs 93

Output to Fixed Format ASCII from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string

Number
(with a precision of up to
15 decimal places)

date
time
date/time

Character

94 Supported Programs

ASCII Files - Fixed Format

Character

SCHEMA Files for ASCII Input

The SCHEMA file is used to describe an input ASCII file to Stat/Transfer.
If you are using a fixed format ASCII file that was not created by Stat/Transfer, then you must create
the SCHEMA file before you read the fixed format ASCII file into Stat/Transfer.
If you are using a delimited ASCII file as input, you may use a SCHEMA file to specify variable
names, labels and missing values in a more detailed way than is allowed by the automatic method
described in the section Delimited ASCII Files, Page 87.
The SCHEMA file should be a plain ASCII text file with the extension .sts (Stat/Transfer Schema).
You can create it with any text editor that will create plain text.
It is most straightforward if your ASCII data file has the same name as the SCHEMA file, with the
extension .dat, and is located in the same directory the SCHEMA file. If this is not the case, you can
override this default with the FILE command, as discussed below.

Creating a SCHEMA File

The structure of the SCHEMA file is the following:
FILE file specification

when required

FORMAT [fixed] | delimited delimiter

[ FIRST LINE n]

Fixed
Delimited

when required

VARIABLES
/
when required
Variable name | variable list | variable range columns (variable type)
Variable name (variable type)

Optional elements for the VARIABLES command

[Missing value specs]
{Variable label}
\Value label tag
Optional commands
VARIABLE LABELS
Variable name variable label
VALUE LABELS
\label tag
value label

value label
DATA

when required

Each of the major commands (FILE, FORMAT, FIRST LINE, VARIABLES, VARIABLE LABELS,
VALUE LABELS, and DATA) must begin in the first space on a line. All other elements must be
indented at least one space or tab. Commands in the Schema file are not case sensitive.
For fixed format data, the most basic SCHEMA file consists of a list of variable names, followed by
their column locations and, for non-numeric variables, the variable type in parentheses.

SCHEMA Files for ASCII Input

Supported Programs 95

For delimited data, the most basic Schema file consists of a list of variable names and the types, in
parentheses, of all variables.
Note that the SCHEMA syntax is similar to SPSS DATA LIST syntax, but is more convenient to use.
There is no MISSING VALUES command, because missing values can be defined along with the
variables. Similarly, variable labels can be defined alongside the variables. Value labels are attached
with tags in a manner that is closer to SAS and Stata than SPSS.
FILE Command

If your ASCII input file is not in the same directory as the SCHEMA file, if it has an extension other
than .dat, or has a name that is different from the SCHEMA file, you must use the FILE command.
This consists of the word FILE beginning in the first column, followed by the complete path and
name of your input data file. If there are embedded spaces in any of these elements, you must
enclose the file specification in single or double quotes.
For example:

File C:/My data files/new/big.file

If the ASCII input file is in the same directory as the SCHEMA file, with the same name and with an
extension .dat, then the FILE command does not need to be used.
The FILE command is also omitted if you choose to put your input data in the same file as the
SCHEMA commands, using the DATA command.
Note that when Stat/Transfer writes a SCHEMA file for an output fixed format or delimited ASCII
file, the output file specification will be written to the FILE command using the same drive, directory,
and name as the input file, appending the file extension .dat. You can tell Stat/Transfer not to use this
path, but instead to use only the default directory . and the file name. See the ASC File - Write
section of the Options dialog box, Page 36 or use the SET command CODE-OMIT-PATHS Y with
the command processor.
FORMAT Command

The format command is optional for fixed format data, but it must be present in order to read
delimited data. It begins in the first column.
When reading fixed format data, the FORMAT command, if present, is followed by fixed. This
command is never required for fixed format files, but you may wish to use it for documentation
purposes.
When reading delimited data, the FORMAT command is followed by delimited, which is then
followed by the delimiter. The delimiter can be commas, tabs, spaces or semicolons, or you
can specify any other delimiter character by preceding it with a \. For instance to use the pipe
character for a delimiter, type

format delimited \|
To use commas, type

format delimited commas

FIRST LINE Command

If you need to skip lines at the beginning of your data file, use this command, which starts in the first
column. After the command, enter the number of the first line to be read.
For example, to start on the third line of your file, type

first line 3
96 Supported Programs

SCHEMA Files for ASCII Input

VARIABLES Command

The VARIABLES command must be used. It begins in the first column.

Record Specifiers
If you have more than one record for each logical case, you must indicate the start of each record
after the first by a slash. For example, if each case is on two records, then the VARIABLES
command would have the following form:
VARIABLES
variable specifications for record one
/
variable specifications for record two
where / signifies the start of the second record.
You must specify as many records as are present, but you need not define fields on each record.
Variable Specification for Fixed Format Data
For fixed format input, the required elements after the VARIABLES command are a list of variable
names, followed by their column locations and, for non-numeric variables, the variable type in
parentheses.
Variable names must begin with a letter or an underscore. If they have embedded spaces (not
recommended) they must be enclosed by single or double quotes.
The column locations begin with column one. The variable type, when necessary, is given in
parentheses after the column location.
For example, a SCHEMA file might contain the following VARIABLES command:

Variables
ID
Age
Name
Sex

1-5
6-7
8-20 (A)
21

Birthdte

(%d-%m-%Y)

The type is not necessary when the variable type is numeric. String variables are designated by the
letter A, and for dates and times you should use a Stat/Transfer date input format, as documented in
the ASCII options given on Page 30. For dates in the format 10-MAY-1950, for example, you would
use (%d-%m-%Y), the example above. Note that different formats can be used for different date and
time variables.
Numeric variables can be also be specified with a starting column location, and a format giving the
variable width and an optional number of implied decimal places. In this case, the ending column
location is not necessary. The format is given in parentheses after the starting column location.
variablename begcol (fwidth.n)
If a decimal point is present in the input number, it is read and used. If a decimal place is not found
in the data, the number will be divided by 10 to the nth power, where n is the number of decimal
placed given in the format.
For example,

income

(F10.2)

SCHEMA Files for ASCII Input

Supported Programs 97

will read the variable income beginning in column 6, with a width of 10. If the number found in the
field is 2.00 the result will be 2. If the data contain 200 the result will be two as well.
The input widths, whether given explicitly or with a format giving the variable width may be used to
specify the output width when writing program files with fixed format ASCII data. In order for these
widths to be used in the output file, you should check the option Preserve Input Widths in the
ASCII File - Write section of the Options dialog box or use the SET command PROG-PRESERVEWIDTHS Y in the command processor.
Variable Lists If you have adjacent variables in a record with the same widths and of the same type,
you can use a list to specify them in the VARIABLES command.
The width specified by the given column range is divided by the number of variables in the list to
give the width of each variable. If the number of variables does not give an integer when divided into
the width specified, then an error is returned.
For example,

incsat housesat 22-23

will describe the numeric variable incsat as having a width of one, located in column 22 and the
numeric variable housesat as having a width of one in column 23.
Variable Range If you have adjacent variables in a record with the same widths and types and with
names of the form variablen, you can use a range to specify them in the VARIABLES command.
For example,

scale1 to scale10 24-43

will expand to 10 variables named scale1, scale2 ... scale10, each of width 2 and located starting
in column 24.
As is the case with using variable lists, if the number of variables does not give an integer when
divided into the width specified, then an error is returned.
Variable Specifications for Delimited Data
For delimited input data, the required elements after the VARIABLES command are a list of variable
names, followed by their variable types in parentheses.
For example, a SCHEMA file might contain the following VARIABLES command:

Variables
ID
Age
Name
Sex
Wage
Birthdte

(A4)
(F)
(A16)
(F2)
(F10.2)
(%Y-%m-%d)

Variable names must begin with a letter or an underscore. If they have embedded spaces (not
recommended) they must be enclosed by single or double quotes.
The variable type is always necessary for delimited data.
String variables are indicated by the letter A followed by a width. The width specification is
required.
98 Supported Programs

SCHEMA Files for ASCII Input

Numeric data are indicated by the letter F. A width is not required for numeric data, but may be
given in order to specify the output width when writing program files with fixed format ASCII data.
You can give either a width such as F2 or a width and implied number of decimals, such as F4.2.
In order for these widths to be used in the output file, you should check the option Preserve Input
Widths in the ASCII File - Write section of the Options dialog box.
For dates and times you should use a Stat/Transfer date input format, as documented in the ASCII
options given on Page 30. For dates in the format 1950-MAY-10, for example, you would use
(%Y-%m-%d). The formats given here override those selected in the Options dialog box. Note that
different formats can be used for different date and time variables.
Optional Elements for both Fixed and Delimited ASCII Data
Missing Value Specifications
Missing values can be coded in your input data file as blank, or as one of the extended missing values
. and .a-.z. See Page 35 for specifying extended missing values.
However, it is probably better practice to code missing values numerically in your data and then assign
these numbers to missing as the data are read in. This allows the missing data to become a subject of
analysis.
Up to three missing value specifications can be entered for each variable (or variable list or variable
range, for fixed format files). These are entered on the same line as the variable name (list or range),
following the variable specification elements. The missing value specifications are entered in square
brackets and are separated by commas.
A number given by itself is an equal-to specification. That is, if an input value is equal to the
number, it will be considered missing. In addition, missing value specifications can be entered as
<= (less than or equal) plus a number and >= (greater than or equal) plus a number.
For a fixed format input file, for example, suppose the values `0, `98, and `99 for the variable age
are all used to indicate a missing value. Then
Age 6-7
Age 6-7
Age 6-7

[0,98,99]
[0,>=98]
[<=1,98,99]

are all equivalent (assuming positive values for the variable age).
For a delimited input file, this would be specified as
Age (F)

[0,98,99]

and so on.
Variable Labels
If you only have one variable on a line (not a list or a range), and wish to use variable labels, then it is
most convenient to put them on the same line as the variables.
The variable labels are enclosed in curly braces, as in
Age 6-7 [0,98,99] {Age of Respondent}
If you are using a range or a list with fixed format input to define several similar variables and you
wish to label them, you must use the VARIABLE LABELS command, described below.

SCHEMA Files for ASCII Input

Supported Programs 99

Value Label Tag

If you wish to attach labels to the values of your variables, you must define the label set using the
VALUE LABELS command, discussed below. You then attach the label to a particular variable or set
of variables using a tag. The tag begins with a backslash \.
For example, if instead of setting values to missing, you might wish to label them instead:

Age 6-7 Age of Respondent \agelab

where the value label tag \agelab is defined using the VALUE LABEL command as shown in the
example on the next page.
VARIABLE LABELS Command

If you are using lists or range specifications (with fixed format input) in the VARIABLES command
and need to define labels for those variables, then you must use the VARIABLE LABELS command.
This command is followed by as many variable name / variable label pairs as needed.
For example:

Variable Labels
Housesat Satisfaction with Housing
Incsat Satisfaction with Income
will label the variable Housesat as Satisfaction with Housing and the variable Incsat as
Satisfaction with Income.
If the labels contain embedded blanks, they should be enclosed in single or double quotes.
VALUE LABELS Command

You can define sets of value labels with the VALUE LABEL command. The elements are a tag,
preceded by a backslash and then value/ label pairs. For instance:

Value Labels
\Agelab
0
98
99

Inapplicable
Not Ascertained
Refused

If the labels contain embedded blanks, they should be enclosed in single or double quotes.
DATA command

The input data can be read from the same file as the SCHEMA commands, rather than read from a
separate file. The DATA command, which must follow all of the rest of the SCHEMA commands,
tells Stat/Transfer to treat everything that follows as data.
When the DATA command is used, the FILE command must be omitted.
SCHEMA File Comments

You can put comments in the SCHEMA file with two slashes. Everything that follows on the line
will be treated as a comment.

// this is a comment

100 Supported
Programs

SCHEMA Files for ASCII Input

An Example SCHEMA File for a Fixed Format File

File My data files/new/big.file

Variables
ID 1-5 Arbitrary ID Number
Age 6-7 [0,98,99] Respondents Age \agelab
Name 8-20 (A)
Sex 21 \sex
incsat housesat 22-23 [0,8,9] <sat
famsat 52 [0,8,9] Satisfaction with Family \sat
Variable Labels
Incsat Satisfaction with Income
Housesat Satisfaction with Housing
Value Labels
\agelab //We only need labels for missing values
0 Not applicable
98 Not Ascertained
99 Refused
\sex
1 Male
2 Female
\sat
1 Not Satisfied
2 Somewhat Satisfied
3 Very Satisfied
8 Not Ascertained
9 Refused
Assuming this SCHEMA file had the name survey.sts, you would read it into Stat/Transfer by
selecting ASCII - Fixed format (S/T Schema) from the user interface and then selecting survey.sts
for the input file name. The SCHEMA would then point to the data file big.file, in the directory my
data files/new/.
If the data file were named survey.dat and placed in the same directory as the SCHEMA file, then the
FILE command would be omitted, since Stat/Transfer would find it without it being named in the
FILE command.
Alternatively, you could put the data in the same file as the SCHEMA and use the DATA command at
the end of the SCHEMA, but before your data, to tell Stat/Transfer to read your data from the same
file, starting in the line following the command.

SCHEMA Files for ASCII Input

Supported Programs 101

dBASE Files and Compatibles

Stat/Transfer will read and write dBASE III+ and IV files, and those from compatible systems such as
Clipper or Alpha Four. Obsolete dBASE II files can also be read.
Standard extension: dbf

Reading dBASE Files

All versions of dBASE files can have indices for key fields, which are stored in separate files.
Stat/Transfer ignores these indices, and treats all files sequentially.
On input, dBASE numeric data and character variables are converted in a straightforward manner.
Logical variables are converted to numbers (True becomes 1, False becomes 0). Memo Fields
cannot be converted and will not appear for variable selection. Deleted records are not transferred.

Writing dBASE Files

Users should be aware that dBASE files are limited to 128 variables.
dBASE stores numeric data in fixed length character format. It is thus not very suitable for numbers
which vary widely in magnitude, or which are either very large or very small.
When Stat/Transfer is transferring data from a system in which the width and number of decimal
places are known, it uses that information to set the format of each field in the output dBASE files.
For systems, such as SYSTAT, in which this information is not recorded in the file, Stat/Transfer sets
the formats based on the target type of the variable.

Missing Data
dBASE does not directly support missing values. On input to Stat/Transfer, blanks in an dBASE file
are interpreted as missing values. If a data set is being transferred to an dBASE file format, missing
values in the input files are set to blank in the dBASE file. Blanks are interpreted as zero by dBASE.
Many other programs, including Stat/Transfer, interpret these blanks as missing.

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

102 Supported Programs

dBASE Files and Compatibles

Output to dBASE from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte

Number
(width 4, 0 decimal places)

int

Number
(width 6, 0 decimal places)

long

Number
(width 11, 0 decimal places)

dBASE III
float
double

Number
(width 16, decimal places taken
from input data. If decimal
places unknown, set to 4.)

dBASE IV
float
double
string
date
time
date/time

Float
(width 16)
Character
Date
Character
(written according to the ASCII
format options currently in effect)

dBASE Files and Compatibles

Supported Programs 103

DDI (Data Documentation Initiative) Schemas

The Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) is an open, international effort to provide a standard way of
describing data from the social, behavioral and economic sciences. DDI Schemas are in XML and
can describe metadata across the life-cycle from questionnaire design through analysis. See
www.dddalliance.org.
Stat/Transfer supports DDI 3.1 Standard. The data are contained in two files: the dictionary
information is stored in a file with the extension .xml and the data are stored in a separate delimited
ASCII file with the extension .dat.
Standard extension: xml, dat
Reading DDI
Stat/Transfer will read and use DDI variable and value labels. Delimited data files are supported for
reading and writing. The missing values and the delimiter are taken from the Schema.

Writing DDI
Stat/Transfer writes delimited DDI. The specification requires that elements within the Schema be
identified by an "agency". This is typically a url. By default it is "example.org", but you should
change it to something more appropriate at Output Options(1) of the Options dialog box.

Missing Values
On input the missing value is taken from the Schema. On output it is a blank.
Output Variable Types
The output variable type that results from each target variable type is given in the following table:

Output to DDI. Schemas from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
date, time, date/time
string

Short

104 Supported Programs

Long
Single
Double
Date/Time
Character

DDI (Data Documentation Initiative) Schemas

Epi Info
Stat/Transfer will read and write files for Epi Info, a free statistical program developed by the Center
for Disease Control. All versions through Version Six are supported.
Standard extension: rec
Reading Epi Info Files
The Epi Info .rec contains both a dictionary with enough information for the program to construct a
data-entry screen for the file, and the data itself in ASCII format. Stat/Transfer will use the data-entry
description field as the variable label, if it is present.
Writing Epi Info Files
Because Epi Info files are basically formatted ASCII, they are not suitable for numbers which vary
widely in magnitude. Keeping in mind that the.rec file is also a data-entry template, Stat/Transfer will
make its best effort to make an attractive and functional one. Labels will be used, if available for
variable descriptions.
Missing Data
Blank fields are used by Epi Info for missing values. Stat/Transfer recognizes this when reading Epi
Info files. Missing values will be written as blanks on output to Epi Info format.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to Epi Info from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte

Number
(width 4, 0 decimal places)
Number
(width 6, 0 decimal places)
Number
(width 11, 0 decimal places)
Number
(width 16, decimal places taken
from input data. If decimal
places unknown, set to 4 )

int
long
float
double

string

Text

date
time
date/time

Date
Text
(written according to the ASCII
format options currently in effect)

Epi Info

Supported Programs 105

Excel Worksheets
Stat/Transfer will read and write files from Excel. It will read all versions, and will write Version 2.1
files and files for Excel 97 and higher versions. Note that Excel 97 and higher versions support long
strings (up to 32K) and more (up to 64K) records in a worksheet.
Excel 2007 has vastly increased limits over earlier versions. The maximum number of columns has
been increased from 256 to 65,536 and the maximum number of rows has increased from 16,384 to
over one million. Note however, this does not mean that Excel is an appropriate tool for very large
datasets. You will find that the time to load very large files is agonizingly slow.
Excel 2013 has added a new Strict Open XML format. Stat/Transfer 12 will read this format.
Standard extension: xls

Reading Excel Worksheet Files

Because worksheet files are in general not designed to hold statistical data, only worksheets in certain
formats can be read.
Worksheets must be in worksheet database format or in certain modifications of this. It is most
straightforward with worksheets in database format.
Database format

Worksheet database files are structured worksheets where each row is a single case and each column
contains a variable. Data can consist of numbers (including serial date numbers), labels, or formulas.
The first non-blank row of a worksheet database file usually has strings in each column that give the
names of the variables. The data then begins in the next row. However, variable names may be in
different rows or not present at all.
You have several options to specify what part of an input worksheet to read and how to read variable
names. An option allows you to read variable labels from the row after the variable names.
Data Range

You can choose different ranges to be read in input worksheets by using the drop-down menu for
Data Range in the Worksheets section of the Options dialog box or using the SET command,
WKS-DATA-RANGE.
If you use Autosense (the default), Stat/Transfer will read to the first non-blank cell and use that as
the upper left corner of the data range. It will then read data until it encounters an entirely blank line.
This is the default behavior. You can change the behavior with respect to blank rows by using the
Blank Rows option.
Rather than have Stat/Transfer automatically sense the number of rows to be read, you can use the
other options for Data Range to specify a range, either by giving a named range or by giving explicit
coordinates.
When a range has been specified, Stat/Transfers treatment of entirely blank rows will also be
overridden. They will be returned in your output data and, in addition, blank rows at the end of the
worksheet, through the last row of the specified range, will also be returned.

106 Supported Programs

Excel Worksheets

Determining Variable Names

By default, Stat/Transfer will attempt to determine whether or not the data in the first non-blank row
(or the first row of a specified range) are variable names or the first row of data. It does so by
looking for at least one column in which there is a string in the first row and a number in the
second.
If this behavior is inappropriate for your worksheet (for example, if you have only string data), you
can specify different options in the Field Name Row drop-down menu of the Worksheets section of
the Options dialog box. You can specify that variable names must be taken from the first non-blank
row, that they be taken from a specific row, or that the worksheet does not contain variable names, so
that Stat/Transfer should assign them (col1 through coln).
Determining the Data Types and Widths

After identifying the label row, Stat/Transfer will look, if necessary, at the entire column to find the
first non-blank cell in order to determine the data type of each column. If the first non-empty data
cell of a particular column is a number (or a label with a single period), Stat/Transfer will transfer the
column as a number. If the data cell contains a label, the variable will be transferred as a string.
The width of the column for each numeric variable and the format of the first non-blank data cell in
that column are used, where possible, to set the default target, or output, types for the numeric
variables. If the format of the first data row has any decimal places (for example, F(2)), the target
type will be float. On the other hand, if the cell format has no decimal places (for example, F(0))
the target types will be various flavors of integers which depend on the column width. If the column
width is less than three, the target type will be byte. If the column width is less than five, the target
type will by int. Otherwise the target type will be long. Any date format in the first data row will
set the target type to date.
The maximum width of character variables is determined by examining the widths of all of the strings
in a column.
Stat/Transfer is lenient in typing variables from worksheets. If it is expecting a character variable and
it encounters a number it will convert it to a string.
Combining Multiple Input Worksheet to a Single Output File

The option Concatenate Worksheet Pages, found in the Worksheets options in the Options dialog
box allows you to combine worksheet pages into a single output file. This option is appropriate if
your worksheet contains many sheets that are identical in structure. These can be then be combined
into a single output file of any type.
For example, you may have a workbook that has 50 sheets, with one sheet for each state and the same
variables on each sheet. If you check this box, Stat/Transfer will effectively combine the sheets into
one large input file, dropping the field names, if necessary, on the second and higher sheets. You will
end up with the data from all of your worksheet pages in a single output file.
Writing Excel Worksheet Files
On output, by default, Stat/Transfer will write variable labels in the first row of the worksheet. Data
values will be placed in the second and succeeding rows. You can change this behavior in the
Worksheets options in the Options dialog box.
Column widths and formats will be determined by the variable information available. Dates and
character variables are straightforward. For numerical data, information on the width and number of
decimal places of variables, where available, is used to set the column widths and formats.

Excel Worksheets

Supported Programs 107

Missing Data
On input, blank cells and cells containing labels consisting of a single dot are read as missing.
If there is a string in your worksheet, such as NA, that you would like to have treated as a numeric
missing value, you can specify it using the Numeric Missing Value option in the Worksheets
section of the Options dialog box.
When transferring data to worksheets from other formats, missing values will be written out to
worksheets as blank cells.

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to Excel from Stat/Transfer

Target Type
byte
int
long
float
double
string
date
time
date/time

108 Supported Programs

Excel Worksheets

Output Type
Numeric cell
(formatted if information is
available)
Label
Serial date number
(with date format)
Time fraction
(with date format if available)
Date number + time fraction
(with date/time format if available)

FoxPro Files
Stat/Transfer will read and write FoxPro files.
Standard extension: dbf
Reading FoxPro Files
FoxPro files can have indices for key fields, which are stored in separate files. Stat/Transfer ignores
these indices, and treats all files sequentially.
On input, FoxPro numeric data and character variables are converted in a straightforward manner.
Logical variables are converted to numbers (True becomes 1, False becomes 0). Memo Fields
cannot be converted and will not appear for variable selection. Deleted records are not transferred.
Writing Fox Pro Files
Users should be aware that FoxPro files are limited to 128 variables.
FoxPro stores numeric data in fixed length character format. It is thus not very suitable for numbers
which vary widely in magnitude, or which are either very large or very small.
When Stat/Transfer is transferring data from a system in which the width and number of decimal
places are known, it uses that information to set the format of each field in the output FoxPro files.
For systems, such as SYSTAT, in which this information is not recorded in the file, Stat/Transfer uses
sets the formats based on the target type of the variable.
Missing Data
FoxPro does not directly support missing values. On input to Stat/Transfer, blanks in a FoxPro file are
interpreted as missing values. If a data set is being transferred to an FoxPro file format, missing
values in the input files are set to blank in the FoxPro file. Blanks are interpreted as zero by FoxPro.
Many other programs, including Stat/Transfer, interpret these blanks as missing.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to FoxPro from Stat/Transfer

Target Type
byte
int
long
float
double
string
date
time
date/time

Output Type
Number
(width 4, 0 decimal places)
Number
(width 6, 0 decimal places)
Number
(width 11, 0 decimal places)
Float
(width 16)
Character
Date
Character
(written according to the ASCII
format options currently in effect)

FoxPro Files

Supported Programs 109

Gauss Files
Stat/Transfer will read and write Gauss data sets. There are two Gauss formats.
1. Gauss 89 was used on PC platforms, and consists of two files: a data file with a .dat extension and
a header, or dictionary file with a .dht extension.
2. Gauss 96 was first used on Unix platforms and now is used on all platforms. It is written to a single
file with a .dat extension.
Standard extension: dat
Reading Gauss Files
When you wish to transfer data from a Gauss data set, give Stat/Transfer the name of the data file (the
file with the .dat extension). If Stat/Transfer can find the .dht file in the same directory, it will read
the data file as a Gauss 89 file. If no .dht file is present, the data file will be read as a Gauss 96 file.
Stat/Transfer will read numeric data from integer, single precision and double precision Gauss data
sets. Character data will only be read from double precision data sets.
Writing Gauss Files
On output, you can choose whether to write a Gauss 89 or Gauss 96 file. If you choose to write a
Gauss 89 file, both of the Gauss files, the data file and the header file, will be written. Stat/Transfer
will show the data file name, with the .dat extension, in the output File Specification line. However,
the header file will be created as well, with a .dht extension.
Stat/Transfer writes double precision Gauss data sets.
Missing Data
Gauss supports missing values.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to Gauss from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string

Double precision number

date

MM/DD/YY format
(written as a character variable)
Character
(written according to the ASCII
format options currently in effect)

time
date/time

110 Supported Programs

Gauss Files

Character (8 byte maximum)

gretl
gretl (Gnu Regression, Econometrics and Time-series Library) is a free, open-source package for
econometric analysis. Stat/Transfer can read and write gretl cross-section files. It does not support
Time series and panel data structures.
gretl supports numeric variables only (with the exception of a single, alphanumeric, or date row label).
Reading gretl
If necessary, Stat/Transfer will decompress gretl files automatically. The character encoding is read
from the file and will override any encode set in the options. If the file contains row labels,
Stat/Transfer will attempt to convert them to dates using the scan format set in the Date/Time Formats
Reading options. If the row labels cannot be converted to dates, they will be treated as an ordinary
string variable. The row label will be named obs.
Writing gretl
Stat/Transfer writes uncompressed gretl files with strings in Unicode (utf-8). You can control which
variable is used as the row label in Options/Output Options(2). Note that because gretl has only a
numeric data type, only one string variable can be written to the output file. All Date/Time variables,
except for one used for the row label (optionally), will be written to the file as Excel dates (the number
of days since December 30, 1899, with time as a decimal fraction of the day.

Target Type

Output Type

Table
Byte
Int
Long
Float
Double

Number

Date

Excel date number

Time

Decimal Fraction (noon = .5)

Date/time

Date number + time

String

Not exported except for row label

JMP Files

Supported Programs 111

HTML Tables
Stat/Transfer will write HTML tables for use in web pages.
Standard extension: htm
Writing HTML Tables
Field names will be written in bold characters as the first row of the table. Values of each field are
then written down the corresponding column.
The table generated by Stat/Transfer is bracketed by <HTML> tags. Thus it can be loaded directly
into your browser. However, most users will probably want to cut and paste the table into a larger
HTML page. To make this process easier, the output HTML tables have reasonably short lines and
continuation lines are indented.
Note that HTML output is in general only appropriate for fairly small tables. Stat/Transfer will
transfer large data sets to HTML format. However, if you use a large table in a web page, many
browsers will be brought to their knees when they try to read the table.
Missing Data
Missing values for any data type are written as a non-breaking space, &nbsp;. On any browser, this
will cause a blank table cell to be displayed.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to HTML Tables from Stat/Transfer

112 Supported Programs

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string
date
time
date/time

Number with a precision of up to

15 decimal places

HTML Files

Character
Character
(written according to the ASCII
format options currently in effect)

JMP Files
JMP is a general statistics package from the SAS Institute that runs on both the Windows and
Macintosh platforms. Stat/Transfer reads and writes files that are usable on either platform.
All versions higher than 3 are supported.
Standard extension: mat
Reading JMP Files
JMP allows (and encourages) variable names of up to 31 characters. These variable names can
contain embedded blanks and any other character. These names may be truncated or altered when
they are transferred to other statistical packages. Because of this, Stat/Transfer will use the JMP
variable name for a variable label if it is greater than eight characters and contains an embedded
blank, or if you have checked the option Write New, Numeric Variable Names in the General
Options section of the Options dialog box.
By default, the notes property for a variable will be used as a variable label if present. If you have
additional textual data in the custom properties of your variables, you can append this to the variable
labels by checking the option Use custom properties as variable labels in the JMP Options section
of the Options dialog box.
Reading JMP files with the Command Processor
It is necessary to use a file-type tag to distinguish different versions of JMP files when reading them
with the command processor.
Version 4+ files are read by default. That is, if the input is a Version 4+ JMP file that has the standard
extension .jmp, no file-type tag is needed. If you want to read a Version 3 JMP file, then the file
name must be preceded by the file-type tag jmp3.
Writing JMP Files
Variable labels, when available from the input file, will be written to JMP output files as variable
notes.
You can choose to have Stat/Transfer write value labels to output JMP files by checking the option
Write value labels to JMP files in the JMP Options section of the Options dialog box.
Reading JMP files with the Command Processor
Since the same standard extension is used for all versions of JMP files, it is necessary to use a filetype tag to distinguish them when writing JMP files with the command processor.
Version 6 is written by default. That is, if the output is a Version 6 JMP file that has the standard
extension .jmp, no file-type tag is needed. If you want to write a Version 3 JMP file, then the file
name must be preceded by the file-type tag jmp3. For Version 4 and 6 JMP files, the file name must
be preceded by the file-type tag jmp4.
Missing Values
JMP has a missing value for each numeric type. Stat/Transfer recognizes these on reading JMP files
and will write them to JMP output.

JMP Files

Supported Programs 113

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to JMP from Stat/Transfer

114 Supported Programs

Target Type

Output Type

float
double
byte
int
long
string
date
time
date/time

Numeric

JMP Files

Integer1
Integer2
Integer4
Character
Date
Time
Date/time

LIMDEP Files
Stat/Transfer supports all versions of LIMDEP . LIMDEP is an econometric software program for
the analysis of limited dependent variables.
Standard extension: lpj
Reading LIMDEP Files
LIMDEP has only a single data type, consisting of double precision numbers.
Writing LIMDEP Files
Stat/Transfer enforces LIMDEPs 200 variable limit.
Character variables cannot be exported to LIMDEP, since the program does not support them.
Missing Values
LIMDEP recognizes missing values.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to LIMDEP from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

string
byte
int
long
float
double
date
time
datetime

Not exported
Number

LIMDEP Files

Supported Programs 115

Matlab Files
Matlab matrices through Version 5 are supported on the following platforms:
Macintosh
Windows & OS/2
Unix HP/Sun/IBM
Matlab datasets for version 7+ are also supported.
Standard extension: mat
Reading Matlab Files
Stat/Transfer will automatically recognize an input files platform of origin on input.
Matlab does not write variable names into the file. Therefore Stat/Transfer makes up a variable name
for each column, coln, which consists of the string col plus the number of the column.
All values in a given matrix are of a single type, usually double precision, although particularly large
matrices may be written out by Matlab in integer format, when this is possible.
Strings are not supported in Matlab files.
Stat/Transfer does not read complex matrices.
Writing Matlab Files
On output, Stat/Transfer writes files that can be read by any version of Matlab.
Stat/Transfer always writes Matlab files in double precision.
Stat/Transfer does not write complex matrices.
By default, Stat/Transfer will write dates, times or datetime variables into Matlab as numbers. Dates
are serial date numbers with a base of Jan 1, 0000. Times are fractions of the day and date/time values
are the sum of these two components.
You will need to use internal Matlab functions to turn these numbers into something readable. On the
other hand, if you are not planning to do any computations on your dates, you can check the option
Write Matlab Date/Time as strings in the Output Options(1) section of the Options dialog box
and Stat/Transfer will write your date values as formatted strings in your Matlab file.
Missing Data
Matlab supports missing values.

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

116 Supported Programs

Matlab Files

Output to Matlab from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

int
long
float
double
date
time
date/time

Double

string

Not written

Date-written out as serial day number

Time-written as fraction of day
Date/time-integer gives serial day
number, fractional part gives time

Matlab Files

Supported Programs 117

Mineset Files
Mineset is a data visualization package from Silicon Graphics, Inc. The published and portable data
format is tab-delimited ASCII, stored in a file with a .DATA extension and described by a dictionary in
a file with a .SCHEMA extension.
Standard extensions: schema, data
Reading Mineset files
When using Mineset data as input for a transfer, give the file with the .schema extension (the
dictionary file) as the input file. Stat/Transfer will then look in the same directory for a file of the
same name, but with the .data extension and will read the input data from this file.
Some of the more exotic features of Mineset files such as arrays and enumerations are not supported.
Writing Mineset files.
In the Output File Specification of the Transfer dialog box, specify a name for the .schema file.
The data file will then be written to the same directory with a .data extension
Missing Values
Mineset uses ? for missing numeric values. Stat/Transfer recognizes this on input of Mineset files
and writes it on output to Mineset files.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to Mineset from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string
time
date
date/time

Integer

118 Supported Programs

Mineset Files

Float
Double
String
Time
Date

Minitab Worksheets
Minitab is a general statistics package from Minitab, Inc. Stat/Transfer will read Minitab worksheets
written by Versions 8 - 12 of Minitab and writes Version 11 worksheets.
Standard extension: mtw
Reading Minitab Worksheets
Stat/Transfer reads Minitab columns. It does not read the constants or matrices that may be stored in
Minitab worksheets.
Version 12 of Minitab introduced a new project file type that may contain several worksheets along
with other data. Stat/Transfer does not extract separate worksheets from these project files. You will
need to use Minitab to save the worksheets you wish to transfer as separate worksheet files.
Stat/Transfer reads Minitab Versions through 14.
Writing Minitab Worksheets
Stat/Transfer writes Minitab columns.
Missing Values
Minitab recognizes missing values.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to Minitab from Stat/Transfer
Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string
date
Time
date/time

Number

Text
Date/time

Minitab Worksheets

Supported Programs 119

Mplus Files
Stat/Transfer supports exporting to Mplus Version 6-7 for Windows. Mplus is a latent variable
modeling program. See www.statmodel.com.
Standard extension: inp, dat

Writing Mplus Files

Mplus data files consist of a dictionary with an extension .inp, and a delimited data file with a .dat
extension. Character variables cannot be exported to Mplus, since the program does not support
them.
Value and variable labels are fully supported.

Missing Values
Mplus recognizes missing values, which are written as '.'.

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to Mplus from Stat/Transfer

120 Supported Programs

Target Type

Output Type

string
byte
int
long
float
double
date
time
datetime

Not exported
Number (with a precision of
up to 15 decimal places) Dates
are written as serial day
numbers with a base of
December 31, 1899. Times
are written
as fractions of a day.

MPLUS Files

NLOGIT Files
Stat/Transfer supports all versions of NLOGIT for Windows. NLOGIT is an econometric software
program for the analysis of discrete choice data.
Standard extension: lpj
Reading NLOGIT Files
NLOGIT has only a single data type, consisting of double precision numbers.
Writing NLOGIT Files
Stat/Transfer enforces NLOGITs 200 variable limit.
Character variables cannot be exported to NLOGIT, since the program does not support them.
Missing Values
NLOGIT recognizes missing values.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to NLOGIT from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

string
byte
int
long
float
double
date
time
datetime

Not exported
Number

NLOGIT Files

Supported Programs 121

ODBC Data Sources

Stat/Transfer can read or write data for any file type for which you have, or can obtain, an ODBC
driver. These include such relational databases as Oracle, Sybase, DB2, or Informix, or flat file
databases such as Btrieve.
Standard extension: [none]

Reading and Writing ODBC Data Sources

Depending on the driver, you may need to configure your data source from the Windows control
panel.
When connecting to an ODBC data source, you may need to supply a password or other information.
If a particular data source requires such information, you will be prompted automatically.
Note that for client server databases in particular, some configuration and installation of databasespecific components may well be required. If you have difficulty connecting to a data source with
Stat/Transfer, please try to connect with another tool such as Excel, or one supplied by your database
vendor. If you have difficulty with another tool, you should first talk to a local database administrator
or the database vendors support organization before contacting Circle Systems for support.
Reading

For ODBC, the Stat/Transfer user interface will present a list of installed data sources, instead of the
Open or Save dialog boxes. For details on using ODBC data sources with the command processor,
see Page 77.
Stat/Transfer can either read single tables or multiple tables that are joined in an view.
Writing

On output, tables can be created in a new file, new tables can be created in an existing file, or existing
tables can be overwritten with a new table.
In addition, new data can be appended to an existing database table. This option is off by default and
must be turned on by using the Append to Access and ODBC Tables option in the ODBC/Access
Options section of the Options dialog box or the SET command DB-TABLE-APPEND in the
command processor.
Stat/Transfer will match as many variables as possible to those already in the table and add your data
to the matching columns. Obviously at least one column must match exactly and, in addition, the
table must be free of constraints, such as those requiring unique keys, that would prohibit a simple
append operation.
Missing Values
Support for missing values depends on the ODBC driver you are using. However, in most cases,
missing values are supported.

122 Supported Programs

ODBC Data Sources

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to ODBC from Stat/Transfer

Target Type
byte
int
long
float
double
date
time
date/time
string

Output Type
Smallint
Integer
Real
Double
Date
Time
Timestamp
Character

ODBC Data Sources

Supported Programs 123

OpenDocument Spreadsheets
The OpenDocument format for spreadsheets is an ISO standard XML format for spreadsheet data. It
supported by numerous applications, including OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice, and Google Docs.
Standard extension: ods

Reading OpenDocument Spreadsheets

Because worksheet files are in general not designed to hold statistical data, only worksheets in certain
formats can be read.
Worksheets must be in worksheet database format or in certain modifications of this. It is most
straightforward to read worksheets in database format.
Database Format

Worksheet database files are structured worksheets where each row is a single case and each column
contains a variable. Data can consist of numbers (including serial date numbers), labels, or formulas.
The first non-blank row of a worksheet database file usually has strings in each column that give the
names of the variables. The data then begins in the next row. However, variable names may be in
different rows or not present at all.
You have several options to specify what part of an input worksheet to read and how to read variable
names. An option allows you to read variable labels from the row after the variable names.
Data Range

You can choose different ranges to be read in input worksheets by using the drop-down menu for
Data Range in the Worksheets section of the Options dialog box or using the SET command, WKSDATA-RANGE.
If you use Autosense (the default), Stat/Transfer will read to the first non-blank cell and use that as
the upper left corner of the data range. It will then read data until it encounters an entirely blank line.
This is the default behavior. You can change the behavior with respect to blank rows by using the
Blank Rows option.
Rather than have Stat/Transfer automatically sense the number of rows to be read, you can use the
other options for Data Range to specify a range, either by giving a named range or by giving explicit
coordinates.
When a range has been specified, Stat/Transfer's treatment of entirely blank rows will also be
overridden. They will be returned in your output data and, in addition, blank rows at the end of the
worksheet, through the last row of the specified range, will also be returned.
Determining Variable Names

By default, Stat/Transfer will attempt to determine whether or not the data in the first non-blank row
(or the first row of a specified range) are variable names or the first row of data. It does so by
looking for at least one column in which there is a string in the first row and a number in the
second.
If this behavior is inappropriate for your worksheet (for example, if you have only string data), you
can specify different options in the Field Name Row drop-down menu of the Worksheets section of
the Options dialog box. You can specify that variable names must be taken from the first non-blank
row, that they be taken from a specific row or that the worksheet does not contain variable names, so
that Stat/Transfer should assign them ('col1' through 'coln'.)
124 Supported
Programs

OpenDocument Spreadsheets

Determining the Data Types and Widths

After identifying the label row, Stat/Transfer will look at the entire column. If any cell contains a
string, the entire column will be treated as string data (with numbers and dates converted to strings).
If the column is all numeric or blank, it will be treated as a numeric column.
The width of the column for each numeric variable and the format of the first non-blank data cell in
that column are used, where possible, to set the default target, or output, types for the numeric
variables. If the format of the first data row has any decimal places (for example, F(2)), the target
type will be 'float'. On the other hand, if the cell format has no decimal places (for example, F(0)) the
target types will be various flavors of integers which depend on the column width. If the column
width is less than three, the target type will be 'byte'. If the column width is less than five, the target
type will by 'int'. Otherwise the target type will be 'long'. Any date format in the first data row will
set the target type to 'date'.
The maximum width of character variables is determined by examining the widths of all of the strings
in a column.
Stat/Transfer is lenient in typing variables from worksheets. If it is expecting a character variable and
it encounters a number it will convert it to a string.
Combining Multiple Input Worksheet to a Single Output File

The option Concatenate Worksheet Pages, found in the Worksheets section of the Options dialog box
allows you to combine worksheet pages into a single output file. This option is appropriate if your
worksheet contains many sheets that are identical in structure. These can be then be combined into a
single output file of any type.
For example, you may have a workbook that has 50 sheets, with one sheet for each state and the same
variables on each sheet. If you check this box, Stat/Transfer will effectively combine the sheets into
one large input file, dropping the field names, if necessary, on the second and higher sheets. You will
end up with the data from all of your worksheet pages in a single output file.

Writing OpenDocument Spreadsheets

On output, Stat/Transfer will write variable labels in the first row of the worksheet. Data values will
be placed in the second and succeeding rows.
Column widths and formats will be determined by the variable information available. Dates and
character variables are straightforward. For numerical data, information on the width and number of
decimal places of variables, where available, is used to set the column widths and formats.

Missing Data
On input, blank cells and cells containing labels consisting of a single dot are read as missing.
If there is a string in your worksheet, such as 'NA', that you would like to have treated as a numeric
missing value, you can specify it using the Numeric Missing Value option in the Worksheets
section of the Options dialog box.
When transferring data to worksheets from other formats, missing values will be written out to
worksheets as blank cells.

OpenDocument Spreadsheets

Supported Programs 125

Output Variable Types

The output variable type that results from each target variable type is given in the following table:

Output to OpenDocument Spreadsheets from Stat/Transfer

126 Supported
Programs

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string
date
time
date/time

Numeric cell
(formatted if information is
available)

OpenDocument Spreadsheets

Label
Formatted Date
Formatted Time
Formatted Time Stamp

OSIRIS Files
OSIRIS is a general purpose statistical package written for use on IBM mainframes. It is no longer
actively supported. However an enormous store of survey data are available in OSIRIS format from
the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of
Michigan. For this reason, Stat/Transfer will read, but not write OSIRIS data.
An OSIRIS data set consists of a dictionary file and a data file.
Standard extension: dict, data

Reading OSIRIS data

When using OSIRIS data as input for a transfer, you should make sure that the dictionary file and the
data file have the same name and the extensions .dict and .data respectively. They should also be in
the same directory.
When naming the input file in the Transfer dialog box, you must give the file with the
<MI*UX*O*SA*>.dict extension (the dictionary file) as the input file. Stat/Transfer will then look
in the same directory for a file of the same name, but with the .data extension and will read the input
data from this file.
Stat/Transfer supports OSIRIS Type 1 data sets, which is the variant in which data are usually
distributed. The dictionary file is a binary file in which strings are represented in EBCDIC notation.
The data files were originally in that format, but the ICPSR generally distributes them in ASCII
format. Stat/Transfer will support either of these formats and automatically senses which format your
data are in.
If you are downloading an OSIRIS dictionary for use with Stat/Transfer, you should use a binary file
transfer mode.
OSIRIS has variable and value labels, which are supported by Stat/Transfer.
Missing Values
An OSIRIS dictionary allows for two numeric missing values. By default, these are recognized by
Stat/Transfer. However, the default behavior can changed with the User Missing Values selection of
the Options dialog box.

Paradox Tables

Supported Programs 127

Paradox Tables
Because Paradox stores numbers in binary rather than character representation and because it
explicitly supports missing values, it is a much more suitable file format for statistical data than the
dBASE format.
Stat/Transfer reads Versions 4-9 and writes a version that is compatible with 79.
Standard extension: db
Reading Paradox Files
Paradox variable names can be up to 25 characters in length.
Paradoxs date format is supported on input.
Writing Paradox Files
Stat/Transfer stores numbers into Paradoxs integer format if they will fit. If not, it uses double
precision representation. Paradoxs date format is supported on output.
Missing Data
Paradox supports missing values for all data types.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to Paradox from Stat/Transfer

128 Supported Programs

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string
date
time
date/time

Short

OSIRIS Files

Numeric

Alphanumeric
Date
Time
Timestamp

Quattro Pro Worksheet Files

Stat/Transfer will read and write Quattro Pro files.
Standard extension: wq?, wb?

Reading Quattro Worksheet Files

Because worksheet files are in general not designed to hold statistical data, only worksheets in certain
formats can be read.
Worksheets must be in worksheet database format or in certain modifications of this. It is most
straightforward with worksheets in database format.
Database format

Worksheet database files are structured worksheets where each row is a single case and each column
contains a variable. Data can consist of numbers (including serial date numbers), labels, or formulas.
The first non-blank row of a worksheet database file usually has strings in each column that give the
names of the variables. The data then begins in the next row. However, variable names may be in
different rows or not present at all.
You have several options to specify what part of an input worksheet to read and how to read variable
names. An option allows you to read variable labels from the row after the variable names.
Data Range

You can choose different ranges to be read in input worksheets by using the drop-down menu for
Data Range in the Worksheets section of the Options dialog box or using the SET command,
WKS-DATA-RANGE.
If you use Autosense (the default), Stat/Transfer will read to the first non-blank cell and use that as
the upper left corner of the data range. It will then read data until it encounters an entirely blank line.
This is the default behavior. You can change the behavior with respect to blank rows by using the
Blank Rows option.
Rather than have Stat/Transfer automatically sense the number of rows to be read, you can use the
other options for Data Range to specify a range, either by giving a named range or by giving explicit
coordinates.
When a range has been specified, Stat/Transfers treatment of entirely blank rows will also be
overridden. They will be returned in your output data and, in addition, blank rows at the end of the
worksheet, through the last row of the specified range, will also be returned.
Determining Variable Names

By default, Stat/Transfer will attempt to determine whether or not the data in the first non-blank row
(or the first row of a specified range) are variable names or the first row of data. It does so by
looking for at least one column in which there is a string in the first row and a number in the
second.
If this behavior is inappropriate for your worksheet (for example, if you have only string data), you
can specify different options in the Field Name Row drop-down menu of the Worksheets section of
the Options dialog box. You can specify that variable names must be taken from the first non-blank
Quattro Pro Worksheet Files

Supported Programs 129

row, that they be taken from a specific row, or that the worksheet does not contain variable names, so
that Stat/Transfer should assign them (col1 through coln.)
Determining the Data Types and Widths

After identifying the label row, Stat/Transfer will look, if necessary, at the entire column to find the
first non-blank cell in order to determine the data type of each column. If the first non-empty data
cell of a particular column is a number (or a label with a single period), Stat/Transfer will transfer the
column as a number. If the data cell contains a label, the variable will be transferred as a string.
The width of the column for each numeric variable and the format of the first non-blank data cell in
that column are used, where possible, to set the default target, or output, types for the numeric
variables. If the format of the first data row has any decimal places (for example, F(2)), the target
type will be float. On the other hand, if the cell format has no decimal places (for example, F(0))
the target types will be various flavors of integers which depend on the column width. If the column
width is less than three, the target type will be byte. If the column width is less than five, the target
type will by int. Otherwise the target type will be long. Any date format in the first data row will
set the target type to date.
The maximum width of character variables is determined by examining the widths of all of the strings
in a column.
Stat/Transfer is lenient in typing variables from worksheets. If it is expecting a character variable and
it encounters a number it will convert it to a string.
Combining Multiple Input Worksheet to a Single Output File

The option Concatenate Worksheet Pages, found in the Worksheets options in the Options dialog
box allows you to combine worksheet pages into a single output file. This option is appropriate if
your worksheet contains many sheets that are identical in structure. These can be then be combined
into a single output file of any type.
For example, you may have a workbook that has 50 sheets, with one sheet for each state and the same
variables on each sheet. If you check this box, Stat/Transfer will effectively combine the sheets into
one large input file, dropping the field names, if necessary, on the second and higher sheets. You will
end up with the data from all of your worksheet pages in a single output file.
Writing Quattro Worksheet Files
On output, by default, Stat/Transfer will write variable labels in the first row of the worksheet. Data
values will be placed in the second and succeeding rows. You can change this behavior in the
Worksheets options in the Options dialog box.
Column widths and formats will be determined by the variable information available. Dates and
character variables are straightforward. For numerical data, information on the width and number of
decimal places of variables, where available, is used to set the column widths and formats.
Writing Quattro Worksheet Files
On output, Stat/Transfer will write variable labels in the first row of the worksheet. Data values will
be placed in the second and succeeding rows.
Column widths and formats will be determined by the variable information available. Dates and
character variables are straightforward. For numerical data, information on the width and number of
decimal places of variables, where available, is used to set the column widths and formats.
Missing Data
On input, blank cells and cells containing labels consisting of a single dot are read as missing.

130 Supported Programs

Quattro Pro Worksheet Files

If there is a string in your worksheet, such as NA, that you would like to have treated as a numeric
missing value, you can specify it using the Numeric Missing Value in the Worksheets section of the
Options dialog box.
When transferring data to worksheets from other formats, missing values will be written out to
worksheets as blank cells.

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to Quattro Pro from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string
date

Numeric cell
(formatted if information is
available)

time
date/time

Label
Serial date number
(with date format)
Time fraction
(with date format if available)
Date number + time fraction
(with date/time format if available)

Quattro Pro Worksheet Files

Supported Programs 131

R
R is a free, open-source environment for statistical computing and graphics. Stat/Transfer will read
and write workspace files for R versions 2 and 3.
Standard extension: rdata

Reading R files
The R file format is very unstructured and allows the user to write almost anything into it. Therefore
Stat/Transfer imposes a few restrictions on input files. Specifically, your data file should contain at
least one of the following kinds of objects.
two dimensional matrices
vectors
factors
dataframes
Stat/Transfer can read R files in either binary or the more common ASCII format. Compressed files
are recognized, but not supported. You should decompress these first with another program such as
gzip or Winzip.
Factors

Factors in R consist of a vector of zero-based numeric values and a vector of string labels that are
mapped onto the values. If the input file contains factors, you can choose to have these written to an
output file as the numeric values and their value labels or you can write them as strings. This option
is controlled in the R and S-Plus Options section of the Options dialog box. If you are going to a
package such a Stata or SPSS, that supports value labels, the first option is more appropriate.

Writing R files
On output, Stat/Transfer writes an R dataframe. If your input data set does not have a variable named
rownames, Stat/Transfer will create an extra variable containing the case number, stored as an
integer variable and named rownames.
Stat/Transfer writes R data in ASCII format, which is compatible across platforms.

Missing Data
R supports missing values. On input, missing values are converted to the internal missing value in
Stat/Transfer. On output, missing values are converted to the value appropriate for each variable
type.
Version one string missing

If you are using Version One of R, check this option Write version one string missing and the
appropriate value will be written for null or missing strings. If you are using a later version of R,
leave this unchecked.
Output Variable Types
The output variable type that results from each target variable type is given in the following table:

132 Supported Programs

Output to R from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
date

Integer

time
date/time

POSIX timestamp
(note the timezone is not set, so
the time will be in GMT)

Real
Double
Date

Supported Programs 133

RATS Files
RATS (Regression Analysis of Timeseries) is a general-purpose econometric and time series analysis
package. Stat/Transfer can read and write RATS Version 7-8 files.
Standard extension: rat

Reading RATS Files

Unlike the rectangular file format of many of the programs supported by Stat/Transfer, RATS stores
data in separate time-series of data, each of which can have differing start dates, frequencies and
numbers of observations. Stat/Transfer makes these potentially very irregular data suitable for
analysis in other software.
First, every series is examined to determine which has the earliest start date. The first observation in
that series will determine the earliest row in the output dataset. If all series have the same frequency,
the data will be output with missing values substituted for missing values in series, if necessary, and a
new date variable will be constructed to tag each row of the file. If the series differ in frequencies,
the most frequent series will determine the frequency of the output and less frequent series will have
their data values duplicated, as necessary, to construct an output row.

Writing RATS Files

RATS supports only numeric types. Therefore, when one transfers data to a RATS output file, all
non-numeric variables (strings, dates, date/times and times) will be ignored. Stat/Transfer will create
an output file with the number of time series variables equal to the number of numeric variables in the
input file.
On output, by default, Stat/Transfer will look for the first date variable in the file (typically there will
be only one). Using that variable, it will determine the start date for each of the other series in the
file. It will also use that variable to autosense the frequency of the data. In order for this to work, the
data must be in ascending sorted order and the date variable must contain dates that can be described
by the one of the supported frequencies: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual. Stat/Transfer
will use the date from the first row and apply an autosensed or requested frequency.
In autosensing frequencies, Stat/Transfer is necessarily fairly rigid and will require that, for instance,
annual data must start in January, monthly data begin on the first date of the month, weekly data
occur at seven-day intervals and so on.
If the default options are not suitable you can change Stat/Transfer's behavior by setting the options in
the RATS section on the Options tab.
If your data occur with a specifiable frequency, but are less than completely regular, you can turn off
autosensing and specify a daily, weekly, monthly or annual frequency.
If you have more than one date variable and want to specify a specific one for use in determining the
start date and, if needed, frequency, you can select a specific variable from a list. You can select a
specific frequency even if you use a date variable to determine the start date.
Finally, if your file does not have a date variable in it at all, you can specify the start date and
frequency. In this case, a specific frequency must be specified.

134 Supported Programs

RATS Files

Missing Values
Missing values are supported.

Output Variable Types

The output variable type that results from each target variable type is given in the following table:

Output to RATS from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
date
time
date/time

RATS double precision number

Not supported as series (see

text)

RATS Files

Supported Programs 135

SAS Data Files

Stat/Transfer will read and write SAS Version 6 - 9 data files for the Windows, OS/2 and Unix
platforms. Version 6.04 for PC/DOS can be read, but not written.

Standard extensions:
Version 6
PC/DOS
Windows & OS/2
Unix HP/Sun/IBM
Versions 7-9

ssd
sd2
ssd01
sas7bdat

Reading and Writing SAS Data

Large files (> 2 GB) are supported on both input and output.
The number of variables is unlimited.
Both 32 and 64 bit files are supported on input and output.
Read and write support for the maximum character variable length (32K) has been added.
Reading SAS Data Files
Stat/Transfer will read data files written by SAS Version 6.08 and above.
Compressed files (both RDC & RLE) for Version 7 and higher can be read.
SAS data files differ significantly between platforms. Stat/Transfer will read files written by SAS for
all SAS platforms except for VAX VMS and IBM MVS. Stat/Transfer will automatically recognize
the type of SAS file on input.
If you are moving SAS data files between platforms, you should be sure that you use a binary file
transfer method.
User formats (value labels) can be directly read from Windows SAS catalogs and CPORT files.
Thus, there is no longer any need to convert these to data sets in order to read formats. See Page 37 to
set options.
However, in all other cases, the catalog file is not read directly. Value labels must therefore be
transferred to the data file according to the procedure on Page 135.
Writing SAS Data Files
On output, Stat/Transfer will write files for all SAS platforms except for VAX VMS and IBM MVS.
When you select SAS as the output type, you have an option to control the data representation of
the output SAS data set. The possible data representations correspond to sixteen of the values for
OUTREP= in the SAS system.
The SAS data representation that will be used for the output file will appear next to the Output File
Type box. If this is not the data representation that you wish to write, go the SAS Data
Representation option in the Output Options(1) section of the Options dialog box and make the
appropriate selection from the drop-down list.

136 Supported Programs

SAS Data Files

When writing SAS data files, you should pick an output format that is appropriate for the version of
SAS that will be reading the file.
Value labels can be transferred according to the procedure on Page 135.
Missing Data
SAS supports the missing values A - Z, . and ._.
Input

On input, when a SAS file is transferred to a Stata file or an ASCII file with extended missing values
specified, the SAS input missing values will be transferred to the equivalent ones in the output file,
with the exception that any missing values '._' in the input SAS file will be written out as '.' in the
output.
For all other output formats, all SAS missing values are converted to a single internal missing value
in Stat/Transfer.
Output

When either an ASCII file or a Stata file with extended missing values is transferred to a SAS file, the
input missing values will transfer to the equivalent ones in the SAS output file.
For input files that support user missing values (SPSS and OSIRIS), the options User Missing Value
and Map to extended (a-z) missing in the User Missing Values section of the Options dialog box
can be used to map selected user missing values to extended missing values in the SAS output file.
For all other input file formats, on output to SAS, missing values are set to ., (the SAS standard
missing value).
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to SAS Data Files from Stat/Transfer
Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string

SAS Number - width three bytes

SAS Number - width four bytes
SAS Number - width six bytes
SAS Number - width eight bytes
SAS Number - width eight bytes
SAS Character variable
(maximum length of 200 bytes)

date
time

SAS Serial Date Number

SAS Time (number of seconds
since midnight)
SAS Datetime (in seconds)

date/time

SAS Data Files

Supported Programs 137

SAS Value Labels

Stat/Transfer supports the import and export of SAS value labels.
Reading SAS Value Labels
SAS, unlike other systems, stores value labels as custom "formats," in a separate "catalog" file.
Stat/Transfer can read SAS user-defined formats (value labels) directly from 64 or 32 bit Windows
catalog files. This is the simplest option for those who are using Windows SAS.
In addition, Stat/Transfer can read SAS formats that are stored in several other formats. These may
be more convenient if your data are coming from another SAS platform, or you simply have no
control over the way the data are produced and delivered.
Stat/Transfer can read formats from catalogs stored in CPORT libraries
Stat/Transfer can read formats from an exported catalog produced by SAS using the cntrlout=
option of PROC FORMAT. (See Creating a File with the PROC FORMAT Statement below.)
The files produced in this way can be stored in:
a SAS datafile in any of the data representations supported by Stat/Transfer, including Windows
and all Unix platforms.
a SAS dataset in a Windows CPORT library.
a Transport file, which can be produced by SAS running on any platform, including those on
IBM mainframes.
Setting the Appropriate Options with the User Interface

You can choose whether and how formats are to be read by using the Reading SAS Value Labels
options of the Options dialog box. See Page 37.
Do not read formats
Check this option, which is the default, if no formats will be read.
Read directly from a catalog file
Choose this option if you have a Windows SAS catalog file containing formats and wish to read
them. See Page 37.
If this option is checked, the entry %ipath%/catalog.sas7bcat will automatically appear on the SAS
catalog name line. This instructs Stat/Transfer to look for a file named formats.sas7bcat in the same
directory as your data file. You can change the path if your file is in a different location.
Read from a catalog in CPORT library
Check this option if you have your formats in a CPORT catalog.
If this option is checked, the entry %ipath%/%iname%.stc will automatically appear on the CPORT
library name line. This instructs Stat/Transfer to look for a file with the name (with extension .stc)
and directory of your input file, since you will most probably be reading your formats from the same
file as the data. If you are reading formats and data from separate files, then you can give the name
of the file on this line. You can type in a complete file specification or you can use the macros below
as part of the file specification.
%ipath% The path, including the directory, of the input file
%iname% The name, without the extension, of the input file
%iext%
The extension, without the dot, of the input file

138 Supported Programs

SAS Value Labels

If your formats are in a member with the default name formats, you need not specify anything more.
If not, uncheck the Use default catalog name box and press the Read Library button. You will then
be able to select the member that contains your formats.
Read a SAS datafile
Choose this option if you wish to read formats from a SAS datafile produced by SAS using PROC
FORMAT. When this option is checked, you must have both the SAS input file and a separate file
created by SAS that contains the formats. By default, Stat/Transfer will look in the same directory as
the input file for a file named sas_fmts.ext, where .ext is the extension of your input file. This is the
name that the file will have if you have created it by the procedure below.
If you wish to have Stat/Transfer look for a file located somewhere else or with a different name, you
can change it in the SAS dataset name box. You can type in a complete file specification or you can
use the macros given above as part of the file specification.
Read from a dataset in a CPORT library
Choose this option if you have your formats in a dataset in a CPORT library produced by PROC
FORMAT.
If this option is checked, the entry %ipath%/%iname%.stc will automatically appear on the CPORT
library name line. This instructs Stat/Transfer to look for a file with the name (with extension .stc)
and directory of your input file, since you will most probably be reading your formats from the same
file as the data. If you are reading formats and data from separate files, then you can give the name
of the file on this line. You can type in a complete file specification or you can use the macros above
as part of the file specification.
If your formats are in a dataset with the default name sas_fmts, you need not specify anything more.
If not, uncheck the Use default catalog name box and press the Read Library button. You will then
be able to select the dataset that contains your formats.
Read from a SAS Transport file
Choose this option if your formats are in a dataset in a SAS Transport file produced by PROC FORMAT.
If this option is checked, the entry %ipath%/%iname%.tpt will automatically appear on the
Transport library name line. This instructs Stat/Transfer to look for a file with the name (with
extension
.tpt) and directory of your input file, since you will most probably be reading your formats from the
same file as the data. If you are reading formats and data from separate files, then you can give the
name of the file on this line. You can type in a complete file specification or you can use the macros
above as part of the file specification.
If your formats are in a subfile with the default name sas_fmts, you need not specify anything more.
If not, uncheck the Use default member name box and press the Read Library button. You will
then be able to select the subfile that contains your formats.
Setting the Appropriate Options with the Command Processor Interface

SET commands are used to choose whether and how formats are to be read. See the section SAS
Value Labels-Reading in the Available Options section of the command processor discussion.
Creating a File with the PROC FORMAT Statement
To create the new file for Stat/Transfer to use for reading your SAS value labels, you will need to go
into SAS and run the following small program:
libname mylib path ;
proc format library = mylib
cntlout = mylib.sas_fmts ;
run ;
where path is the directory that contains your input data file.
SAS Value Labels

Supported Programs 139

This procedure creates a SAS file in the directory path that has the format information for each SAS
data file. In this case, the file will have the name sas_fmts.ext, where .ext is the extension of the input
SAS file, and it will be found in the same directory as the input file.
To put your formats in CPORT library, use PROC FORMAT after the above procedure.
To create a format library in a Transport file, use the same procedure as above but reference the
XPORT engine in the output libname statement.
Transferring Value Labels with Data
When you carry out a transfer with a SAS data file as input, Stat/Transfer will check to see if you
have checked the option Read directly from a catalog file. If so, the formats will be transferred
automatically from the catalog file named in the SAS catalog name box.
If you check any of the other options, Stat/Transfer will look for the file that you have specified and
the formats will be transferred automatically.
Restrictions on Importing Value Labels
SAS catalog files not only support conventional value labels (the one-to-one mapping of a string to a
single number), but also the mapping of a range of numeric values to a single string (for example, zip
code mapped to state).
Because this latter form has no analog in any of the packages supported by Stat/Transfer, only
conventional one-to-one value labels are imported from SAS.
Options controlling how labels are processed
You can control how Stat/Transfer will behave if all does not go smoothly.
Continue if the format file is not found
By default, processing will stop if a file containing the formats is not found. Change this behavior
by unchecking this option.
Continue is there is an error processing formats
By default, processing will stop if there is an error reading the format file or if no tags in the dataset
are matched to formats in the file. Checking this option instructs Stat/Transfer to continue processing
even if there is an error processing the formats.
Writing SAS Value Labels
The separate catalog file in which SAS stores value labels, besides being undocumented, can be
shared among several SAS data sets. This makes it problematic to update a SAS catalog file using an
external program. When writing value labels for SAS data files, rather than update the catalog file
directly, Stat/Transfer creates a SAS program that you can run in order to have SAS update its catalog
file.
Setting the Appropriate Options

You will first need to check the appropriate box, Write a Proc Format program, on the Writing
SAS Value Labels section of the Options dialog box, to enable the writing of SAS labels.
The program file will by default be written to the same directory as your output data file, with the
same name as your output file, but with the extension .sas. You can change this default in the
Filename edit box. You can type in a complete file specification here, if you wish. See Writing SAS
Value Labels, Page 39 for details.

140 Supported Programs

SAS Value Labels

Transferring Value Labels with Data

When you carry out a transfer with a SAS data file as output, Stat/Transfer will check to see if you
have checked the option Write a Proc Format program . During the transfer, it will then write a
SAS PROC program file with the name taken from the Filename line. In this case, assuming that
you have used the default name and directory, it will create a program file named outfilename.sas in
the same directory as the output SAS data file.
For example, if you write a SAS data file called out.sas7bdat, the SAS program will be in the same
directory as the output file and will be named out.sas.
The program file has the PROC FORMAT and MODIFY statements necessary to create the SAS
catalog file. Once the program file has been created, you can run it in SAS.

SAS Value Labels

Supported Programs 141

SAS CPORT
The SAS CPORT is primarily used for transporting data libraries between machines. Stat/Transfer
will read, but not write, Windows CPORT files for versions higher than SAS Seven.
.
S
d extension: stc
tandar

Reading CPORT Files

CPORT files can contain multiple datasets as well as catalogs that contain value labels. When using
the user interface, if you select a CPORT file as input, Stat/Transfer will display a Member selection
line below the input File Specification line of the Transfer dialog box (see Page 12). You should
select the member from which you want to read your data here.
If you are using the command processor, you select the member by using the -Tmembername switch
with the Copy command (see Page 58).
If you want to read value labels from the same CPORT file, you can do so by setting the appropriate
options (See SAS Value Labels, Page 135).

Missing Data
Stat/Transfer supports the SAS missing values A - Z, . and ._.
On input, when a SAS file is transferred to a Stata file or an ASCII file with extended missing values
specified, the SAS input missing values will be transferred to the equivalent ones in the output file,
with the exception that any missing values '._' in the input SAS file will be written out as '.' in the
output.
For all other output formats, SAS missing values are converted to a single internal missing value in
Stat/Transfer.

142 Supported Programs

SAS Transport Files

SAS Transport Files

Stat/Transfer will read and write data sets in the SAS Transport format. This is, according to the SAS
Institute, the best overall format for interfacing with other systems because it is consistent across all
host environments.
If you are downloading or uploading SAS data between computers, be sure to use an error-correcting
file transfer protocol that is suitable for binary file.
Standard extension: xpt, tpt
Working with Transport Files within SAS
The method for writing (and reading) transport files within SAS unfortunately varies across versions
of SAS.
For users of release 6.x and higher, the file can be written by any DATA or PROC step that creates
SAS data sets and, similarly, it can be read by any DATA or PROC step. Most commonly, PROC
COPY is used to write (or to read) transport data sets. If you are using Version 6.06 or higher, you
can read or write transport files by using the XPORT engine. To do so, you must name the XPORT
engine in the LIBNAME statement.
For example, in Version 6.06 and higher the following code will write a transport file:
/* read system file old - write transport file trans */
libname old file-specification;
libname trans xport file-specification;
proc copy in=old out=trans;
run;

The resulting transport file can then be used for a Stat/Transfer data transfer.
If a transport file has been produced by Stat/Transfer, it can be read in SAS with the following:
/* read transport file trans - write system file new */
libname trans xport file-specification;
libname new file-specification;
proc copy in=trans out=new ;
run;

Note that you should not use PROC CPORT to write files that are to be read by Stat/Transfer. This
procedure creates files in an entirely different and incompatible format.
Reading SAS Transport Files
More than one data set may be stored in a single transport file. If Stat/Transfer finds more than one
data set in a file, it will allow you to select the one you want.

SAS CPORT

Supported Programs 143

Writing SAS Transport Files

When Stat/Transfer writes a SAS transport file, it uses the file name of the input file, without the
extension, as the internal name for the data set in the output file. Stat/Transfer will write only one
data set to each output file.
Missing Data
SAS supports the missing values A - Z, . and ._.
Input

On input, when a SAS file is transferred to a Stata file or an ASCII file with extended missing values
specified, the SAS input missing values will be transferred to the equivalent ones in the output file,
with the exception that any missing values '._' in the input SAS file will be written out as '.' in the
output.
For all other output formats, all SAS missing values are converted to a single internal missing value
in Stat/Transfer.
Output

When either an ASCII file or a Stata file with extended missing values is transferred to a SAS file, the
input missing values will transfer to the equivalent ones in the SAS output file.
For input files that support user missing values (SPSS and OSIRIS), the options User Missing Value
and Map to extended (a-z) missing in the Options(1) dialog box can be used to map selected user
missing values to extended missing values in the SAS output file. For all other input file formats, on
output to SAS, missing values are set to ., the SAS standard missing value.

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to SAS Transport Files from Stat/Transfer
Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string

SAS Number - width three bytes

SAS Number - width four bytes
SAS Number - width six bytes
SAS Number - width eight bytes
SAS Number - width eight bytes
SAS Character variable
(maximum length of 200 bytes)

date
time

SAS Serial Date Number

SAS Time (number of seconds
since midnight)
SAS Datetime (in seconds)

date/time

144 Supported Programs

S-PLUS Files

S-PLUS Files
Stat/Transfer will read and write S-PLUS data sets. Files written on 64 bit machines such as the DEC
Alpha are not supported.
Standard extension: [none]
Reading S-PLUS files
Because the S-PLUS file format is so unstructured that it allows the user to write almost anything,
including code, into it, Stat/Transfer imposes a few restrictions on input files. Specifically, your data
should be in one of the following formats:

two dimensional matrices

vectors

factors

dataframes

.
Factors

Factors in S-PLUS consist of a vector of zero-based numeric values, and a vector of string labels that
are mapped onto the values. If the input file contains factors, you can choose to have these written to
an output file as the numeric values and their value labels or you can write them as strings. This
option is controlled in the R and S-Plus Options section of the Options dialog box. If you are
going to a package such a Stata or SPSS, that supports value labels, the first option is more
appropriate.
Byte Order

S-PLUS writes out its data in the native format of the machine on which it is running. This means
that both the byte order and the width of numbers can vary between machines. On input,
Stat/Transfer will automatically sense the byte order of the machine that wrote the file.
Writing S-PLUS files
On output, Stat/Transfer writes a S-PLUS dataframe. If your input data set does not have a variable
named rownames, Stat/Transfer will create an extra variable containing the case number, stored as
an integer variable and named rownames.
You can choose whether you want to write out a file with low to high byte order, appropriate for such
processors as Intel or DEC, or a file with high to low byte order, for such processors as SPARC, HP,
or Motorola. If you are using the Windows version of S-PLUS, select Intel (low to high) byte order
on output.
Missing Data
S-PLUS supports missing values. On input, missing values are converted to the internal missing
value in Stat/Transfer. On output, missing values are converted to the value appropriate for each
variable type.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

SAS Transport Files

Supported Programs 145

Output to S-PLUS from Stat/Transfer

146 Supported Programs

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
date

Integer

time
date/time

Character
(written according to the ASCII
format options currently in effect)

SPSS Data Files

Real
Double
Date

SPSS Data Files

Stat/Transfer will read and write SPSS data files from the following platforms:
Macintosh
Windows and OS/2
Unix HP/Sun/IBM
Standard extension: sav
Reading and Writing SPSS Data Files
Long variable names, used in Version 12 and above, are supported.
Long strings, used in Version 13, are read and written.
SPSS 21 gsav compressed files are read.

Reading SPSS Data Files

Stat/Transfer automatically recognizes a files platform of origin on input.
Stat/Transfer will read both compressed or uncompressed SPSS data files.
Writing SPSS Data Files
On output, Stat/Transfer allows you to choose a file type for Windows and OS2 or a Unix file type
either for the general group of HIGH-LOW (Sun, HP and IBM) or LOW-HIGH byte order machines
(DEC).
Stat/Transfer always writes compressed files (which on typical survey data are notably smaller).
Value and variable labels are fully supported.
Missing Data
SPSS allows for three numeric missing values. By default, these are recognized by Stat/Transfer.
The default behavior can be changed with the User Missing Values selection of the Options dialog
box (see Page 29.)
By default (when the option Map to extended (a-z) missing is left unchecked), all user missing
values that are selected according the options Use All/Use First/Use none will go to a single missing
value which will then be converted to the system missing value in the target package (. in SAS or
Stata, for example).
If the option Map to extended (a-z) missing is checked, user missing values will be mapped, if
possible, to extended missing values in formats that support them (SAS, ASCII, or Stata).
If possible, the first letter of the value label will be used as the missing value. For instance, if the
value 0 is a user missing value and is labeled as inapplicable, it will be mapped to .i. This
mapping will only occur for missing values that are computed with an equal operator.
If there is no label, or if the missing letter has already been used, the missing value will be mapped
sequentially to .a - .c.
On output to SPSS, missing values are set to the SPSS system missing value.
S-PLUS Files

Supported Programs 147

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to SPSS Data Files from Stat/Transfer

Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
date
time
date/time
string

Number

148 Supported Programs

SPSS Portable Files

Number formatted as an SPSS date

Number formatted as an SPSS time
Number formatted as an SPSS date/time
Character

SPSS Portable Files

SPSS Portable files (previously called Export files) were designed to transfer SPSS data sets between
different kinds of computers. You can use them to move your data to and from mainframe SPSS-X
and SPSS for the PC.
Standard extension: por
Reading and Writing SPSS Portable Files
Long variable names, used in Version 12 and above, are supported.
Long strings, used in Version 13, are read and written.

Reading SPSS Portable Files

Mainframe Portable files should be transferred to your PC using an error-correcting communications
protocol. It is quite difficult to check these files visually for errors and certain errors may fatally
affect the ability of Stat/Transfer to interpret the file.
Writing SPSS Portable Files
When Stat/Transfer writes Portable files, it does so with up to ten base-thirty digits of precision.
Missing Data
SPSS allows for three numeric missing values. By default, these are recognized by Stat/Transfer.
The default behavior can be changed with the User Missing Values selection of the Options dialog
box (see Page 29.)
By default (when the option Map to extended (a-z) missing is left unchecked), all user missing
values that are selected according the options Use All/Use First/Use none will go to a single missing
value which will then be converted to the system missing value in the target package (. in SAS or
Stata, for example).
If the option Map to extended (a-z) missing is checked, user missing values will be mapped, if
possible, to extended missing values in formats that support them (SAS, ASCII, or Stata).
If possible, the first letter of the value label will be used as the missing value. For instance, if the
value 0 is a user missing value and is labeled as inapplicable, it will be mapped to .i. This
mapping will only occur for missing values that are computed with an equal operator.
If there is no label, or if the missing letter has already been used, the missing value will be mapped
sequentially to .a - .c.
On output to SPSS, missing values are set to the SPSS system missing value.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

SPSS Data Files

Supported Programs 149

Output to SPSS Portable Files from Stat/Transfer

150 Supported Programs

Target Type
byte
int
long
float
double
string

Output Type
Number

date
time
date/time

Date
Character
(written according to the ASCII
format options currently in effect)

Stata Files

String

Stata Files
Stat/Transfer will read and write data for any version of Stata including versions running on Unix and
the Macintosh.
Standard extension: dta

Reading Stata Files

Stat/Transfer can read data from any version of Stata. Character variables and dates are fully
supported. Variable and value labels are transferred out of Stata.
Stata Version 13 includes a new strl data type. These are potentially very long, variable length
strings. Stat/Transfer will read these variables. However, strings longer than the Stat/Transfer limit of
32K characters will be truncated and binary strls will be skipped.
Writing Stata Files
Versions of Stata higher than Version 7 come in two flavors (Standard or intercooled Stata, and
Stata SE or Special Edition). These differ in their limits for the number of output variables and the
maximum permitted length of string variables.
You can choose the flavor of the Stata output file from the list given in the Output File Type box
in the Transfer dialog box.
You use the option Stata Version in the Output Options(1) section of the Options dialog box to
choose the version of the Stata files written by Stat/Transfer. The default is Stata Version 11. Change
this option if you wish to use a different version.
Stata holds the entire data set in memory. Stat/Transfer will therefore attempt to conserve as much
space as is possible. It will, in general, transfer variables into single precision floating point format.
However, when Stat/Transfer is transferring from a format in which the width and number of decimal
places are known (such as SPSS, dBASE, and worksheet formats), or when it is optimizing the output
variables (the default), it will use the available information to minimize the size of your Stata data set.
You can, of course, fine-tune this process by selecting types for output variables yourself.
Any variable and value labels present in the input data set will be written to Stata files. Variable
labels longer than Statas eighty character maximum are written to Stata both as truncated variable
labels and, in full as Stata notes.
Stata Version 13 includes a new strl data type. These are potentially very long, variable length strings.
Stat/Transfer will write strings longer than a threshold value to Stata strls rather than strings. The
threshold, by default, is 32 characters, but you can change this on the Options (1) screen. Strings
longer than Statas width limit of 244 characters will always be written to strls. Dates are written to
Stata's internal date format.
Dates are written to Statas internal date format.
Missing Data
Stata supports missing values.
Versions 8 and above of Stata support SAS-style extended missing values. The missing values .A .Z and . are supported. The missing value ._ found in SAS is not used in Stata. Stat/Transfer
supports these extended missing values.
Stata Files

Supported Programs 151

When an Stata file with extended missing values is transferred to a SAS or ASCII file, the input
missing values will transfer to the equivalent SAS or ASCII ones. When a SAS file or ASCII file is
transferred to an Stata file with extended missing values specified, missing values will transfer to
equivalent ones, except that ._ in input SAS files is written out as . in the output.
For input files that support user missing values (SPSS and OSIRIS), the options User Missing Value
and Map to extended (a-z) missing in the Options dialog box can be used to map selected user
missing values to extended missing values in the Stata output file.

152 Supported Programs

Stata Files

Output Variable Types

The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to Stata from Stat/Transfer
Target Type

Output Type

byte

Byte

int
long
float
double
date
time
date/time

Int
Long
Float
Double
Stata Date
Float (fractional part of a day)
Double (Stata date and fractional
part of a day)
Character
Character or strl

string
strl

Stata Files

Supported Programs 153

Statistica Files
Stat/Transfer supports Statistica Versions 5 and 7 - 9.
Standard extension sta

Reading Statistica
Stat/Transfer will read and use Statistica variable and value labels. Each column has a single missing
value, which will be applied.
Writing Statistica
Statistica does not have a string type, so character variables cannot be exported.
Missing Values
Statistica has one missing value for each variable. Stat/Transfer uses this when it reads a Statistica
file. When writing a Statistica file, Stat/Transfer will use a value of -9999 for missing.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.

Output to Statistica from Stat/Transfer

Target Type
byte
int
long
float
double
date
time
date/time
String

154 Supported Programs

Statistica Files

Output Type
Number

Date
Time
Date/time
Not exported

SYSTAT Files
Stat/Transfer writes double precision SYSTAT files. It will read either double or single precision
SYSTAT files.
Standard extension: sys
Reading SYSTAT Files
When Stat/Transfer reads SYSTAT data sets, it processes the variable names by 1) dropping the dollar
signs on character variables and 2) removing the parentheses before and after subscripts. For example,
SCALE(1) becomes SCALE1.
Writing SYSTAT Files
Any variable name in the source data set which contains a left parentheses followed by a number will
be transferred into a SYSTAT subscripted variable.
Users should note that the SYSTAT error message, You are trying to read an empty file, will occur
when SYSTAT cannot find a data file. Your SYSTAT files should be in the default drive or directory.
Missing Data
SYSTAT supports missing values.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to SYSTAT from Stat/Transfer
Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long
float
double
string
date
time
date/time

Number

Character
Date
Character
(written according to the ASCII
format options currently in effect)

SYSTAT Files

Supported Programs 155

Triple-S
Triple-S is an open standard for the transfer of survey data and its meta-data between software packages.
For information on the standard and on other packages that support Triple-S see www.triple-s.org.
Stat/Transfer supports Triple-S XML Version 2. The data are contained in two files. The dictionary
information is stored in a file with the extension .xml and the data are stored in a separate file with
extension .asc.
Standard extension: xml, asc

Reading Triple-S
Stat/Transfer will read and use Triple-S variable and value labels. Version 2 of the standard supports
both fixed format and comma-separated data files. Stat/Transfer will read either. Triple-S supports
alternative sets of text for variable and value labels. These are called modes. For example, you can
have one mode for analysis and the other for interviewing. If more than one mode is found, you will
be allowed to select it by using the Table selector or the -t switch in the command processor.
The data file should be in the same directory as the dictionary file (.xml) and should have the extension
.asc.
Writing Triple-S
Stat/Transfer writes delimited Triple-S files.
Missing Values
Triple-S simply represents missing with a blank field. Numeric fields that cannot be converted to
numbers are treated as missing. On output, missing values are written as blanks.
Output Variable Types
The output variable types that result from each of the target variable types are given in the following
table.
Output to Triple-S from Stat/Transfer
Target Type

Output Type

byte
int
long

single

float
double

quantity

date

Date

time

Time

date/time

Character (combining date and time)

strng

Character

156 Supported Programs

Triple-S

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions
Q. How big a data set can Stat/Transfer handle?
A. There is no limit on the number of cases that can be handled.
Q.

How do the date formatting functions know how to write out the proper weekday and month
names for languages other than English?

A.

Stat/Transfer retrieves the localized day and month names from the Windows registry. If they are
correct for your locality, they will be correct in Stat/Transfer.

Q. I have a large number of files to transfer.

I dont want to spend my day pointing and clicking.

What should I do?

A. Use the Stat/Transfer Command Processor. It is documented in your manual (and in a separate
chapter in the online help). It will let you do some extremely powerful things such as extract all of the
tables from an Access database in a single command or copy a whole directory full of Excel
spreadsheets to Stata files.

Q.

Its the middle of the night before a crucial deadline and my transfer wont work. What should I

do?

A.

Its like airplane travel. If you cant get a direct flight between Chicago and Los Angeles, try to
get one that stops in Dallas. Consider what formats your destination program will read and the
formats Stat/Transfer will write. Or, if you are having trouble reading a file from another program,
consider any different file formats that it is capable of saving. There is usually more than one route
between your source and your destination.

Q.
A.

What is the best way to pass data to my colleagues?

For use with general purpose software, probably delimited ASCII is the best. It is the closest
thing to a lingua franca of data transport. Stat/Transfer writes delimited data in accordance with the
standard set by Excel, and that is followed by most software packages. Worksheet files, such as
Excel 97, are widely supported as well and have the advantage of storing numbers in double
precision.
As a general purpose transport format between statistical packages, SPSS binary .sav files and Stata
files will maintain your value and variable labels and missing values. They are also platform independent.

Q.
A.

I want to save my data for use in the future, what should I do?

If you are saving your statistical for use in the indefinite future, the best thing to do is pick one of
the ASCII files + Programs options. Even if the particular program is no longer available in future
years, you can be assured that some statistical package will be able to read your plain ASCII data and
you will have the information that is necessary to re-construct your dataset. The worst thing to do is
to store your data in a binary format. Also, pick your storage media carefully. Those who stored data
on nine track tapes and decks of cards can no longer read them. We recommend ISO-standard
compact disks for archival storage.

Frequently Asked Questions

157

Q.

I have a file in which numeric variables are stored as strings. How can I get Stat/Transfer to
convert these variables to numbers in my output file?

A.

Stat/Transfer will let you change strings to numbers when reading worksheets and ASCII files,
but it will generally not let you do so when reading other file types. You can work around this
limitation by first setting the ASCII File Write option String Quote Character to blank. Then
transfer your file to delimited ASCII. When you read the ASCII file and transfer it to your final
destination format, your numeric variables, which were formally stored as strings, will be numeric.

Q.
A.

I have a file in which I want some numbers to be transferred as strings. How can I do that?

Q.
A.

Whats the best way to get support for Stat/Transfer?

Write it to an ASCII file with a Stat/Transfer Schema. Then edit the Schema and change the
variables you want to convert to a string type. Then read the file back in.

If your question is of the form How do I do X, please look first in the manual. If that does not
solve your problem, send an email, with your serial number and the exact version you are using, to
[email protected].
On the other hand, if you think you have found a bug in Stat/Transfer, please use the tools on the Log
tab of the user interface. That will allow you to send us a complete description of your problem, your
computing environment and the files that are necessary to reproduce the problem

Character Encoding
Q. What are Encoding Errors?
A.

Stat/Transfer stores strings internally in Unicode, which is capable of storing all of characters in
all languages, plus many, many other symbols. Most older character sets are of much more limited
scope. For instance, the most common encoding, ASCII, is only capable of storing a handful of
symbols, letters and numbers, since it has only 127 locations for characters and control codes. Other
single-byte character sets double the amount of storage and allow accented characters and other useful
symbols. There are a number of such single-byte character sets, for instance one is suitable for the
Cyrillic alphabet and another for modern Greek.
When Stat/Transfer reads data, it converts it to Unicode either based on the settings for character sets
in the encoding options, or information written in the input file. If you file does not have information
on the encoding, and is in a character set that is not the default encoding used on your computer, you
must tell Stat/Transfer which encoding to use. For instance, if a Greek colleague sends you a Stata
dataset, you may need to select a Greek character set in order to properly read it and translate it to a
Unicode based system such as Excel. If the dataset contains non-ASCII strings and you do not set the
encoding properly, you will get nonsense on output.
Because all single byte characters can be mapped to Unicode, there are seldom errors on input
However, you might encounter them if you are reading multi-byte characters such as those for
Japanese.
The most common problems occur on output, when sometimes a character that was read on input has
no mapping to the output character set. For instance, if you read your Greek data set and attempted to
write it to SAS, using your Western European machine default, there would be many encoding errors
because Greek characters in Unicode cannot be mapped to a character set such as latin1.
Some problems are more surprising because it looks as if you are dealing with ASCII, but your file
has some characters that cannot be represented in the output. For instance all Microsoft applications
use Unicode and characters such as the left apostrophe cannot be mapped to common non-unicode
character sets. The same is true for the Euro sign, which is not present in ISO-8859-1, but is present
in its more modern replacement, ISO-8859-15. If any of these characters are present, you may well
get an encoding error.
158 Frequently Asked Questions

Q.

When dont I have to worry about this?

A.

Most statistical data are numbers and ASCII letters. These are properly and unambiguously
represented in all character sets. If that is what is in your data, you will not encounter encoding
errors.
Also, If you are reading from or writing to a Unicode based format, the problem disappears because
every character can be properly represented and there is no ambiguity. Excel and Access are in this
class as well as versions of SPSS higher than 17. SAS Versions 9.1 and above store information
about the encoding in the file and Stat/Transfer can use that to set the encoding. Anytime that
encoding information is stored in the file, this information takes precedence over your option
settings.

Q. How do I fix or work around "Encoding Errors"?

A. If the problem arises from an inappropriate character set, either for input or output, you should
change the character set on the Encoding Options section of the Options dialog box. For instance, if
you know your data contains Cyrillic characters, simply pick an appropriate character set.
If you think the problem may be due to sporadic characters that cannot be translated, choose the
Substitute option rather than Stop. In that case, an underscore will be substituted for characters
which cannot be converted.
Sometimes, if a transfer is necessary out of a Unicode application such as SPSS or Excel to a
non-Unicode application such as Stata, and the dataset contains strings in many languages, which
require different encodings on output, there is simply no way to work around the problem. In that
case, simply set the number of permitted substitutions to a high number and proceed with your
transfer. You will then see underscores for characters that cannot be represented in your output
character set.

Q. What about Stata?

A. .Unfortunately Stata does not support Unicode and does not support other multi-byte character
sets, such as those necessary for Far Eastern Languages. If you are working with a data set in which
all of the strings are in a language that can be represented by single byte characters (all European
languages) just choose the appropriate output encoding. However, if your dataset contains strings in
Far Eastern languages or multiple languages that use different character sets, you will simply not be
able to properly represent all of the strings and will need to live with underscores in your data.
You might also want to let the Stata people know that Unicode support is important to you.

Q. Where can I learn more about

character encodings?

A. As always, Wikipedia is a good place to start.

See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_sets
Also, a very lucid discussion of Unicode can be found here:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/Unicode.html

Frequently Asked Questions

159

Command Processor
Q. When I go to the Start menu in Windows and click on Stat/Transfer, I see something called
Stat/Transfer Command Processor. What is it?

A.

The Stat/Transfer Command Processor is a separate program that lets you transfer files without
using the user interface, but rather through simple commands. It can be invaluable if you have a large
number of repetitive transfers or if you wish to do batch transfers. It can be reached from any platform
by typing st at the operating system prompt.
The command processor has been integrated into the user interface, so that you can generate
command files automatically and edit and run command files from the Run Program tab. Check the
Command Processor section of the manual for complete details.

Q.

I have an Access database with over one hundred tables. I want to convert these all to Stata files.
What is the easiest way to do this?

A.

First create a directory for your output files (out, for example). Then enter the Command
Processor (see Question 1). If your input file is in c:\data\in.mdb (assuming a Windows machine)
and your new output directory was c:\data\out, you could use the command
copy c:\data\in.mdb c:\data\out\*.dta -t*
The -t* modifier in this command tells Stat/Transfer to copy all of the tables from in.mdb to the
destination out. The output files will be automatically named with the name of the table and the
extension .dta.

Q. I have fifty dBASE files I would like to move to SAS, what is the easiest way to do this?
A.

Assuming your dBASE files are in data/dbase and you would like your output in data/sas, you
can do this in a single command:
copy data/sas/*.dbf data/sas/*.sas7bdat

Q. The user interface has lots of options.

The command processor just has that blank prompt. How

do I set some options in there?

A.

You can do anything in the command processor that you can do in the user interface. The
simplest way to learn to use the command processor is to run a transfer with the user interface and,
when you are done, press the Save Program button to generate a command file for the command
processor. Then examine the program from the Run Program tab. All of the options and commands
are thoroughly documented in the online help or in this manual.

Q. How do I set my options permanently so that I dont have to enter SET commands every time I
start up the command processor?

A. Put your SET commands in a file called profile.stcmd, located in the same directory as
Stat/Transfer.

160 Frequently Asked Questions

Licenses
Q.
A.

Can I install Stat/Transfer on a network server?

Our Single User or Workgroup licenses do not allow installation on a server. If you want to share
the use of Stat/Transfer on a network, please consider a multi-user lease.

Q.
A.

Can I share the use of Stat/Transfer with my colleagues?

Q.

How do I re-install Stat/Transfer after a disk crash?

Only if the use occurs on a single machine. Please encourage the future development and support
of Stat/Transfer by complying with our license agreement.

A.

It is simplest to download the latest release from our website, install it, and then re-activate it
with the code you obtained from your disk envelope or original email from our sales department. If
you cannot find your activation code, please send us an e-mail giving us as much detail as possible
about your version, and how, where, and when you purchased Stat/Transfer and we will see if we can
send you an activation code.

Q.
A.

How do I move my copy of Stat/Transfer from one computer to another?

Q.
A.

Why cant I buy a simultaneous use license for Stat/Transfer?

Q.

Can I use Stat/Transfer in my office and also on my laptop at home?

Simply re-install the software, either from your disk or from our website. Then use your activation
code to activate the program. See the Activation section, Page 6

The problem is that it takes so little time to do so much work with Stat/Transfer. If we allowed
simultaneous use, one copy could cover a very large workgroup and we would not make enough to
develop the next version. To figure out how many users you have in your workgroup, count the
number of people who are likely to use Stat/Transfer in a one year period and buy enough licenses to
cover that number. On Unix, for those who do not want to bother with this, we have single
machine licenses that will cover an unlimited number of users on a single machine.

A.

Yes, that is explicitly permitted by our license. If you are the primary user of the software you
can install it on multiple machines. However more than one user cannot use the software on more
than one machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

161

Linux
Q.

Should I install Stat/Transfer with root privileges?

A. If you have a multi-user license and you are installing the software for others to use, it is a good
idea to use the sudo command or to log in as root. In this case Stat/Transfer will be installed in
/usr/local/stattransfer10 by default. You can, of course, select another location if you wish.
However, if you are installing Stat/Transfer for your own use and have a personal license (a sixteen
character activation key) we recommend that you install it using your customary login id.
Stat/Transfer is built so that all of its shared libraries are in known locations in subdirectories under
the executable's. It thus does not require root privileges for an install and once installed, can be
copied freely on your disk.

Q.

I installed Stat/Transfer, but when I click on the icon, nothing happens?

A. In order to be compatible with the widest variety of environments, Stat/Transfer is built on an

older Linux system and linked against relatively old libraries. Most newer distributions provide these
libraries for compatibility. However some, such as Ubuntu, do not. If Stat/Transfer does not run, you
can diagnose the problem by opening a terminal window, navigating to your Stat/Transfer installation
directory and then typing stattransfer. If any of the required files are missing from your system, you
will then see an error message - likely one such as this:
error while loading shared libraries: libstdc++.so.5: cannot open shared object file: No such file or
directory.
If that is the case, you can install the needed library from your operating system distribution disk or
from a copy found on the Internet using a tool such as Google.

ODBC Data Sources

Q. Why cant I find my database in the list of ODBC sources?
A. In order for a data source to appear in the list, you must first have installed a driver for the
particular database system and, then you must have configured the driver to point to your database.
Drivers are usually supplied by your database vendor, and, particularly if you are using a client-server
database, you must make sure that you have installed proper components for your particular
workstation and network.
A data source, in ODBC parlance, is a driver configured to point to a particular database. For
instance, you might have a driver for Oracle data and two Oracle data sources, one for each of two
clinical trials you are analyzing. You can configure an ODBC driver to connect to a particular
database by running the ODBC driver manager from the Windows Control Panel. Only properly
configured data sources will appear in Stat/Transfers lists of available data sources.

Q.
A.

I can see my data source on Stat/Transfers list, but I encounter errors when I try to connect to it.

There are many possible causes for this problem. Your ODBC driver may not be properly
installed or configured for your network. Your database server and/or network may be down. You
might not have proper access rights or the proper password for your database.
We suggest you try to connect to your database with another tool, preferably one that is supplied by
your database vendor, or a general tool such as Microsoft Excel. If you still encounter difficulties,

162 Frequently Asked Questions

you should first seek support from your local database administrator and/or the vendor who supplied
your database or driver.

Q. I am having problems with ODBC or Access on 64 bit Windows.

What should I do?

A. First, check your Stat/Transfer version.

If it is older than 10.1.1752.1018, you should update your

copy to take advantage of important changes. The following discussion assumes that you are at least
at that revision. Also, please look at the Stat/Transfer program group in your Windows Start menu.
It should contain a shortcut to the 32 Bit ODBC Administration Tool. If it does not, download and
run a current Stat/Transfer installer, which will create the shortcut for you.
Second, you should understand the somewhat confusing way by which Microsoft implemented
ODBC on 64 bit Windows. There are actually two copies of the ODBC Administration Tool. The
first, which is reachable from the Control Panel, can only create and modify 64 bit data sources. The
second, which is identically named, but located in an obscure directory, creates and modifies data
sources that use 32 bit drivers and which are accessible to 32 bit applications such as Stat/Transfer.
You should only use the 32 bit Administration Tool, accessible from your Stat/Transfer program
group, to create data sources for Stat/Transfer. Also, you must use the appropriate tool to edit existing
data sources (See the Microsoft Knowledge Base article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942976)
Third, the ODBC functions that are responsible for returning the names of data sources under 64 bit
windows return both 32 and 64 bit data sources, even though 32 bit applications, such as
Stat/Transfer, can only use 32 bit data sources. In order to avoid errors, Stat/Transfer, starting at
release 10.1.1752.1018, only displays the data sources that it can use. Therefore, data sources that
were created using the 64 bit administration tool are not visible from the Stat/Transfer menus
Finally, if you create a data source and then cannot see it in Stat/Transfer, make sure that you have
installed the 32 bit ODBC drivers. Some applications do not routinely install these on 64 bit
machines, and, to make matters worse, the 32 bit Administration tool will blindly use 64 bit drivers.

Q.
A.

How can I join two tables in a relational database?

Many database systems allow you to define a view, that will appear to Stat/Transfer as a single
table. If you database allows this, it is the simplest and most robust way of joining tables for
Stat/Transfer. If this option is not available, the Stat/Transfer command processor allows you to
submit an SQL select statement. It is simply passed through to your ODBC driver, so it must be legal
SQL for your particular database driver.

SAS Data Files

Q. Will the feature that reads SAS value labels work with Unix SAS files?
A. Stat/Transfer only reads Windows catalogs, but it will read SAS formats converted to Unix

datasets using Proc Format with the 'cntrlout' option. See the SAS Value Labels section, page 135.

Q.
A.

Stat/Transfer wont read my SAS data file. Whats wrong?

First, we dont support every platform. Check the sections on SAS Data, CPORT, and Transport
files. If your SAS data are not in one of these formats, we cannot read it, and you should use SAS to
create a SAS Transport file.

Frequently Asked Questions 163

Further, we cannot read data that have been encrypted. If your data have been written with encryption,
you must use SAS to copy the file to an unencrypted format.
Finally, if you are moving the file from another platform, make sure that you use a binary, errorcorrecting, file transfer protocol.
If your file is in the proper format and you still cannot read it, please report the error using the
mechanism on the Log tab of the user interface. The SAS file format has not been publicly
documented and there may be aspects of it that we are not supporting properly. Please let us know
about any problems you are having so that we can fix them for you and others.

Q.
A.

SAS refuses to read the SAS data file created by Stat/Transfer. What should I do?

First, make sure that you are writing the proper kind of file for the flavor of SAS you are using
and that you are transporting the file properly. Then check our website to see if there is a problem that
has already been fixed. If you think you have discovered a new problem, please let us know about it
so we can fix it.
In the meantime, you can always use the Stat/Transfer output option SAS Program + ASCII Data
File and then use the generated SAS program to read the ASCII data file into SAS.

SAS Transport Files

Q. Stat/Transfer reports a dictionary error or otherwise refuses to read my SAS file.

What is the

matter?

A.

Most commonly, particularly when the file is received from others, the problem is that the file is
not really a transport file, but, rather, is another kind of system file. You should examine the first part
of the file, either in an editor or by simply typing it to the screen. The text HEADER
RECORD*********LIBRARY HEADER RECORD should appear at the beginning of the file. If it
does not, it is not a transport file. You should refer to the Stat/Transfer manual or to SAS
documentation to find out how to create a Transport file in SAS.

S-PLUS Files
Q. Stat/Transfer will not read my S-PLUS file. What is wrong?
A. Remember, some S-PLUS file have very little structure and parts of the data are only meaningful
to S-PLUS. Make sure that your data are in the form of a two-dimensional matrix, a list or a
dataframe.

Stata Files
Q. Why do all of my labels and variable names come out in lower case when I transfer a file to Stata?
A. Thats not a bug its a feature. We respect the style of the package to which we are
transferring and packages such as S-Plus and Stata favor lower case letters. If you would like to
maintain the case of your variable names and labels, check the Variable Name Case Conversion
options under General Options in the Options dialog box.

164 Frequently Asked Questions

Worksheet Files
Q. I have some blank rows in my worksheet.

Stat/Transfer stops reading the data as soon as it

encounters a blank row. Is there any way to work around this?

A.

The reason Stat/Transfer behaves that way is that sometimes users like to put comments or notes
at the bottom of their data block. If they put at least one blank line between the data and the
comments, then by default, Stat/Transfer will read their data and skip the comments with no special
actions on their part.
However if you can change the behavior in one of two ways. In the Options dialog box, you can
either set the Blank Rows option to control reading of blank lines, or you can explicitly set a data
range by using the Data Range option In the latter case, Stat/Transfer will return all of the rows in
the range you specify. In other words, it assumes that you know what you are doing and will return
blank rows if that is what you want.

Q.

When I read my Excel spreadsheet, sometimes a whole column of numbers gets transferred as a
string variable, even though it contains lots of numbers.

A.

Stat/Transfer examines all of the cells in a column to determine the type. If there are any strings,
the column will be transferred into a string variable and the numbers and dates that are in the column
will be converted to their string representation. This scheme is, in general, what people expect,
particularly for columns of mixed numeric and string identifiers, where the alternative strategy would
make the strings into missing values.
If you have a column that you want to force to numeric, you can check it to make sure that there are
not any strings or numbers formatted with a text format. Alternatively, you can force a type
conversion by using the controls on the Variables dialog box.

Q.
A.

How should I represent missing values in my worksheet?

In general, you should just leave missing cells blank. You can also represent numeric missing
data with a period. Missing data for strings can be represented by an empty string (entered with a
single quote). However, blanks work just as well as any of these alternatives.
If your worksheets already use a specific string to represent missing, you can tell Stat/Transfer to use
that string as a missing value by setting the Numeric Missing Value string in Worksheet options.

Q.

I have variable names in the first row of my worksheet, but Stat/Transfer doesnt use them. It
makes up names like col1 and col2. How can I solve this problem?

A. Stat/Transfer tries to automatically sense whether you have variable name in your worksheet by
looking for a change from a string type to a numeric type between the first and second rows of your
worksheet. If all of your variables are string variables, this condition will not be met. To solve this
problem, simply go to the Field Name Row Worksheet option and change AutoSense to First NonBlank Row.

Frequently Asked Questions

165

Q. Stat/Transfer just won't read my Excel 97 worksheet?

A. Microsoft has chosen to leave some crucial tidbits out of its file format documentation.

If you
are having trouble with Excel, please do two things. First, use the "Save As" menu option in Excel
to save your data into Lotus 1-2-3 or a version of Excel older than Excel '97. These files will be
read by a different module within Stat/Transfer. Second, make us aware of your problem, so that we
can correct Stat/Transfer.

166 Frequently Asked Questions

Index
Access databases ....................................................86
appending tables ................................................34
converting to Stata files ....................................158
Converting to Stata files ...................................158
output table names ............................................15
selecting tables ...................................................12
Specifying tables .................................................57
Specifying tables with wildcards .........................58
Activation ..................................................................5
without an internet connection............................5
Alphnumeric variables, width .................................80
Arithmetic operations in WHERE ............................24
ASCII files
date/time format options .............................3032
fixed format ..................................................9091
programs for .......................................................90
Schema file....................................................9399
write options.................................................3637
ASCII Files - Delimited .......................................8889
ASCII input
SAS, SPSS, Stata...................................................90
Schema file....................................................9399
ASCII output ............................................................14
ASCII/Text Files - Read Options.........................3436
Automatic Logging ..................................................17
Automatic Program Generation ....................... 16, 48
Batch jobs
command files ..............................................7677
using generated programs ..................................16
Blank rows in worksheets .......................................40
Byte order for output..............................................73
'Byte' target type ....................................................20
Canceling a transfer ................................................16
Case conversions, variables ....................................28
Case selection
command processor ...........................................63
observations dialog box ................................2426
Case selection expressions ...............................2426
missing values .....................................................25
relational operators in ........................................24
strings in..............................................................24
wildcards in .........................................................25
Case-Selection expressions .....................................24
Catalog files, SAS .....................................................38
Century changeover year........................................31
Change output variable types .................................66
Changing output variable types ..............................22
Character encoding - FAQ .....................................156
Character encoding options..............................3233
Combining input files ..............................................54
Command files ..................................................7677

Command processor .........................................5179

Access tables .......................................................58
changing directory ..............................................74
changing drive (Windows) ..................................74
combining files ....................................................54
command files ..............................................7677
dropping constants .............................................61
file-type tags .......................................................55
floats option........................................................61
help .....................................................................75
KEEP and DROP commands ................................64
listing files ...........................................................74
ODBC data sources .............................................79
Options ...............................................................62
options set with the SET command ....................68
output variable types, setting .............................66
overwrite output file warning.............................61
quit ......................................................................74
SAS file members ................................................59
selecting cases ....................................................63
selecting variables ..............................................64
specifying file type ..............................................55
S-PLUS files..........................................................57
standard extensions............................................55
starting ................................................................51
suppressing messages ........................................61
transfers from .....................................................52
worksheet pages .................................................59
worksheet ranges ...............................................59
Command Processor
New Features ........................................................3
Command program generation ..............................16
Concatenating worksheet pages .............. 12, 40, 105
Constants, dropping.......................................... 22, 61
Copy command .................................................5253
Data viewer .............................................................13
options ................................................................44
Database format, worksheets ..............................104
'date' target type ....................................................20
Date/Time Formats
Reading ...............................................................30
Date/time formats - reading ...................................69
Date/time formats - writing.............................. 31, 69
'date/time' target type ...........................................20
Dates, return transfers ...........................................81
dBASE files ....................................................100101
DDI schemas .........................................................102
Default output file specifications............................15
Default output variable types .................................20
Delimited ASCII files ..........................................8889
choice of output file type....................................14

Delimited ASCII output ...........................................89

Delimiters in ASCII files ..................................... 34, 36
Examples ...................................................................6
Demo files .................................................................6
Demo version of Stat/Transfer .................................5
Directories, changing
command processor ...........................................74
user interface ......................................................15
'double' target type ................................................20
DROP command ......................................................64
Dropping constants........................................... 22, 61
Encoding - FAQ......................................................156
Encoding options .............................................. 32, 69
Epi info ..................................................................103
Error report, sending ..............................................50
Excel worksheets ..................................................104
troubleshooting ................................................161
Extended missing values .........................................36
ASCII .............................................................. 89, 91
map to .................................................................29
SAS .................................................... 135, 140, 142
Stata ..................................................................149
Extensions
command files ....................................................76
Extentions
standard ..............................................................55
Factors, R .......................................................... 41, 71
File format
selecting input ....................................................10
selecting output ..................................................15
File format specification .........................................55
File history length ...................................................43
File lists, command processor ................................74
File name extensions
command files ....................................................76
standard ..............................................................55
startup options file .............................................68
File-type tags...........................................................55
Fixed format ASCII files ...........................................91
Fixed format ASCII output.......................................14
'float' target type ....................................................20
Floats option ...........................................................60
Font
data viewer .........................................................45
user interface ......................................................43
Formats, new ............................................................3
FoxPro files............................................................107
Frequently asked questions ..................................164
Gauss files .............................................................108
General options ......................................................27
Generated programs......................................... 16, 37
gretl .......................................................................109
gretl row labels .......................................................43
Help
command processor ...........................................75

online ....................................................................7
technical support ..................................................8
HTML tables ..........................................................110
Input data viewer....................................................13
Input file format, selecting .....................................55
Input widths, preserving .........................................37
Installing on a second computer ..............................6
'int' target type .......................................................20
Internal limitations .................................................80
International character sets....................................32
JMP files ................................................................111
JMP options ...................................................... 41, 71
KEEP command .......................................................64
options for multiple sessions ..............................72
LIMDEP files ..........................................................113
Limitations
internal................................................................80
on changing output variable types .....................22
on the number of variables ................................80
Linux
FAQ ...................................................................160
Log dialog box .........................................................49
Logging, command processor .................................75
'long' target type.....................................................20
Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet files.....................................83
Matlab files ...........................................................114
Matlab output options............................................42
Members, SAS, CPORT, and Transport files ...... 12, 59
Messages
adding date and time to .....................................43
Command processor ...........................................61
Microsoft access .....................................................86
Mineset files .........................................................116
Minitab worksheets ..............................................117
Missing values ................................................... 25, 29
ASCII .............................................................. 35, 36
map to extended ................................................29
set command ......................................................69
Mixed data ..............................................................22
Mplus files.............................................................118
New features ............................................................3
NLOGIT files ..........................................................119
Numeric variable names .........................................27
OBDC
options ................................................................69
Observations dialog box .........................................23
ODBC
null vs. empty strings ..........................................34
options ................................................................34
ODBC data sources ...............................................120
Online documentation ..............................................7
Online help................................................................7
OpenDocument spreadsheets ........................12224
Options
New in Version 12 .................................................3

Options dialog box ............................................2732

Options Dialog Box..................................................29
Osiris files ..............................................................125
Output options........................................................42
Output variable types .............................................19
changing ........................................................ 21, 66
limitations on changing ......................................22
Pages and tables, options .......................................58
Paradox tables ......................................................126
Preserving WHERE expressions ..............................25
Quattro Pro worksheet files .................................127
R files.....................................................................130
R options .................................................................41
RATS files ..............................................................132
options ................................................................41
RATS options ...........................................................71
Read.me file ..............................................................6
relational operators ................................................24
Removing Stat/Transfer ............................................7
Resetting Stat/Transfer...........................................16
Run program dialog box .........................................48
Sample files ...............................................................6
Sampling Functions .................................................25
sampling functions, seed ........................................28
SAS CPORT ............................................................140
SAS data files.........................................................134
SAS transport files.................................................142
SAS value labels ....................................................136
Seed for sampling functions ...................................28
Sending an error report ..........................................50
SPLUS files .............................................................144
S-PLUS options ........................................................41
SPSS data files .......................................................146
SPSS portable files ................................................148
Stata files ..............................................................150
Statistica files ........................................................152

'string' target type ..................................................20

String widths
preserving ...........................................................28
SYSTAT files ...........................................................153
'time' target type ....................................................20
Transfer Dialog Box ...........................................1017
Triple-S ..................................................................154
TYPES command .....................................................66
Use doubles ............................................................28
Use doubles option .................................................22
User interface options ............................................43
User Missing Values ................................................29
Value label tags
preserving ...........................................................27
Value labels browser...............................................43
Variables
manually changing ..............................................21
options ................................................................60
quick variable type changer ................................21
Variables Dialog Box ...............................................22
VARS command................................................. 64, 66
Web update ..............................................................6
WHERE statements .................................................24
arithmetic operations in .....................................24
comma operator .................................................25
examples .............................................................25
preserving ...........................................................25
Wildcards
input files specified with .....................................72
operators ...................................................... 58, 59
transfers ..............................................................52
Worksheet files
1-2-3 ....................................................................83
excel ..................................................................104
Quattro Pro .......................................................127
troubleshooting ................................................163