3 Getting Started
3.1 Prerequisites
These tutorials assume no knowledge of Stata but do assume that you are comfortable using a computer with a modern user interface (for example Windows, MacOs, linux with Ubuntu), and that you will be happy typing commands in a console or a script. You will also need to learn how to navigate a folder or directory tree. (For linux users, and for Windows users)
3.2 Software Requirements
Recent versions of Stata, 17 or later are required. You can check your version from the command line1 with version.
3.3 How to use these materials
3.3.1 The Larger Exercises
The most important learning experiences in this offering is the two part larger exercises, each of which covers a reasonably coherent subset of the material. You should complete the Part I exercise after you have learned about basic graphing and Part II when you have learned about regression modelling.
They are designed to be completed by learners in pairs. A pair has two roles: the driver, who sits at the active console and types code into a file or command prompt; the navigator, watches the driver and reviews code as it writtenm makes suggestions and possible corrections, and who researches (using Google for example) solutions as problems arise. You should swap roles every 15 minutes or so.
After the learners work on one of the exercises, the solution script should be presented, and a round table discussion of problems encountered and alternative solutions should take place.
3.3.2 Skippable
Although good project orginisation is important, learners could skip section 4.
Your facilitator may also decide to skip some of the more tricky programming examples if time is tight.
3.3.3 General advice
Test all the code you see. Some of the code is written to be added to a script and you should develop a single script for all sections since some of the later material will assume that you have run earlier example code. Sometimes the tutorial suggests that you run a command on the console or command line and you should do so. Don’t add commands intended for the console to your script - they may cause your script to break and fail.
Code to be executed and run by you looks like this:
type this at the console and hit return
or add it to a script and run the scriptGenerally the tutorial will be explicit about when you should add code to a script.
As the series progresses, I will provide less explicit detail in my instructions. You will move from
type these characters and hit returnto
“The Stata command for a oneway anova is oneway. Use this command to test the mean of boodpressure by ethnicity”
3.4 Data
The data files to be used in most exercises and examples are at
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ccaajim/resultsand
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ccaajim/medicalXtrial.xlsYou can read these data using the import command. You will find this cheeatsheet useful.