values changes to date format when a stata file is exported to csv file

[Mahdie Raj]

Hi everyone,
I have a big dataset including the age group variable. The variable contains "0-4", "5-9" etc. After exporting the dataset to a csv file, the "5-9" changes to a data format such as 9-May, 14-Oct, etc. Is there any way to avoid this conversion?
Best,
Nader

[Clyde Schechter]

The variable contains "0-4", "5-9" etc. After exporting the dataset to a csv file, the "5-9" changes to a data format such as 9-May, 14-Oct, etc. Is there any way to avoid this conversion?

I'll bet that isn't true. I'll bet if you open the .csv file in a plain text editor, not a spreadsheet application, you will see that it still says 5-9, 14-15, etc. The conversion to date format is being done by the spreadsheet program, not by Stata. There is nothing you can do in Stata that will prevent it. You have to reformat those cells within the spreadsheet. If that isn't practical, you could change the Stata variables from 5-9 to "5 through 9" (-help subinstr()-) and then export them to CSV. Your spreadsheet won't mistake those for dates.

[Mahdie Raj]

Thanks Clyde for your response. You are right, when I opened it in a text editor, it is fine. However, when the data is imported in R, the 5-9 age group goes after 45-49 age group. The problem is also a case in Stata. When the data is sorted by the age group variable, the 5-9 age group goes after 45-49. Obviously, the reason is that stata considers only the first character (4 not 45) when the variable is sorted. I appreciate your advice on this.
Sorting in a good order does matter because I need the age groups to build an age pyramid, and because of the issue the age group of 5-9 is located after 45-49 age group in the pyramid.

[Joseph Coveney]

Sorting in a good order does matter . . . because of the issue the age group of 5-9 is located after 45-49 age group in the pyramid.

.ÿ
.ÿversionÿ15.1

.ÿ
.ÿclearÿ*

.ÿ
.ÿinputÿstr10ÿage_grp

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿage_grp
ÿÿ1.ÿ0-4
ÿÿ2.ÿ5-9
ÿÿ3.ÿ45-49
ÿÿ4.ÿend

.ÿ
.ÿsortÿage_grp

.ÿlist,ÿnoobs

ÿÿ+---------+
ÿÿ|ÿage_grpÿ|
ÿÿ|---------|
ÿÿ|ÿÿÿÿÿ0-4ÿ|
ÿÿ|ÿÿÿ45-49ÿ|
ÿÿ|ÿÿÿÿÿ5-9ÿ|
ÿÿ+---------+

.ÿ
.ÿquietlyÿsplitÿage_grp,ÿgenerate(age_limit)ÿparse(-)ÿdestring

.ÿ
.ÿsortÿage_limit1

.ÿ
.ÿlist,ÿnoobsÿabbreviate(20)

ÿÿ+-----------------------------------+
ÿÿ|ÿage_grpÿÿÿage_limit1ÿÿÿage_limit2ÿ|
ÿÿ|-----------------------------------|
ÿÿ|ÿÿÿÿÿ0-4ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ0ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ4ÿ|
ÿÿ|ÿÿÿÿÿ5-9ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ5ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ9ÿ|
ÿÿ|ÿÿÿ45-49ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ45ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ49ÿ|
ÿÿ+-----------------------------------+

.ÿ
.ÿexit

endÿofÿdo-file


.

[Clyde Schechter]

Another approach to the problem of the sort order is to change 5-9 to 05-09.