Is there any difference between "Sort X Y" versus. "Bysort X Y: gen A=1"

[Tahseen Hasan]

I know in Bysort you have to generate something. But other than that will using Sort X Y vs. Bysort X Y make any changes to the structure of my data?

For example, if I wanted to arrange my dataset in the following way:

1. First by CompanyID in an ascending order.

2. Within the company ID, I want the data to be arranged by Year next.

From what I understand "Sort CompID Year" will arrange my dataset in that order. Will "Bysort CompID Year: gen A=1" do the same under all circumstances?

[Marcos Almeida]

After typing - help bysort - in the command window, we get this information:

. sort rep78
. by rep78: tabulate foreign

Equivalent to above two commands
. by rep78, sort: tabulate foreign

Equivalent to above command
. bysort rep78: tabulate foreign

[Nick Cox]

No; you don't have to generate anything with bysort. In principle you may do many other things with it, sensible or silly. But a command starting

bysort X Y: 

will sort your data, regardless of whether the following command works or is even legal.

[Tahseen Hasan]

@Nick Cox: So just to confirm, the following commands will structure my data in the same exact way?

1. Sort ID Date

2. Bysort ID Date

[Nick Cox]

That is so. This also follows from Marcos Almeida's examples.

[Tahseen Hasan]

Understood. Thank you so much for the help