synthetic control error

[Juan Felipe Contreras]

Hello,

I am new at the synth command. I am using Stata 15. I want to estimate a treatment effect using the synthetic control method with the code:

synth m regulated, trperiod(651) trunit(1)

and I received the outpud:

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Synthetic Control Method for Comparative Case Studies
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First Step: Data Setup
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treated unit: for 1 of out 1 units outcome variable m is missing in 684 results period - check resultsperiod()
invalid syntax
r(198);

could someone help me to understand what is wrong with the command and how to solve it?

Thanks.

[Juan Felipe Contreras]

What is troubling me the most is that there are no missing values in neither the outcome variable nor the depvar.

[Phil Bromiley]

You'll increase your chances of a useful answer by following the FAQ on asking questions - provide Stata code in code delimiters, readable Stata output, and sample data using dataex. I assume your variable is lowercase m not uppercase M? I'd try running some of the examples in the documentation to make sure things are operating correctly. Also, examine the data structure in the examples to see if you can see a way it differs from your data.

I don't use this procedure, but I wonder if you have trperiod specified with the right value - in the examples, it is a year. Otherwise, you may need to contact the authors.