Merging but "year" isn't matching

[Jana Schue]

Hey everybody,

I have a problem to which I cannot find an answer to.

I want to merge two panel datasets which have different ways to show years.

1.:
CODE:

* Example generated by -dataex-. For more info, type help dataex
clear
input str11 year
"28.06.00"
"28.07.00"
"04.08.00"
"04.01.00"
"03.01.00"
"05.01.00"
"21.06.00"
"10.01.00"
"04.02.00"
"31.01.00"
"31.01.00"
"13.01.00"
"11.02.00"
"05.01.00"
"13.01.00"
"14.02.00"
"13.01.00"
"28.02.00"
"11.01.00"
"22.02.00"
"05.03.00"
"24.02.00"
"14.01.00"
"31.03.00"
"18.08.00"
"21.09.00"
"16.06.00"
"11.01.00"
"19.04.00"
"20.01.00"
"20.01.00"
"17.01.00"
"03.03.00"
"18.01.00"
"06.01.00"
"20.01.00"
"09.03.00"
"06.01.00"
"24.01.00"
"30.01.01"
"14.01.00"
"12.01.00"
"17.01.00"
"22.03.00"
"28.02.00"
"10.03.00"
"13.01.00"
"04.08.00"
"20.03.00"
"31.01.00"
"28.06.00"
"26.01.00"
"28.06.02"
"27.06.00"
"29.12.00"
"13.03.00"
"03.03.00"
"09.03.00"
"04.02.00"
"03.02.00"
"19.05.00"
"14.03.00"
"03.02.00"
"31.03.00"
"26.07.00"
"07.02.00"
"20.03.00"
"31.03.00"
"08.02.00"
"08.02.00"
"04.04.00"
"08.02.00"
"31.03.05"
"13.04.00"
"09.08.01"
"10.03.00"
"12.05.00"
"09.02.00"
"12.05.00"
"09.02.00"
"20.04.00"
"03.05.00"
"04.04.00"
"12.04.00"
"17.01.00"
"30.06.00"
"11.02.00"
"01.06.00"
"30.06.00"
"03.01.00"
"29.11.00"
"10.02.00"
"13.06.00"
"13.09.00"
"28.02.00"
"29.03.00"
"15.02.00"
"14.02.00"
"09.05.00"
"14.02.00"
end

2.
CODE:

* Example generated by -dataex-. For more info, type help dataex
clear
input int year
    .
14755
14724
14734
15957
15544
15210
16330
15645
15474
17003
15165
16651
16824
16362
16814
16148
16139
16285
17252
17575
15804
16551
15799
14990
15194
14916
15622
18142
16519
16337
16356
16716
16895
16923
18353
17241
17363
17867
15714
15390
20877
16785
17175
14675
15792
19982
15921
16565
16366
16832
16218
16282
14810
15400
16350
15272
14699
20313
20303
15691
18054
14619
16985
16618
16965
15307
16379
16173
15124
15130
18638
19278
15666
17256
15354
15454
16253
16867
15011
15776
15818
16090
16355
20795
14801
17233
15186
16012
20559
20444
15075
21698
20830
17220
16460
15887
17057
14677
15753
end
format %tdnn/dd/CCYY year

As you can see, one is a string and the other is an int.

So I thought, I need to destring the 1. but I get the error:

CODE:

.         destring year1, generate(year)
year1: contains nonnumeric characters; no generate

Note: "year1" is "year" I just renamed it differently

Has anyone an idea how to match these to year variables, so I can merge them?

Kind regards,
Jana

[Carlo Lazzaro]

Jana:
as far as your first file is concerned, you may want to try:

. generate double year_num = date(year, "DM20Y")

. format year_num %td

. list in 1

     +----------------------+
     |     year    year_num |
     |----------------------|
  1. | 28.06.00   28jun2000 |
     +----------------------+

.