Dropping observations

[Varsha Vaishnav]

Hello,

In the below dataset:

* Example generated by -dataex-. To install: ssc install dataex
clear
input str10 var1 float aus_20
"AUS_01T02" 173.19974
"AUS_03"     6.068735
"AUS_05T06" 1065.3801
"AUS_07T08" 139.02173
"AUS_09"    12.974132
"AUS_10T12"  218.1521
"AUS_13T15"  45.22264
"AUS_16"     6.384057
"AUS_17T18" 136.45459
"AUS_19"     353.1058
"AUS_20"    1214.2129
"AUS_21"     40.45226
"AUS_22"    279.55978
"AUS_23"    128.08464
"AUS_24"    24.676386
"AUS_25"    116.48367
"AUS_26"    12.369787
"AUS_27"    11.558052
"AUS_28"     38.23451
"AUS_29"     9.646472
"AUS_30"     9.712774
"AUS_31T33"  23.66711
"AUS_35"     306.7819
"AUS_36T39" 206.86343
"AUS_41T43" 119.65153
"AUS_45T47" 1898.5074
"AUS_49"    461.25095
"AUS_50"    72.309204
"AUS_51"     51.45259
"AUS_52"    533.84503
"AUS_53"    31.065104
"AUS_55T56" 175.14697
"AUS_58T60"  78.60828
"AUS_61"     88.03191
"AUS_62T63" 114.50014
"AUS_64T66"  325.7633
"AUS_68"      40.6893
"AUS_69T75"  603.0026
"AUS_77T82"  293.4053
"AUS_84"     283.8955
"AUS_85"     24.83051
"AUS_86T88" 137.57274
"AUS_90T93"   7.20997
"AUS_94T96"  27.93785
"AUS_97T98"         0
"AUT_01T02"   .003622
"AUT_03"            0
"AUT_05T06"   .004057
"AUT_07T08"   .010179
"AUT_09"     6.00e-06
"AUT_10T12"   .087225
"AUT_13T15"   .040663
"AUT_16"      .021726
"AUT_17T18"    .14133
"AUT_19"      .092674
"AUT_20"     1.062999
"AUT_21"      .084466
"AUT_22"      .314744
"AUT_23"      .111977
"AUT_24"      .101737
"AUT_25"       .28396
"AUT_26"      .011893
"AUT_27"      .026018
"AUT_28"      .293965
"AUT_29"      .013614
"AUT_30"      .000609
"AUT_31T33"    .01695
"AUT_35"      .003598
"AUT_36T39"   .003891
"AUT_41T43"   .010193
"AUT_45T47"   .433097
"AUT_49"      .289404
"AUT_50"      .001737
"AUT_51"       .01264
"AUT_52"      .090495
"AUT_53"      .003376
"AUT_55T56"   .001819
"AUT_58T60"   .010415
"AUT_61"      .010002
"AUT_62T63"   .016576
"AUT_64T66"    .01102
"AUT_68"      .001636
"AUT_69T75"   .050557
"AUT_77T82"   .013966
"AUT_84"      .001904
"AUT_85"      .000831
"AUT_86T88"   .001723
"AUT_90T93"   .000819
"AUT_94T96"   .000823
"AUT_97T98"         0
end

I want to drop observations from AUS_24 to AUS_97T98 and then AUT_24 to AUT_97T98 of variable 1. There are other countries in the dataset for which the same process of deletion is required. Is there a way to delete them at once?

Thanks

[Ken Chui]

I don't know if there is a way to apply range on string, but it's possible to extract the 5th and 6th digit as numbers and then drop if they fall between 24 and 97:

gen temp_index = real(substr(var1), 5, 2)
drop if inrange(temp_index, 24, 97)
drop temp_index

Results:

     +----------------------+
     |      var1     aus_20 |
     |----------------------|
  1. | AUS_01T02   173.1997 |
  2. |    AUS_03   6.068735 |
  3. | AUS_05T06    1065.38 |
  4. | AUS_07T08   139.0217 |
  5. |    AUS_09   12.97413 |
  6. | AUS_10T12   218.1521 |
  7. | AUS_13T15   45.22264 |
  8. |    AUS_16   6.384057 |
  9. | AUS_17T18   136.4546 |
 10. |    AUS_19   353.1058 |
 11. |    AUS_20   1214.213 |
 12. |    AUS_21   40.45226 |
 13. |    AUS_22   279.5598 |
 14. |    AUS_23   128.0846 |
     |----------------------|
 15. | AUT_01T02    .003622 |
 16. |    AUT_03          0 |
 17. | AUT_05T06    .004057 |
 18. | AUT_07T08    .010179 |
 19. |    AUT_09   6.00e-06 |
 20. | AUT_10T12    .087225 |
 21. | AUT_13T15    .040663 |
 22. |    AUT_16    .021726 |
 23. | AUT_17T18     .14133 |
 24. |    AUT_19    .092674 |
 25. |    AUT_20   1.062999 |
 26. |    AUT_21    .084466 |
 27. |    AUT_22    .314744 |
 28. |    AUT_23    .111977 |
     +----------------------+

[Nick Cox]

Ken Chui inrange() supports string arguments:

. count if inrange(var, "AUS_24", "AUS_97T98") | inrange(var, "AUT_24", "AUT_97T98") 
  62

The question is just empirical, whether a range catches what you want to catch and nothing else.

[Varsha Vaishnav]

Thank you, Ken and Nick. I tried it with the split command and it worked.