opening .dat IPUMS file in stata

Hello,

I’m trying to open CPS data in stata following the instruction provided in website but I’m it is not working. i saved the .dat file in my desktop and tried to open it in stata using the “do cps_00001.do” command. I also tried “do cps_00001.dat” but nothing works.

I’m sorry for the difficulties. One essential step I didn’t see mentioned above is the .dat file needs to be unzipped before the .do file can read-in the data into stata. We typically suggest 7-zip for a decompression software if your computer doesn’t already use this as default. Another necessity is to ensure that the working directory is set up correctly in stata, so that it is working in the folder your data file is saved. We have an online tutorial video if you would like more specific instructions.

I hope this helps.