Dropping variables after merging; error r(111)

[Remy Dalmulder]

Hey Statalist,

i have trouble with keeping my matched merged data (3) as i keep getting the following error:

 variable if_merge not found
r(111);

I used the following code

_
use "C:\Users\Remy\Desktop\Stata data analyses\Real data\Bewerkte data\Master AA bewerkt.dta", clear
*already sorted in previous document > Master AA
 merge 1:1 FYend CIK using "C:\Users\Remy\Desktop\Stata data analyses\Real data\Bewerkte data\AA 1.1 bewerkt.dta"
* look at data browser > i want to keep matched merge data
keep if_merge == "matched (3)"

* Example generated by -dataex-. To install: ssc install dataex
clear
input double fiscal_year long FYend double audit_fees str58 auditor_name str10 CIK str4 sic_code_fkey double going_concern byte _merge
2006 17167   212746 "BDO Seidman LLP"                                "0001137047" "5812" 0 3
2006 17167   448791 "BDO Seidman LLP"                                "0001171014" "5812" 0 3
2006 17168   458192 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000887596" "5812" 0 3
2006 17168   342000 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0001013488" "5812" 0 3
2006 17168  1461950 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0001086774" "5812" . 1
2006 17168    84600 "Kabani & Company Inc"                           "0001108699" "5812" 1 3
2006 17171    10365 "Crowe Chizek & Company LLP"                     "0000883979" "5045" 0 3
2006 17172  2037200 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000883569" "3873" 0 3
2006 17175    92500 "Rothstein Kass & Company PC"                    "0001316898" "5810" 0 3
2007 17191  1211750 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000764762" "5912" 0 3
2007 17193  4024000 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000109198" "5651" 0 3
2007 17193   459300 "Grant Thornton LLP"                             "0001037123" "2273" 0 3
2007 17193  3883000 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0001058057" "3674" 0 3
2007 17193     6140 "HoganTaylor LLP"                                "0001427092" "8711" . 1
2007 17194   518633 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000006571" "7200" . 1
2007 17194  1558000 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000018061" "3537" . 1
2007 17194   790394 "KPMG LLP"                                       "0000030302" "5331" 0 3
2007 17194  3669240 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000038067" "6512" . 1
2007 17194   170000 "Margolis & Company PC"                          "0000065201" "3564" . 1
2007 17194  3172170 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000088941" "3674" 0 3
2007 17194  2112000 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000095585" "5411" . 1
2007 17194  5451000 "KPMG LLP"                                       "0000354950" "5211" 0 3
2007 17194  1235500 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000719955" "5700" 0 3
2007 17194  1258000 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000740670" "5945" . 1
2007 17194    98400 "Malin Bergquist & Company LLP"                  "0000771485" "4955" . 1
2007 17194    58153 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000813639" "1040" . 1
2007 17194    13000 "Demetrius & Company LLC"                        "0000833203" "7389" . 1
2007 17194    24350 "Stark Winter Schenkein & Co LLP"                "0000844788" "1040" . 1
2007 17194  1983000 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000863157" "5990" 0 3
2007 17194  1237000 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000863456" "5621" . 1
2007 17194   106000 "Cherry Bekaert & Holland LLP"                   "0000878731" "5944" . 1
2007 17194   177186 "Singer Lewak Greenbaum & Goldstein LLP"         "0000878808" "1040" . 1
2007 17194   307000 "KPMG LLP"                                       "0000912463" "2340" . 1
2007 17194  2479000 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000921503" "3990" . 1
2007 17194    61000 "Mendoza Berger & Company LLP"                   "0001003226" "8062" . 1
2007 17194   248000 "Grant Thornton LLP"                             "0001004981" "3669" . 1
2007 17194   533288 "KPMG LLP"                                       "0001016607" "5651" . 1
2007 17194    37447 "McCarney Greenwood LLP CA"                      "0001027162" "1000" . 1
2007 17194    71960 "Murrell Hall McIntosh & Co PLLP"                "0001029402" "1382" . 1
2007 17194   413000 "Stonefield Josephson Inc"                       "0001030485" "3674" 0 3
2007 17194  4101750 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0001045810" "3674" 0 3
2007 17194  1120000 "KPMG LLP"                                       "0001051251" "5600" . 1
2007 17194   858900 "KPMG LLP"                                       "0001051771" "5311" . 1
2007 17194   404000 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0001094316" "7372" . 1
2007 17194  3343840 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0001100270" "5400" 0 3
2007 17194    10980 "Cordovano & Honeck LLP/PC"                      "0001108046" "2860" . 1
2007 17194   373612 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0001132484" "3571" . 1
2007 17194     9573 "Staley Okada & Partners"                        "0001136861" "1040" . 1
2007 17194    10900 "Manning Elliott LLP"                            "0001138608" "1040" . 1
2007 17194    16800 "Morgan & Company Chartered Accountants"         "0001167886" "1400" . 1
2007 17194    36300 "Morgan & Company Chartered Accountants"         "0001167887" "1400" . 1
2007 17194    78695 "Semple & Cooper LLP"                            "0001172178" "1000" . 1
2007 17194     8400 "Morgan & Company Chartered Accountants"         "0001280821" "0100" . 1
2007 17194    88040 "RSM Richter LLP (Quebec)"                       "0001281872" "3674" . 1
2007 17194    71212 "Davidson & Company LLP"                         "0001282549" "1000" . 1
2007 17194     8900 "Infante & Company"                              "0001320338" "1000" . 1
2007 17194    16200 "Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton LaBonte (DMCL) LLP"   "0001327238" "2834" . 1
2007 17194   500000 "BDO Seidman LLP"                                "0001337885" "5961" . 1
2007 17194    52900 "Eide Bailly LLP"                                "0001409171" "5990" . 1
2007 17195    78000 "Mayer Hoffman McCann PC"                        "0001043156" "5812" 0 3
2007 17197   175175 "Grant Thornton LLP"                             "0000008146" "3577" 0 3
2007 17197        0 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000022252" "3663" 0 3
2007 17197    46000 "Gordon Hughes & Banks LLP"                      "0000065172" "6795" 0 3
2007 17197  1345370 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000072573" "3873" 0 3
2007 17197   317500 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000082166" "3081" 0 3
2007 17197    63500 "Moss Adams LLP"                                 "0000082473" "6798" 0 3
2007 17197    79500 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000088063" "6722" 0 3
2007 17197  2172750 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000098246" "5944" 0 3
2007 17197   305000 "Grant Thornton LLP"                             "0000100591" "1700" 0 3
2007 17197 10563000 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000104169" "5331" 0 3
2007 17197   260000 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000106444" "6371" 0 3
2007 17197   192000 "Tedder James Worden & Associates PA"            "0000109471" "3812" 0 3
2007 17197   395700 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000110536" "8734" 0 3
2007 17197    41710 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000225604" "6371" 0 3
2007 17197    89696 "Manning Elliott LLP"                            "0000316888" "1000" 0 3
2007 17197    74012 "Schwartz Levitsky Feldman LLP"                  "0000317158" "2810" 0 3
2007 17197    26500 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000356409" "5331" 0 3
2007 17197    21000 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000357052" "6722" 0 3
2007 17197    99000 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000357057" "6371" 0 3
2007 17197    21000 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000357110" "6722" 0 3
2007 17197    21000 "Ernst & Young LLP"                              "0000357159" "6371" 0 3
2007 17197    68000 "Tait Weller & Baker LLP"                        "0000357298" "6722" 0 3
2007 17197   239865 "KPMG LLP"                                       "0000701811" "7373" . 1
2007 17197   169000 "KPMG LLP"                                       "0000701939" "6371" 0 3
2007 17197   314000 "BDO Seidman LLP"                                "0000715779" "5621" 0 3
2007 17197    43000 "Deloitte & Touche LLP"                          "0000718581" "6371" 0 3
2007 17197        0 "Dischino & Associates PC"                       "0000722617" "2833" 0 3
2007 17197    15000 "Moore & Associates Chartered"                   "0000723733" "6770" 1 3
2007 17197   142000 "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"                     "0000734383" "1040" 0 3
end
format %d FYend
label values _merge _merge
label def _merge 1 "master only (1)", modify
label def _merge 3 "matched (3)", modify

What is it that i keep doing wrong, as this is pretty basic .

Kind regards,

Remy Dalmulder

[Jesse Wursten]

Try

keep if _merge == 3

You were missing a space between if and _merge. Also, the matched(3) you see in the data browser is a value label, not what's actually in the data. (Stata interprets 1 as master only, 2 as using only and 3 as matched in this case).

[Remy Dalmulder]

Yes, it worked. Thank you! I will keep that information in mind.