Python Integration: Pandas Package Causing Stata to Close

[John Hansen]

After setting my python_userpath and python_exec, attempting to execute the following lines from a do file causes Stata to exit immediately:

python
import os
import time
import csv
import datetime
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
df_resp = pd.read_stata("responses.dta")
df_resp
end

I am using Stata 16 on a Mac (Catalina OS: 10.15.7). Following Chuck Huber's blog posts, I have had some success in using Python from within Stata. I have a recent version of Anaconda installed, and Stata is recently updated.

However, when I try to load a Stata dataset into Python using the Pandas command, "read_stata," Stata immediately exits. There is no error warning or message, only immediate exit from Stata.

Initially, this same immediate exit behavior occurred whenever I typed "python which pandas". Another Stata user described the same behavior in the comments of the previously linked blog post. By re-installing Pandas, I was able to run "python which pandas" successfully.

Strangely, the do file above ran successfully once and returned the expected result. I cannot determine what was different in that lone successful instance. The entire do file is:

*prepare python
set python_exec "~/opt/anaconda3/bin/python3"
set python_userpath "~/opt/anaconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages"
python query

*python modules
python which os
python which time
python which csv
python which datetime
python which pandas
python which numpy

*load data into python using pandas (read_stata)
python
import os
import time
import csv
import datetime
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
df_resp = pd.read_stata("responses.dta")
df_resp
end

Any suggestions?

[Justin Niakamal]

I had a similar issue, except Stata would close when I tried to import pandas. Try this in terminal

$ conda activate
$ pip uninstall pandas
$ pip install pandas

[John Hansen]

Thanks for the suggestion, Justin. I entered your proposed commands in terminal, but I'm still encountering the same behavior from Stata.

I should note that your proposed solution was what I had to do previously to import the pandas package successfully. Essentially, the exiting behavior from Stata was first encountered when I was trying to import pandas, and re-installing with pip solved that issue. Now, I'm encountering the same behavior when trying to use read_stata, and re-installing with pip did not resolve the issue.

[Zhao Xu (StataCorp)]

Hi John Hansen,

Can you try the following in your Unix terminal?

$ ln -s ~/opt/anaconda3/lib YOUR_STATA_PATH/utilities/mac_lib

It will create a symbolic mac_lib pointing to the library directory of the Anaconda you are using. Before running it, you need to replace your Stata installation directory with YOUR_STATA_PATH. You can find this path by typing

di c(sysdir_stata)

in Stata.

After that, type:

$ conda activate
$ pip uninstall scipy
$ pip install scipy

in your terminal. Next try your code to see whether your problem still exists.