Tabulating joint frequencies of M>=2 discrete outcomes

[John Mullahy]

Does anyone have a favorite way of tabulating joint frequencies for M>=2 discrete (numeric) outcomes? I've written a program tabjoint to do this (https://uwmadison.box.com/s/r4fdwda8...a99ibd6ybyicbz) that produces the output that appears below.

But I'm wondering if others have more found more efficient ways to undertake and report such tabulations. There's nothing profound about the calculations themselves; I'm mostly curious about how others might have handled this.

sysuse auto
tabjoint foreign rep78 turn, sort

  Joint distribution of: foreign rep78 turn

  Joint Outcome |      Freq.     Percent        Cum.
----------------+-----------------------------------
   0   3   43   |          7       10.14       10.14
   0   3   40   |          4        5.80       15.94
   0   3   42   |          4        5.80       21.74
   1   5   36   |          4        5.80       27.54
   0   2   46   |          3        4.35       31.88
   0   4   43   |          3        4.35       36.23
   1   4   34   |          3        4.35       40.58
   0   2   41   |          2        2.90       43.48
   0   3   41   |          2        2.90       46.38
   0   3   44   |          2        2.90       49.28
   0   3   45   |          2        2.90       52.17
   0   4   42   |          2        2.90       55.07
   1   3   36   |          2        2.90       57.97
   1   4   35   |          2        2.90       60.87
   1   4   36   |          2        2.90       63.77
   1   5   35   |          2        2.90       66.67
   1   5   37   |          2        2.90       69.57
   0   1   40   |          1        1.45       71.01
   0   1   42   |          1        1.45       72.46
   0   2   40   |          1        1.45       73.91
   0   2   43   |          1        1.45       75.36
   0   2   44   |          1        1.45       76.81
   0   3   31   |          1        1.45       78.26
   0   3   34   |          1        1.45       79.71
   0   3   36   |          1        1.45       81.16
   0   3   37   |          1        1.45       82.61
   0   3   48   |          1        1.45       84.06
   0   3   51   |          1        1.45       85.51
   0   4   33   |          1        1.45       86.96
   0   4   39   |          1        1.45       88.41
   0   4   45   |          1        1.45       89.86
   0   4   48   |          1        1.45       91.30
   0   5   35   |          1        1.45       92.75
   0   5   37   |          1        1.45       94.20
   1   3   34   |          1        1.45       95.65
   1   4   33   |          1        1.45       97.10
   1   4   38   |          1        1.45       98.55
   1   5   32   |          1        1.45      100.00
----------------+-----------------------------------
          Total |         69      100.00

[Nick Cox]

groups now maintained through the Stata Journal has been around for a while (2003) with a major rewrite a few years ago. For a quick overview, skim

https://www.statalist.org/forums/for...updated-on-ssc

and for a formal write-up

SJ-18-1 st0496_1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Software update for groups
(help groups if installed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. J. Cox
Q1/18 SJ 18(1):291
groups exited with an error message if weights were specified;
this has been corrected

SJ-17-3 st0496 . . . . . Speaking Stata: Tables as lists: The groups command
(help groups if installed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. J. Cox
Q3/17 SJ 17(3):760--773
presents command for listing group frequencies and percents and
cumulations thereof; for various subsetting and ordering by
frequencies, percents, and so on; for reordering of columns;
and for saving tabulated data to new datasets

Example:

. sysuse auto, clear 
(1978 automobile data)

. 
. groups foreign rep78 turn, order(high) sep(0)

  +-------------------------------------------+
  |  foreign   rep78   turn   Freq.   Percent |
  |-------------------------------------------|
  | Domestic       3     43       7     10.14 |
  | Domestic       3     40       4      5.80 |
  | Domestic       3     42       4      5.80 |
  |  Foreign       5     36       4      5.80 |
  | Domestic       2     46       3      4.35 |
  | Domestic       4     43       3      4.35 |
  |  Foreign       4     34       3      4.35 |
  | Domestic       2     41       2      2.90 |
  | Domestic       3     41       2      2.90 |
  | Domestic       3     44       2      2.90 |
  | Domestic       3     45       2      2.90 |
  | Domestic       4     42       2      2.90 |
  |  Foreign       3     36       2      2.90 |
  |  Foreign       4     35       2      2.90 |
  |  Foreign       4     36       2      2.90 |
  |  Foreign       5     35       2      2.90 |
  |  Foreign       5     37       2      2.90 |
  | Domestic       1     40       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       1     42       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       2     40       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       2     43       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       2     44       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       3     31       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       3     34       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       3     36       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       3     37       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       3     48       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       3     51       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       4     33       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       4     39       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       4     45       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       4     48       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       5     35       1      1.45 |
  | Domestic       5     37       1      1.45 |
  |  Foreign       3     34       1      1.45 |
  |  Foreign       4     33       1      1.45 |
  |  Foreign       4     38       1      1.45 |
  |  Foreign       5     32       1      1.45 |
  +-------------------------------------------+

[Andrew Musau]

sysuse auto, clear
egen totab= group(foreign rep78 turn), label
tab totab, sort

Res.:

. tab totab, sort

group(foreign |
  rep78 turn) |      Freq.     Percent        Cum.
--------------+-----------------------------------
Domestic 3 43 |          7       10.14       10.14
Domestic 3 40 |          4        5.80       15.94
Domestic 3 42 |          4        5.80       21.74
 Foreign 5 36 |          4        5.80       27.54
Domestic 2 46 |          3        4.35       31.88
Domestic 4 43 |          3        4.35       36.23
 Foreign 4 34 |          3        4.35       40.58
Domestic 2 41 |          2        2.90       43.48
Domestic 3 41 |          2        2.90       46.38
Domestic 3 44 |          2        2.90       49.28
Domestic 3 45 |          2        2.90       52.17
Domestic 4 42 |          2        2.90       55.07
 Foreign 3 36 |          2        2.90       57.97
 Foreign 4 35 |          2        2.90       60.87
 Foreign 4 36 |          2        2.90       63.77
 Foreign 5 35 |          2        2.90       66.67
 Foreign 5 37 |          2        2.90       69.57
Domestic 1 40 |          1        1.45       71.01
Domestic 1 42 |          1        1.45       72.46
Domestic 2 40 |          1        1.45       73.91
Domestic 2 43 |          1        1.45       75.36
Domestic 2 44 |          1        1.45       76.81
Domestic 3 31 |          1        1.45       78.26
Domestic 3 34 |          1        1.45       79.71
Domestic 3 36 |          1        1.45       81.16
Domestic 3 37 |          1        1.45       82.61
Domestic 3 48 |          1        1.45       84.06
Domestic 3 51 |          1        1.45       85.51
Domestic 4 33 |          1        1.45       86.96
Domestic 4 39 |          1        1.45       88.41
Domestic 4 45 |          1        1.45       89.86
Domestic 4 48 |          1        1.45       91.30
Domestic 5 35 |          1        1.45       92.75
Domestic 5 37 |          1        1.45       94.20
 Foreign 3 34 |          1        1.45       95.65
 Foreign 4 33 |          1        1.45       97.10
 Foreign 4 38 |          1        1.45       98.55
 Foreign 5 32 |          1        1.45      100.00
--------------+-----------------------------------
        Total |         69      100.00

.

[John Mullahy]

Thanks Nick and Andrew.