estimate store error "last estimation results not found, nothing to store"

[Eric Plutzer]

I tried to re-run an older file (dating to 2020) that estimated means, stored the results, and utilized them in the coefplot procedure. But I now get an error that I don't recall getting before. The setup is simple:

use https://www.stata-press.com/data/r17/auto
sum price mpg rep78 if foreign==1
estimate store m1


This returns:

. sum price mpg rep78 if foreign==1

Variable | Obs Mean Std. dev. Min Max
-------------+---------------------------------------------------------
price | 22 6384.682 2621.915 3748 12990
mpg | 22 24.77273 6.611187 14 41
rep78 | 21 4.285714 .7171372 3 5

. estimate store m1
last estimation results not found, nothing to store
r(301);


I'm guessing that I'm missing something simple. Any advice welcome.

[George Ford]

no error when I do it. (Stata 17)

[Clyde Schechter]

The -summarize- command does not leave anything behind that Stata calls "estimates." Stata uses the term "estimates" to refer specifically to the output of regression commands and certain others such as -factor-.

The results produced by -summarize- are temporarily stored in -r()-. But they will be erased by any subsequent commands that also store results in -r()-, which, by the way, is most commands. Moreover, because you have invoked -summarize- with multiple variables, only the results for the last of those will appear in -r()-; the others have been lost and are only available in the Results window for your eyes.

. sysuse auto, clear
(1978 automobile data)

.
. sum price mpg rep78 if foreign == 1

    Variable |        Obs        Mean    Std. dev.       Min        Max
-------------+---------------------------------------------------------
       price |         22    6384.682    2621.915       3748      12990
         mpg |         22    24.77273    6.611187         14         41
       rep78 |         21    4.285714    .7171372          3          5

.
. return list

scalars:
                  r(N) =  21
              r(sum_w) =  21
               r(mean) =  4.285714285714286
                r(Var) =  .5142857142857143
                 r(sd) =  .7171371656006362
                r(min) =  3
                r(max) =  5
                r(sum) =  90

If you need to save these results for several variables for later use, then I can suggest two approaches.

1. Use the -collapse- command to create a data set with the statistics, and save the results in a temporary or permanent data set, which you can then access as needed using -merge- or with -frame-s.

2. Or, you can write code to save them in local macros. Something like:

foreach v of varlist price mpg rep78 {
    summ `v' if foreign == 1
    foreach x in N mean sd min max {
        local `v'_`x' = r(`x')
    }
}

The corresponding results will now be available in the appropriately named local macros.

Note: you can also store the Var and sum, and sum_w: I didn't show that because Var and sum can be calculated from the others, and there were no weights in the original summarize command to make sum_w any different from sum.

Added: I cannot replicate the findings of #2.

. about

Stata/MP 17.0 for Windows (64-bit x86-64)
Revision 10 Jan 2023
Copyright 1985-2021 StataCorp LLC

Total physical memory:       32.00 GB
Available physical memory:   18.55 GB

Stata license: Single-user 4-core  perpetual
Serial number: REDACTED
  Licensed to: Clyde Schechter
               Albert Einstein College of Medicine

. sysuse auto
(1978 automobile data)

. sum price mpg rep78 if foreign == 1

    Variable |        Obs        Mean    Std. dev.       Min        Max
-------------+---------------------------------------------------------
       price |         22    6384.682    2621.915       3748      12990
         mpg |         22    24.77273    6.611187         14         41
       rep78 |         21    4.285714    .7171372          3          5

. estimates store m1
last estimation results not found, nothing to store

I suspect that George Ford had some estimation results from a previously run estimation command still in memory, that the -estimates store m1- command then picked up. But when you don't start with any estimation results in memory, you can't run -estimates store-.

[George Ford]

Can also use

tabstat x y z, save stats(mean sd N)

which puts the stats of interest in a matrix.

[George Ford]

I ran the following and it reproduced the full table for the three variables.

sum price mpg rep78 if foreign==1
estimates store m1
return list
summ mpg // refills the return info
estimates restore m1
estimates replay m1

Not sure why you are getting an error.

[William Lisowski]

I would be more convinced by post #5 if (a) the code used were

which sum
clear all
sysuse auto, clear
sum price mpg rep78 if foreign==1
ereturn list
estimates store m1
return list
summ mpg // refills the return info
estimates restore m1
estimates replay m1

and (b) the code and output were copied from the Results window and included in the post.

. which sum
built-in command:  summarize

. clear all

. sysuse auto, clear
(1978 automobile data)

. sum price mpg rep78 if foreign==1

    Variable |        Obs        Mean    Std. dev.       Min        Max
-------------+---------------------------------------------------------
       price |         22    6384.682    2621.915       3748      12990
         mpg |         22    24.77273    6.611187         14         41
       rep78 |         21    4.285714    .7171372          3          5

. ereturn list

. estimates store m1
last estimation results not found, nothing to store
r(301);

[George Ford]

Hah. After a reboot, I get the error. Very strange. In any case, it should not work, but seemed to work yesterday. replay returned the summ table. Strange.

[Sophie Andrews]

Any word on this? I get the same error. I've tried clearing everything (ereturn list, return list), restarting Stata, and anything stored in estimates. I only seem to get this error when I use summarize or tabstat. When I try to store regression results, it works properly.
For example,

use https://www.stata-press.com/data/r17/auto
reg price mpg if foreign==1
estimate store m1

does not give an error, and when I run `estimates replay m1`, it properly replays the regression results.

Also, if you run a regression, store the results, and then try to use `summarize` and store the results as m2, it doesn't throw the error, but then when you run `estimates replay m1 m2` it just displays m1 results (the regression results) twice. Below is the code you can use to replicate this error:

sysuse auto, clear
reg price mpg
estimates store m1
sum price
estimates store m2
estimates replay m1 m2

I have this version of Stata:

Stata/BE 17.0 for Windows (64-bit x86-64)
Revision 10 Jan 2023

[Clyde Schechter]

Also, if you run a regression, store the results, and then try to use `summarize` and store the results as m2, it doesn't throw the error, but then when you run `estimates replay m1 m2` it just displays m1 results (the regression results) twice.

This is not an error. This is exactly how it is supposed to work. -reg price mpg- creates a set of estimates in e(), which are then stored as m1 with the -estimates store m1- command. The next command, -sum price- leaves results in -r()-, but does nothing whatsoever to e(). The estimates from the -reg price mpg- command are still there: -sum- does not clear them, nor does it add anything to them or change them in any way. So when you run -estimates store m2-, those same, unchanged results, are stored again, this time under the name m2. Consequently -estimates replay m1 m2- shows the same result twice, because the results in m1 and m2 are both just the original estimates from -reg price mpg-.

[Sophie Andrews]

Thanks for clarifying, Clyde! I see now that `estpost` can save summarize and tabstat results (and that eststo is reserved for regression estimates, if I understand correctly).

[Andrew Musau]

Any word on this? I get the same error. I've tried clearing everything (ereturn list, return list), restarting Stata, and anything stored in estimates. I only seem to get this error when I use summarize or tabstat. When I try to store regression results, it works properly.
For example,

use https://www.stata-press.com/data/r17/auto
reg price mpg if foreign==1
estimate store m1

does not give an error, and when I run `estimates replay m1`, it properly replays the regression results.

Also, if you run a regression, store the results, and then try to use `summarize` and store the results as m2, it doesn't throw the error, but then when you run `estimates replay m1 m2` it just displays m1 results (the regression results) twice. Below is the code you can use to replicate this error:

sysuse auto, clear
reg price mpg
estimates store m1
sum price
estimates store m2
estimates replay m1 m2

I have this version of Stata:

Stata/BE 17.0 for Windows (64-bit x86-64)
Revision 10 Jan 2023

Have a look at estpost (estout) by Benn Jann from SSC that will allow you to post results of summarize and some other r class commands to e().
http://repec.org/bocode/e/estout/estpost.html

This allows you to have

eststo m2: estpost summarize ...