DTA File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .dta
MIME Type application/x-stata
Primary Association Data Files
Developed by StataCorp
Format Type Binary
Editing Not directly editable with standard text editors
Usage Statistical data analysis
Compression Supported (varies with Stata version)
Encryption Not natively supported
Multi-platform Compatible with Stata software on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Version Control Supports different versions for backward compatibility
Maximum Variables (Stata 16) Up to 32767
Maximum Observations (Stata 16) Up to 2.14 billion
Supports Unicode Yes (from Stata version 14 onwards)
Data Types Multiple (integer, float, string, datetime etc.)
Structure Rectangular (rows and columns)
Metadata Support Yes (variable names, labels, formats)
Internal Documentation Supports embedding of notes within the data file
API Access Accessible via Stata's programming functions
File signatures (Hex) 68 72 69 73 74 (varies by version)