onlyuseful: A package that automagically keeps only variables used in the do-file

Luca Fumarco; Jaroslav Groero

doi:10.1177/1536867x261449933

May 25, 2026The Stata Journal Promoting communications on statistics and StataOpen Access

onlyuseful: A package that automagically keeps only variables used in the do-file

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Key Points

The aim is to simplify data management by automatically keeping only relevant variables from Stata scripts.
Developed the onlyuseful command to analyze Stata scripts for variable usage.
Utilized PowerShell to automate the process of dataset reduction.
Targeted large datasets to enhance reproducibility and efficiency.
Successfully reduced datasets by retaining only explicitly used variables.
Improved efficiency in data management practices for large datasets.
Enhanced research replicability through streamlined dataset management.

Implication

Command automates dataset reduction, retaining variables used in Stata scripts, enhancing data management.

Abstract

onlyuseful is a command that automates dataset reduction by retaining only the variables explicitly used in a Stata script. By leveraging PowerShell, it enhances reproducibility and efficiency in data management for large datasets and supports research replicability.

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Cite This Study

Fumarco et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a168a7f0c924ddd1bd5929d https://doi.org/10.1177/1536867x261449933

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onlyuseful: A package that automagically keeps only variables used in the do-file

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

onlyuseful: A package that automagically keeps only variables used in the do-file

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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