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control numbers in AHS Metro files

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Has anyone ever tried comparing two years of AHS metro file data by matching and merging by control number? I was attempting this with the 1989 and the 1998 metro files, but found completely inconsistent control numbers - the '89 file numbers were long 11 digit codes similar to the national files, while the 1998 numbers were 1-4 digit numbers with multiple leading zeros. Was there a decision in the 1990s to change the format of metro survey control numbers, or is there some other variable that can be used to compare across years of data? Or are the metro files not based on a constant set of units like the national files? If anyone has any insight into this, I'd appreciate it.
Regards,

Rachel Drew
Research Assistant
Joint Center for Housing Studies
617.495.9296
rdrew@gsd.harvard.edu