The joy of sets: Graphical alternatives to Euler and Venn diagrams

Given several binary (indicator) variables and intersecting sets, a Euler or Venn diagram may spring to mind, but even with only a few sets the collective pattern becomes hard to draw and harder to think about easily. In genomics and elsewhere so-called upsetplots (specialized bar charts for the purpose) have become popular recently as alternatives. This presentation introduces an implementation {\tt upsetplot}, a complementary implementation {\tt vennbar}, and associated minor extras and utilities. Applications include examination of the structure of missing data and of the co-occurrence of medical symptoms or any other individual binary states. These new commands are compared with previous graphical commands, both official and community-contributed, and both frequently used and seemingly little known. Secondary themes include: data structures needed to produce and store results; what works better with {\tt graph bar} and what works better with {\tt twoway bar}; and the serendipity of encounters at Stata users' meetings.