You may wish to try out sqldf. It allows one to manipulate data frames using sql. The real work is done by sqlite and the RSQLite interface but it sets up the database for you and all the tables and then deletes them so its as easy a typing in one line of code. Check out the home page at http://sqldf.googlecode.com .
On Windows sqlite is included in the RSQLite package so you have nothing to install but an ordinary R package. For XML there is the XML R package. The ctv and Ryacas packages are two packages that use XML (for the task view database and for parsing OpenMath respectively). At least on Windows you just install the XML package and it includes everything you need. On omegahat site there is more about the R XML package. There is also a package to handle pubmed in XML in bioconductor. On Thu, Apr 10, 2008 at 4:14 PM, Keith Alan Chamberlain <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear R-Help, > > I am working on a paper in an R course for large file support in R using > scan(), relational databases, and XML. I have never used SQL or heirarchical > document formats such as XML (except where it occurs without user > interaction), and knowledge in RDBs and XML is lacking in my program. I have > tried finding a working example for the novices-novice on the topic, read > many postings, the r-data I/O manual several times, and descriptions of > packages RODBC, DBI, XML, among others. I understand that RDBs are (assumed > at least) used widely among the R community. I have not been able to put all > of the pieces together, but assuming that RDB use is actually quite > widespread, it should be quite easy to fill me in and/or correct my > understanding where necessary. > > For a cross-platform solution (PC/OSX at least, or in part) my > questions/problems are about what preliminary steps are needed to get an SQL > or XML query "to work" in R to begin with, what the appropriate data-file > formats are, and how to convert to them if starting out with data in, say, a > delimited ASCII text file. Very basic examples should suffice, say, a table > with 20 random observations, a grouping variable with 2 levels, and a factor > with 2 levels. > > ## untested code > set.seed(1024) > write.table("junk.txt", > data.frame(Subj=c(rep(1,10),rep(2,10)),block=rep(c(rep(-1,5),rep(1,5)),2), > obs=rnorm(20,0,1))) > > Specifically, > > 1- what are the minimum required non R components that are needed to support > SQL or XML functionality, which may or may not need to be installed? > > 2- what R packages need to be installed, at a minimum (also as a cross-PC/Mac > solution if possible or at least as much as possible) > > 3- I keep seeing reference to connections of a given name "if previously > setup". What kind of setup is needed outside of R, if any? > > 4- what steps are needed in R to then connect to a file and import a subset > based on a query? > > 5- Do I then use standard R routines (e.g. write()) to export as a DB, or an > RDB/XML specific function? > > Sincerely, > KeithC. [U.S] > > 1/k^c > > ______________________________________________ > R-help@r-project.org mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. > ______________________________________________ R-help@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.