take a look at sqldf package(http://code.google.com/p/sqldf/), you will be amazed.
On Wed, May 6, 2009 at 12:22 AM, Farrel Buchinsky <fjb...@gmail.com> wrote: > Is R an appropriate tool for data manipulation and data reshaping and data > organizing? I think so but someone who recently joined our group thinks not. > The new recruit believes that python or another language is a far better > tool for developing data manipulation scripts that can be then used by > several members of our research group. Her assessment is that R is useful > only when it comes to data analysis and working with statistical models. > So what do you think: > 1)R is a phenomenally powerful and flexible tool and since you are going to > do analyses in R you might as well use it to read data in and merge it and > reshape it to whatever you need. > OR > 2) Are you crazy? Nobody in their right mind uses R to pipe the data around > their lab and assemble it for analysis. > > Your insights would be appreciated. > > Details if you are interested: > > Our setup: Hundreds of patients recorded as cases with about 60 variables. > Inputted and stored in a Sybase relational database. High throughput SNP > genotyping platforms saved data output to csv or excel tables. Previously, > not knowing any SQL I had used Microsoft Access to write queries to get the > data that I needed and to merge the genotyping with the clinical database. > It was horrible. I could not even use it on anything other than my desktop > machine at work. When I realized that I was going to need to learn R to > handle the genetic analyses I decided to keep Sybase as the data repository > for the clinical information and the do all the data manipulation, merging > and piping with R using RODBC. I was and am a very amateur coder. > Nevertheless, many many hours later I have scripts that did what I needed > them to do and I understand R code and can tinker with it as needed. My > scripts work for me but they are not exactly user-friendly for others in the > laboratory to just run. For instance, depending on what machine the script > is being run from, one may need to change the file name or file path and > tinker under the hood to accomplish that. My bias is to fulfill all our data > manipulation and reshaping with R. Since I am the principal investigator it > is me who stays constant and coders or analysts who may come and go. > > I am even more enamored with R for data manipulation since reading a book > about it. > > [[alternative HTML version deleted]] > > ______________________________________________ > 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. > -- ============================== WenSui Liu Acquisition Risk, Chase Blog : statcompute.spaces.live.com Tough Times Never Last. But Tough People Do. - Robert Schuller ============================== ______________________________________________ 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.
