I also put my 2cents on sqldf :-) milton
On Wed, May 6, 2009 at 12:30 AM, Wensui Liu <liuwen...@gmail.com> wrote: > 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<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<http://www.r-project.org/posting-guide.html> > and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. > [[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.
