

R can be used to facilitate the reproducible research process by using R packages designed for literate programming, which create documents that are combinations of data analysis code, the logic behind the methods, and instructions for reproduction. Packages can also be used on a larger scale as a way to share statistical methodology in R.īeing able to replicate and reproduce research is a core method used to validate research findings. Packages can be created and shared privately amongst colleagues that are working on the same research project and using the same functions for analyses and data management. All three R packages allow the user to easily customize graphics.Ĭreating a package in R can easily allow a researcher or regular R user to not only manage and share functions and datasets, but also save memory when not working with these functions or datasets by only loading what you need when you need it. If you are interested in learning how to create visually appealing figures and other graphics in R for papers, presentations, or just for fun, then learning how to use the packages ggplot, xyplot, and rcharts can be extremely useful. Using this method, researchers can gain direct access to their data without first having to export the data from the database. This can be beneficial for researchers who have an ongoing project for which data is being updated frequently. However, rather than exporting the data to do this, you can use R to connect directly to the database. When working with data stored on an SQL server or MySQL database you can organize and export data from the database to a file that can be imported to R to run statistical analyses. Using R to Connect to an SQL Server/MySQL Database Learning to use this tool can be beneficial for anyone who needs to organize code. It creates isolation for individuals to work on new features and allows them to easily merge those changes together.

This tool can be used for managing a code base and can be extremely helpful when multiple people are working on the same project. Git is a free, open-source version control system available for download online.

