Introduction to Importing Data in R
In this course, you will learn to read CSV, XLS, and text files in R using tools like readxl and data.table.
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Course Description
Importing data into R should be the easiest step in your analysis. Unfortunately, that is almost never the case. Data can come in many formats, ranging from .csv and text files, to statistical software files, to databases and HTML data. Knowing which approach to use is key to getting started with the actual analysis. In this course, you’ll start by learning how to read .csv and text files in R. You will then cover the readr and data.table packages to easily and efficiently import flat file data. After that, you will learn how to read .xls files in R using readxl and gdata.
- 1
Importing data from flat files with utils
FreeA lot of data comes in the form of flat files: simple tabular text files. Learn how to import the common formats of flat file data with base R functions. - 2
readr & data.table
In addition to base R, there are dedicated packages to easily and efficiently import flat file data. We'll talk about two such packages: readr and data.table. - 3
Importing Excel data
Excel is a widely used data analysis tool. If you prefer to do your analyses in R, though, you'll need an understanding of how to import .csv data into R. This chapter will show you how to use readxl and gdata to do so. - 4
Reproducible Excel work with XLConnect
Beyond importing data from Excel, you can take things one step further with XLConnect. Learn all about it and bridge the gap between R and Excel.
Datasets
HotdogsPotatoes (CSV)Potatoes (TSV)Swimming poolsUrban population (XLS)Urban population (XLSX)Prerequisites
Introduction to R
Filip Schouwenaars
Data Science Instructor at DataCamp
Filip is the passionate developer behind several of DataCamp's interactive courses, covering both R and Python. Under the motto 'Eat your own dog food', he has used the techniques DataCamp teaches its students to perform data analysis for DataCamp. Filip holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and Artificial Intelligence.
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