R help - Sep 2007 - Connecting R to PostgreSQL via RODBC, on Windows

hey all, 

I feel like I must be missing something rather plain, but I don't get it. 
how is one supposed to use R as a PgSQL client on Windows?  Assume my
windows desktop is on the same network as a PgSQL server, and I just need to
use R to connect and pull down some data.

The thing that is confusing me is that RODBC doesn't seem to know anything
about PgSQL, in that  odbcDataSources(type = "all") only returns info
about
MS/Excell/Access/dBase stuff.  What does it take to get RODBC to deal with
PgSQL?

thanks,
mike

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> I feel like I must be missing something rather plain, but I don't get 
> it. how is one supposed to use R as a PgSQL client on Windows?  Assume 
> my windows desktop is on the same network as a PgSQL server, and I just 
> need to use R to connect and pull down some data.
>
> The thing that is confusing me is that RODBC doesn't seem to know 
> anything about PgSQL, in that odbcDataSources(type = "all") only
returns
> info about MS/Excell/Access/dBase stuff.  What does it take to get RODBC 
> to deal with PgSQL?

There's an odbc-to-pgsql driver for windows that will need to be 
installed.  You can find that here:

http://www.postgresql.org/ftp/odbc/versions/

Then, you set up your connection to postgresql via the Control Panel, 
under Administrative Tools, then Data Sources.

Then connect to that with R.

[I have mostly done this under Linux - it has been quite a while since 
I've needed to do it on Windows, but this is a broadly correct outline of 
the necessary steps.]

--e

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007, mfrumin wrote:
>
> hey all,
>
> I feel like I must be missing something rather plain, but I don't get
it.
> how is one supposed to use R as a PgSQL client on Windows?  Assume my
> windows desktop is on the same network as a PgSQL server, and I just need
to
> use R to connect and pull down some data.
>
> The thing that is confusing me is that RODBC doesn't seem to know
anything
> about PgSQL, in that  odbcDataSources(type = "all") only returns
info about
> MS/Excell/Access/dBase stuff.  What does it take to get RODBC to deal with
> PgSQL?
This is an ODBC (not RODBC) issue.  You need to install the PostgreSQL 
ODBC driver and use the 'Data Sources' applet in the Control Panel to
set
it up. Talk to your sysadmin about how (s)he installed PostgreSQL (or read 
the PostgreSQL documentation) if you need more help.

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595