Chris Evans
2017-Mar-08 22:28 UTC
[R] Has anyone created diagrammatic representations of Access/ODBC databases using R?
Many thanks Paul, That looks very good and certainly the end result is absolutely along the lines I was hoping to find. I will read that article thoroughly and it will clearly teach me a lot about the graphics you used there. I was really hoping that someone might have wrapped something like that up to create some higher level functions that might do that sort of thing _and_, (perhaps someone else!), might have written some things that collect information about Access database structures, and/or the connectedness of data frames created with merge statements that would generate the information in a form that lends itself. I know I'm dreaming of the stars but, as you're showing, there are stellar people using R and it struck me that others might have had similar dreams and perhaps had put code together they might be willing to share! Very best to you, and to all r-helpers! Chris ----- Original Message -----> From: "Paul Murrell" <paul at stat.auckland.ac.nz> > To: "Chris Evans" <chrishold at psyctc.org> > Sent: Wednesday, 8 March, 2017 19:34:25 > Subject: Re: [R] Has anyone created diagrammatic representations of Access/ODBC databases using R?> Hi > > Do you mean something like this ... ? > > https://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~paul/R/Diagram/diagram.pdf > > Paul > > On 09/03/17 03:37, Chris Evans wrote: >> I have been on a fair old learning curve handling a fairly complex >> Access database with my beloved, if sometimes tantaslising, R. I've >> been using RODBC to do this and, despite the database not being all >> that well designed, the power of R and RODBC has been fantastic (of >> course). Huge thanks to R team and the RODBC team. >> >> Now I'd really like to generate some diagrammatic representations of >> the data structure: entity relationship models, UML representation >> ... anything like that would be wonderful. I can see three ways of >> approaching this and any one, two or three would be a huge help for >> me: 1) something that reads the tables and any queries from an Access >> DB through RODBC and generates a map of them where the queries >> indicate the relationships between the tables 2) something that reads >> through the global environment and any merge() commands in my code to >> see and map the data frames and how one was created by merges of >> others 3) something that I use to spell out the structure textually >> and it takes this and maps it. >> >> I have done some searching around with Rseek and raw google and found >> two things. My #3 above is done by the CityPlot package but the mix >> of CSV and text files used to create the maps looks tough to learn. I >> suspect I ought to be able to use the package data.tree to do >> something along the lines I want and perhaps more easily than by >> learning the data structures behind CityPlot. Those are the only >> things I've found However, both those options look like learning >> curves that will take me time I can't justify for the plots. I'd love >> to have the plots but I know I can get on with the real work without >> them. >> >> However, it occurred to me that there may be someone on the list who >> may already have done something like this and might be willing to >> share their tools, tricks, experiences: hence this post! >> >> TIA, >> >> >> Chris >> >> >> [[alternative HTML version deleted]] >> >> ______________________________________________ R-help at r-project.org >> mailing list -- To UNSUBSCRIBE and more, see >> 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. >> > > -- > Dr Paul Murrell > Department of Statistics > The University of Auckland > Private Bag 92019 > Auckland > New Zealand > 64 9 3737599 x85392 > paul at stat.auckland.ac.nz > http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~paul/