R coding for data analysts - from beginner to advanced

Porcu Valentina

Summary

This book on coding with R for aspiring data analysts is designed to be a guide in this programming language from the basics. By the end of this book, you will be able to create, import, manipulate and manage datasets. We will learn together how to download, install and use some of the most important tools and libraries for using R. We will then move on to the creation of objects: R is based on certain structures that you need to know, such as vectors, matrices, lists and dataframes. Once we understand how to create and manipulate these data structures, extract elements from them and save them locally on the computer, we will move on to the use of loops and the creation of functions.

We will look at a number of useful topics: how to set up a working directory, how to install and retrieve a package, how to get information about data, where to find datasets for testing, and how to get help with a function. When analysing data, we need to understand the concept of dataset or dataframe. We will therefore see how to import a dataframe from your computer, or from the internet, into R. There are many functions that are suitable for this purpose, and many packages that are useful for importing data that is in some particular format, such as the formats for Excel, .csv, .txt or JSON. We will then see how to manipulate data, create new variables, aggregate data, sort them horizontally and longitudinally, and how to merge two datasets. To do this, we will use some specific packages and functions, such as dplyr, tidyr or reshape2. We will also briefly see how to interface with a database and use other packages to streamline the management of somewhat larger datasets.

R is also a very important language in the field of statistics. We will therefore learn some of the basic functions, such as calculating averages per row or per column, and the most common statistical functions in the field of descriptive statistics. When it comes to data analysis, we will often find ourselves creating graphs to explain our data and analyses. For this reason, we devote part of the book to seeing how to create graphs with both the functions of the basic library and the ggplot2 package. In the final sections, we will see how to create and export reports and slides, summarise the topics we have seen and the functions we have used, and look at the supporting material.

Available since: 08/10/2023.

Science & Technology

Other books that might interest you

Studies In Consciousness - and...

Sharon Ann Meyer

This is part of the “Lightworker's Log Book Series” that came into existence in 2008, via soul promptings and after a series of life circumstances designed to awaken the author to humanity's true state. Previous publications consisted of choosing titles, arranging content, and taking vast amounts of time to compile an entire book. These days, books are easily birthed by merely tapping into greater aspects of what may be referred to as the author’s ever-changing consciousness. Publications are now compiled in this way by many more authors than ever before. This book is just one example of material stemming from what may be referred to as a more evolved consciousness experiencing and expressing in a field of decreasing duality. 
As segments of humanity become increasingly chaotic while others experience greater states of consciousness, there comes a time when one asks, “Are we there yet?” STUDIES IN CONSCIOUSNESS and The Breath Of One is designed to explain in, hopefully, easily understood terms the vast separation from Source that humanity chose to experience. It is not meant to create further separations of Consciousness by delving into and examining other planets, galaxies or universes, but to explain how humanity got to the point where it is in the later portion of the twenty-first century, and how it will rise above it. STUDIES IN CONSCIOUSNESS and The Breath Of One began to surface during weeks of daily, multiple deluges of water in September 2025. 
“Water is the wilderness, the calling, the rally of the soul.” 
This book contains what the author refers to as “heavy-duty information,” and as does water contains light codes, which necessitate short bursts of reading material to be assimilated chapter by chapter, allowing time between them for full incorporation. 
The return to Source may not seem instantaneous, but it is already achieved, for separation is impossible in the grand scheme of Source. 
Read this book to see that it rings true and speaks for itself.

Show book

NASA's Pioneer and Voyager...

Charles River Editors

Although Apollo 11’s successful mission to the Moon is seen as the culmination of the Space Race, and the Apollo program remains NASA’s most famous, one of the space agency’s most successful endeavors came a few years later. In fact, the Pioneer program was the most diversified sequence of any of NASA’s programs, and though they’re now remembered for being among the first probes in history to reach the Outer Solar System, the elaborate planning changed goals several times over several years before resulting in historic successes. NASA had wanted to do a Grand Tour of the Solar System toward the end of the 1970s to take advantage of the scheduled alignment of planets, which meant the Pioneer missions were meant to be test runs prior to the main events (Voyager 1 and Voyager 2), and a great many things discovered by Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 were essential to the successful planning of the Voyager probes. 
In 1977, the Voyager spacecraft were launched from Earth to explore the outer Solar System, and incredibly, the now-ancient technology from the 1970s is still working, sending daily reports back to the planet that sent the two robotic envoys on their way over 40 years ago. Voyager 1 and 2 have done far more than accomplish their original missions. In fact, they are now exploring interstellar space, far beyond the outer planets in the cold wasteland between the stars. Each spacecraft carries a copy of a golden record which contains an introduction to Earth, should some alien civilization happen to encounter either Voyager 1 or Voyager 2. In the first Star Trek movie, writers imagined just that, creating a story of a Voyager spacecraft being captured and adapted for its own uses.

Show book

Machine learning - A subset of...

Bright Mills

Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of Artificial Intelligence that empowers systems to learn from data and make decisions or predictions without being explicitly programmed. It represents a major shift from traditional rule-based programming to systems that adapt and improve over time. This comprehensive guide delves into the theoretical foundations, types, algorithms, tools, applications, challenges, and the future of Machine Learning. It covers supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, and reinforcement learning in detail, explains key techniques such as neural networks, decision trees, support vector machines, and deep learning, and explores real-world applications across domains like healthcare, finance, security, and robotics. Ethical concerns, bias in AI, explainability, and interpretability are also discussed, offering a well-rounded understanding of the state and direction of Machine Learning.

Show book

Inside Out

Pat Toulson

Similar to Jenny Worth’s Call the Midwife, this book reveals a different, still hidden medical field, the world of x-rays. This story follows a shy, sixteen year old girl, as she attempts to become a professional radiographer from 1962 into the 1990’s. All the incidents and cases are true, for they are Patricia Toulson’s real-life memories. She is thrust into the harsh disciplinary world of a general hospital, ruled by barbed tongues of nursing Sisters’ and ridiculed and harassed by experienced male staff. She experiences horror and tragedy, sadness and joy but also humour abounds in unexpected places. She encounters child abuse, infertility and teenage terminal illness, countered by the wonders of the healing body and the splendour and radiance of pregnancy.

Show book

Dinosaurs Dragons and the Bible

Bodie Hodge

Dinosaurs, Dragons, and the Bible is a one-of-a kind Christian apologetic resource sure to captivate families, scientists, historians, and theologians! Using the Bible as the absolute authority, Bodie Hodge of Answers in Genesis, the Creation Museum, and the Ark Encounter, provides answers to the most asked questions about these amazing creatures. 
 
As Christians, we must not ignore what the Scriptures say about dinosaurs and dragons and accept the secular world’s wisdom. This #ProBible handbook offers fascinating answers based on fossil footprints, soft tissue, biblical references to dragons, serpents, and leviathans, and much more. 
 
Go beyond the Hollywood version of these magnificent creatures to discover the truth of these icons of Creation and testaments of God’s power in the Genesis Flood. Designed for almost all ages, the book answers questions such as: 
How Did Huge Dinosaurs Fit on the Ark?Are Dinosaurs and Dragons the Same Thing?How Do I Use the Bible as the Framework to Look at Dinosaurs?Were Dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark (and Did Any Go Extinct Before the Flood)?Are Dinosaur Fossils in the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic Rock Millions of Years Old or from the Flood?Why Don’t We Find the Word “Dinosaur” in the Bible?Are There Any Human and Dinosaur Fossils Buried Together? 
 
Dinosaurs are nearly synonymous with evolution in the minds of much of the world. Studying these answers will help Christian families, church leaders, scientists, and theologians develop greater faith in the infallibility of God’s Word and His role as Creator.

Show book

The Elements of Botany

William Ruschenberger

The Elements of Botany is one of seven in a Series of First Books of Natural History Prepared for the Use of Schools and Colleges. It is a succinct little textbook that presents a solid introduction to plant science. (Summary by A.Gramour)

Show book