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RSQLite.toolkit

RSQLite.toolkit is a lightweight wrapper around the RSQLite package for streamlined loading of data from tabular files (i.e. text delimited files like CSV and TSV, Microsoft Excel, and Arrow IPC files) in SQLite databases.

It also includes helper functions for inspecting the structure of the input files, and some functions to simplify activities on the SQLite tables.

Installation

Install the released version of RSQLite.toolkit from CRAN:

install.packages("RSQLite.toolkit")

You can install the development version from GitHub with:

# Install development version from GitHub
# install.packages("pak")
pak::pak("fab-algo/RSQLite.toolkit")

Usage

These basic examples show how to use the core functions of the package to load example data in different tables in a test database:

library(RSQLite.toolkit)
#> Loading required package: RSQLite

dbcon <- dbConnect(RSQLite::SQLite(), file.path(tempdir(), "tests.sqlite"))

data_path <- system.file("extdata", package = "RSQLite.toolkit")

## creates the table ABALONE from a CSV file, adding the field 'SEQ' with the
## ROWID of each record through the use of the parameter 'auto_pk=TRUE'
dbTableFromDSV(input_file = file.path(data_path, "abalone.csv"),
               dbcon = dbcon, table_name = "ABALONE",
               drop_table = TRUE, auto_pk = TRUE,
               header = TRUE, sep = ",", dec = ".")
#> [1] 4177

## creates the table PORTFOLIO_PERF from Excel file, using the "all period" sheet
dbTableFromXlsx(input_file = file.path(data_path,
                                       "stock_portfolio.xlsx"),
                dbcon = dbcon, table_name = "PORTFOLIO_PERF",
                drop_table = TRUE,
                sheet_name = "all period", first_row = 2, cols_range = "A:S")
#> [1] 63

## creates the table PENGUINS from Feather file
dbTableFromFeather(input_file = file.path(data_path, "penguins.feather"),
                   dbcon = dbcon, table_name = "PENGUINS",
                   drop_table = TRUE)
#> [1] 333

dbListTables(dbcon)
#> [1] "ABALONE"        "PENGUINS"       "PORTFOLIO_PERF"

dbListFields(dbcon, "ABALONE")
#>  [1] "Sex"     "Length"  "Diam"    "Height"  "Whole"   "Shucked" "Viscera"
#>  [8] "Shell"   "Rings"   "SEQ"
dbListFields(dbcon, "PENGUINS")
#> [1] "species"           "culmen_length_mm"  "culmen_depth_mm"  
#> [4] "flipper_length_mm" "body_mass_g"       "sex"
dbListFields(dbcon, "PORTFOLIO_PERF")[1:5]
#> [1] "ID"                                   
#> [2] "Large_B_P"                            
#> [3] "Large_ROE"                            
#> [4] "Large_S_P"                            
#> [5] "Large_Return_Rate_in_the_last_quarter"

dbDisconnect(dbcon)

Core Functions

The basic idea behind this package is that storing all the data used throughout a data-analysis workflow in a local database is a highly efficient and effective way to manage information. The advantages of keeping raw data and their metadata together in the same database—ideally under a shared data model—far outweigh not only the additional overhead of maintaining a structured system, but also the costs and complexity involved in importing information from external files with disparate formats and conventions.

The purpose of this package is to reduce the burden of the last point (i.e., importing the data) as much as possible through a set of functions that read the data from the source files, create the destination table (if it does not exist), store the data there, and index it, all in one step.

The core functions of the package are therefore those that can be used to move data from a file to a database table:

Together with these, there are a couple of additional functions:

that could be handy to move data from intermediate data structures to database tables, using the same logic of the core ones.

All these functions share a common calling template that is outlined in the following picture:

All core functions require three mandatory arguments:

  • input_file
  • dbcon
  • table_name

that have no default values. The dbTableFromXlsx() requires three additional arguments (again with no defaults): sheet_name, first_row, cols_range that are needed to correctly locate the dataset to be imported inside the Excel file.

More details on the parameters and functions’ behaviour are available in the standard function documentation accessible through R’s help system.

Anyway, be careful with default values of all other arguments, especially when importing from delimiter separated values text files: the default values for input data interpretation arguments are seldom the right ones. This is also true for the default values of the functions actually used by this package to read data from files, that is:

Given the high variability in how data can be stored in DSV and Excel files, there is always the possibility of passing specific parameters of the above-listed functions through the special argument “...”. To help with using the additional arguments of dbTableFromDSV(), along with those of base::scan(), you can read the vignette “Dealing with DSV files” that is part of this package. The first section of the document describes how to use base::scan() arguments to read complex DSV files. In the second section there is a detailed description of the issues related to the column names used in the data file and their corresponding identifiers in the SQLite table’s fields. The second section of this vignette can be helpful also when importing data from Xlsx and Feather files.

File Schema Inspection Functions

Before loading data into your SQLite database, RSQLite.toolkit provides specialized functions to inspect the structure and schema of your input files without loading the entire dataset into memory. This is particularly useful for large files or when you need to understand the data types and column structure before importing.

The package includes three schema inspection functions:

Purpose and Benefits

These functions serve several important purposes:

  1. Memory Efficiency: Preview large files without loading them completely into memory
  2. Data Type Detection: Automatically infer (or at least try to) R and SQLite data types for each column
  3. Column Name Formatting: Show how column names will be formatted for SQLite compatibility
  4. Import Planning: Help you understand the structure before using the main dbTableFrom*() functions
  5. Troubleshooting: Identify potential issues with file structure, encoding, or formatting

What They Return

All three functions return a data frame with the following key columns:

  • col_names: Column names after applying SQLite formatting rules
  • col_names_unquoted: Unquoted column names (if different from col_names)
  • col_types: Inferred R data types for each column
  • sql_types: Corresponding SQLite data types
  • src_names: Original column names as they appear in the source file
  • src_types: Source data types (varies by file format)

Usage Examples 

library(RSQLite.toolkit)

data_path <- system.file("extdata", package = "RSQLite.toolkit")

file_schema_dsv(input_file = file.path(data_path, "abalone.csv"),
                header = TRUE, sep = ",", dec = ".")$schema[, c(1, 3:7)]
#>   col_names col_types sql_types src_names src_types src_is_quoted
#> 1       Sex character      TEXT       Sex      text         FALSE
#> 2    Length   numeric      REAL    Length      text         FALSE
#> 3      Diam   numeric      REAL      Diam      text         FALSE
#> 4    Height   numeric      REAL    Height      text         FALSE
#> 5     Whole   numeric      REAL     Whole      text         FALSE
#> 6   Shucked   numeric      REAL   Shucked      text         FALSE
#> 7   Viscera   numeric      REAL   Viscera      text         FALSE
#> 8     Shell   numeric      REAL     Shell      text         FALSE
#> 9     Rings   integer   INTEGER     Rings      text         FALSE

file_schema_feather(input_file = file.path(data_path,
                                           "penguins.feather"))[, c(1, 3:6)]
#>           col_names col_types sql_types         src_names src_types
#> 1           species character      TEXT           species      utf8
#> 2  culmen_length_mm    double      REAL  culmen_length_mm    double
#> 3   culmen_depth_mm    double      REAL   culmen_depth_mm    double
#> 4 flipper_length_mm    double      REAL flipper_length_mm    double
#> 5       body_mass_g    double      REAL       body_mass_g    double
#> 6               sex character      TEXT               sex      utf8

When to Use These Functions

  • Before importing large files to understand their structure
  • When debugging import issues to identify data type conflicts
  • For data documentation to understand file contents without opening them
  • When working with unfamiliar datasets to explore column names and types
  • To verify column naming conventions will work with SQLite

These schema functions use the same parameters as their corresponding dbTableFrom*() functions, making it easy to test and refine your import settings before committing to the full data load.

Database Utility Functions

Beyond the core data import capabilities, RSQLite.toolkit provides two utility functions for simplifying database operations:

dbExecFile: Batch SQL Execution

The dbExecFile() function allows you to execute multiple SQL statements stored in a text file, making it ideal for:

  • Database schema setup (creating tables, indexes, views)
  • Batch data operations (updates, deletions, transformations)
  • Database maintenance scripts (cleanup, optimization)
  • Reproducible database workflows (version-controlled SQL scripts)

Moreover, the possibility to read SQL statements directly from a text file avoids the need to embed long SQL instructions in strings inside the main R code, making the source more readable.

Key Features

  • Comment stripping: Automatically removes SQL comments (lines starting with --)
  • Statement splitting: Separates multiple statements using semicolons (;)
  • Parameter binding: Optional support for parameterized queries
  • Result collection: Returns results from each executed statement through a list

Usage Examples 

library(RSQLite.toolkit)

dbcon <- dbConnect(RSQLite::SQLite(), file.path(tempdir(), "tests.sqlite"))

## Load data from a DSV file into a database table ------------
data_path <- system.file("extdata", package = "RSQLite.toolkit")
dbTableFromDSV(input_file = file.path(data_path, "abalone.csv"),
               dbcon = dbcon, table_name = "ABALONE",
               drop_table = TRUE, auto_pk = TRUE,
               header = TRUE, sep = ",", dec = ".")
#> [1] 4177
## ------------------------------------------------------------

## SQL file: each statement is separated by a semicolon -------
sql_text <- paste("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS AVG_LEN_BY_SEX_RINGS;",
                  " ",
                  "CREATE TABLE AVG_LEN_BY_SEX_RINGS ",
                  "(SEX TEXT, RINGS INTEGER, NUM INTEGER, AVG_LENGTH REAL);",
                  " ",
                  "INSERT INTO AVG_LEN_BY_SEX_RINGS ",
                  "SELECT SEX, RINGS, COUNT(*) AS NUM, AVG(LENGTH) ", 
                  "AS AVG_LENGTH FROM ABALONE GROUP BY SEX, RINGS;",
                  " ",
                  "SELECT * FROM AVG_LEN_BY_SEX_RINGS;",
                  " ",
                  "SELECT SEX, round(WHOLE/:bin_size,0)*:bin_size as WHOLE_GRP, ",
                  "COUNT(*) AS NUM, AVG(LENGTH) AS AVG_LENGTH ", 
                  "FROM ABALONE GROUP BY SEX, round(WHOLE/:bin_size,0)*:bin_size;",
                  sep = "\n")

sql_file <- tempfile(fileext = ".sql")
writeLines(sql_text, con = sql_file)
## ------------------------------------------------------------

## Execute SQL statements from the file -----------------------
plist=list(q1=NULL,
           q2=NULL,
           q3=NULL,
           q4=NULL,
           q5=list(bin_size = 0.025))
res <- dbExecFile(input_file = sql_file, dbcon = dbcon, 
                  plist = plist)
## ------------------------------------------------------------

## Check results ----------------------------------------------
dbListTables(dbcon)
#> [1] "ABALONE"              "AVG_LEN_BY_SEX_RINGS" "PENGUINS"            
#> [4] "PORTFOLIO_PERF"
dbListFields(dbcon, "AVG_LEN_BY_SEX_RINGS")
#> [1] "SEX"        "RINGS"      "NUM"        "AVG_LENGTH"

res[[1]]
#> NULL
res[[2]]
#> NULL
res[[3]]
#> NULL

res[[4]][1:10, ]
#>    SEX RINGS NUM AVG_LENGTH
#> 1    F     5   4  0.3237500
#> 2    F     6  16  0.4628125
#> 3    F     7  44  0.4678409
#> 4    F     8 122  0.5380328
#> 5    F     9 238  0.5746008
#> 6    F    10 248  0.5822782
#> 7    F    11 200  0.6137000
#> 8    F    12 128  0.5949219
#> 9    F    13  88  0.5814773
#> 10   F    14  56  0.5960714

res[[5]][1:10, ]
#>    Sex WHOLE_GRP NUM AVG_LENGTH
#> 1    F     0.075   1  0.2750000
#> 2    F     0.150   3  0.3000000
#> 3    F     0.175   2  0.3425000
#> 4    F     0.200   9  0.3444444
#> 5    F     0.225   5  0.3730000
#> 6    F     0.250   3  0.3733333
#> 7    F     0.275  10  0.3700000
#> 8    F     0.300   5  0.3900000
#> 9    F     0.325   7  0.4000000
#> 10   F     0.350   9  0.4038889
## ------------------------------------------------------------

## Cleanup ----------------------------------------------------
unlink(sql_file)
dbDisconnect(dbcon)

dbCopyTable: Cross-Database Table Operations

The dbCopyTable() function enables you to copy entire tables between different SQLite database files, useful for:

  • Data archiving (moving historical data to archive databases)
  • Database splitting (distributing data across multiple files)
  • Backup operations (creating table-specific backups)
  • Data sharing (copying tables to shared databases)
  • Development workflows (copying production data to test environments)

The typical scenario where this function becomes really useful is when you want to start a new analysis workflow in a new environment and you want to carry over part of the data you used in a previous one. This function allows you to move whole tables from the SQLite database you used in the old workflow to the new database, so that you can add more recent data or you can reuse previous results.

Key Features

  • Flexible copying: Append to existing tables or create new ones
  • Index preservation: Optionally copy indexes along with data
  • Cross-database operation: Works between different SQLite database files
  • Safe operations: Option to drop/recreate target tables safely

Usage Examples 

# Copy a table from one database to another
dbCopyTable(
  db_file_src = "source.sqlite", 
  db_file_tgt = "backup.sqlite",
  table_name = "sales_data",
  drop_table = TRUE,        # Recreate table if it exists
  copy_indexes = TRUE       # Copy indexes too
)

# Append data to existing table (no index copying)
dbCopyTable(
  db_file_src = "daily_data.sqlite",
  db_file_tgt = "master.sqlite", 
  table_name = "transactions",
  drop_table = FALSE        # Append to existing table
)

# Archive old data
dbCopyTable(
  db_file_src = "production.sqlite",
  db_file_tgt = "archive_2024.sqlite",
  table_name = "historical_sales",
  drop_table = TRUE,
  copy_indexes = TRUE
)

When to Use These Functions:

Use dbExecFile() when:

  • Setting up complex database schemas
  • Running maintenance or cleanup scripts
  • Executing version-controlled SQL migrations
  • Performing batch data transformations
  • Need to run multiple related SQL statements

Use dbCopyTable() when:

  • Creating backups of specific tables
  • Moving data between environments (dev/test/prod)
  • Archiving historical data
  • Splitting large databases into smaller files
  • Sharing specific datasets with collaborators

These utility functions complement the core data import functions by providing database management capabilities that are often needed in real-world data analysis workflows.

Data Sources

The example datasets, included in the extdata package directory, have been retrieved from the following sources: