dbi.table-package: DBI Table

In dbi.table: Database Queries Using 'data.table' Syntax

DBI Table

Description

A dbi.table is a data structure that describes a SQL query (called the dbi.table's underlying SQL query). This query can be manipulated using data.table's [i, j, by] syntax.

Usage

dbi.table(conn, id)

## S3 method for class 'dbi.table'
x[i, j, by, nomatch = NA, on = NULL]

Arguments

conn	A DBIConnection object, as returned by dbConnect. Alternatively, a dbi.catalog or a dbi.table, in which case the new dbi.table will use the connection embedded in the provided object.
id	An Id, a character string (which will be converted to an Id by Id), or a SQL object (advanced) identifying a database object (e.g., table or view) on conn.
x	A dbi.table.
i	A logical expression of the columns of x, a dbi.table, or a data.frame. Use i to select a subset of the rows of x. Note: unlike data.table, i cannot be a vector. When i is a logical expression, the rows where the expression is TRUE are returned. If the expression contains a symbol foo that is not a column name of x but that is present in the calling scope, then the value of foo will be substituted into the expression if foo is a scalar, or if foo is a vector and is the right-hand-side argument to %in% or %chin% (substitution occurs when the extract ([) method is evaluated). When i inherits from data.frame, it is coerced to a dbi.table. When i is a dbi.table, the rows of x that match (according to the condition specificed in on) the rows of i are returned. When nomatch == NA, all rows of i are returned (right outer join); when nomatch == NULL, only the rows of i that match a row of x are returned (inner join).
j	A list of expressions, a literal character vector of column names of x, an expression of the form start_name:end_name, or a literal numeric vector of integer values indexing the columns of x. Use j to select (and optionally, transform) the columns of x.
by	A list of expressions, a literal character vector of column names of x, an expression of the form start_name:end_name, or a literal numeric vector of integer values indexing the columns of x. Use by to control grouping when evaluating j.
nomatch	Either NA or NULL.
on	An unnamed character vector, e.g., x[i, on = c("a", "b")], used when columns a and b are common to both x and i. Foreign key joins: As a named character vector when the join columns have different names in x and i. For example, x[i, on = c(x1 = "i1", x2 = "i2")] joins x and i by matching columns x1 and x2 in x with columns i1 and i2 in i, respectively. Foreign key joins can also use the binary operator ==, e.g., x[i, on = c("x1 == i1", "x2 == i2")]. It is also possible to use .() syntax as x[i, on = .(a, b)]. Non-equi joins using binary operators >=, >, <=, < are also possible, e.g., x[i, on = c("x >= a", "y <= b")], or x[i, on = .(x >= a, y <= b)].

Value

A dbi.table.

See Also

• as.data.frame to retrieve the results set as a data.frame,

• csql to see the underlying SQL query.

Examples

  # open a connection to the Chinook example database using duckdb
  duck <- chinook.duckdb()

  # create a dbi.table corresponding to the Album table on duck
  Album <- dbi.table(duck, DBI::Id(table_name = "Album"))

  # the print method displays a 5 row preview
  # print(Album)
  Album

  # 'id' can also be 'SQL'; use the same DBI connection as Album
  Genre <- dbi.table(Album, DBI::SQL("chinook_duckdb.main.Genre"))

  # use the extract (\code{[}) method to subset the dbi.table
  Album[AlbumId < 5, .(Title, nchar = paste(nchar(Title), "characters"))]

  # use csql to see the underlying SQL query
  csql(Album[AlbumId < 5, #WHERE
             .(Title, #SELECT
               nchar = paste(nchar(Title), "characters"))])

  

dbi.table documentation built on April 3, 2025, 7:40 p.m.