ddbs_write_table: Write an SF Object to a DuckDB Database

In duckspatial: R Interface to 'DuckDB' Database with Spatial Extension

Write an SF Object to a DuckDB Database

Description

This function writes a Simple Features (SF) object into a DuckDB database as a new table. The table is created in the specified schema of the DuckDB database.

Usage

ddbs_write_table(
  conn,
  data,
  name,
  overwrite = FALSE,
  temp_view = FALSE,
  quiet = FALSE
)

Arguments

conn	A DBIConnection object to a DuckDB database
data	A sf object to write to the DuckDB database, or the path to a local file that can be read with ST_READ
name	A character string of length one specifying the name of the table, or a character string of length two specifying the schema and table names. If NULL (the default), the function returns the result as an sf object
overwrite	Boolean. whether to overwrite the existing table if it exists. Defaults to FALSE. This argument is ignored when name is NULL.
temp_view	If TRUE, registers the sf object as a temporary Arrow-backed database 'view' using ddbs_register_table instead of creating a persistent table. This is much faster but the view will not persist. Defaults to FALSE.
quiet	A logical value. If TRUE, suppresses any informational messages. Defaults to FALSE.

Details

CRS Persistence: duckspatial ensures CRS metadata is retained across sessions using two strategies: Native Spatial Storage (for DuckDB 1.5.0+ databases) and Legacy Compatibility (using column comments for older database versions). For file-based spatial data interchange, ddbs_write_dataset() to GeoParquet (.parquet) is recommended.

Value

TRUE (invisibly) for successful import

Examples

## Not run: 
## load packages
library(duckspatial)
library(sf)

# create a duckdb database in memory (with spatial extension)
conn <- ddbs_create_conn(dbdir = "memory")

## create random points
random_points <- data.frame(
  id = 1:5,
  x = runif(5, min = -180, max = 180),  # Random longitude values
  y = runif(5, min = -90, max = 90)     # Random latitude values
)

## convert to sf
sf_points <- st_as_sf(random_points, coords = c("x", "y"), crs = 4326)

## insert data into the database
ddbs_write_table(conn, sf_points, "points")

## read data back into R
ddbs_read_table(conn, "points")

## disconnect from db
ddbs_stop_conn(conn)

## End(Not run)

duckspatial documentation built on June 22, 2026, 9:08 a.m.