[R] Splitting Datasets

[Steve Lianoglou]

Hi,

Answers inline:

On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 8:50 PM, Wainscott, Robert LT
<robert.wainscott at cvn74.navy.mil> wrote:
> On R 2.12 for Mac OSX, I have a dataset with both numerical and
> character values.
>
> I want to split dataset "ZIDL", into individual datasets based on the
> string content of variable "Dept".
>
> I can create one subset dataset at a time using a script I found on the
> net, but rather than run the same function 17 times, can R look at the
> "Dept" variable and create subset datasheets of the main datasheet (one
> for each department) with a single command?
>
> In Minitab, this would be the "Split Worksheet" function.

There is a "split" function in R:

R> ?split

> I am horrible at scripting, but trying to learn fast.

As Bert mentioned, you have to learn the basics of the language first,
otherwise you'll never get past the "stabbing in the dark" feeling.

You can start here:

http://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/R-intro.html

Take a couple of hours to go through that -- there's no way to "learn
fast" without first starting slow.

Good luck,
-steve

-- 
Steve Lianoglou
Graduate Student: Computational Systems Biology
 | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
 | Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Contact Info: http://cbio.mskcc.org/~lianos/contact