[R] Best cross-platform OSS GUI CSV management application?

[Jeff Newmiller]

Please stop posting on this plain text list using HTML. You are not a freshman any more.

Is anyone really considering the use of a word processor (equivalent to MS Word) for managing this tabular data?

The usual quick-and-dirty solution typically involves a spreadsheet program, but they are so lax that any significant amount of manual "management" often corrupts the file with text data in numeric fields and the like. You also end up with versionitis problems if you store the data in the native format for that program.

A better solution is to create a SQL database, which R can read almost as easily as a CSV file but can be configured to restrict data types per column. The drawback is that such solutions are not quick and dirty... someone needs to stick around who understands it. The real question is which flavor of SQL to use. A file-based option that LibreOffice can interact with is sqlite, but I have to admit I don't have much experience using it with that front end. A server-based solution that LibreOffice can talk to like MySQL would be more scalable for multiple users, but one computer would have to act as a server for everyone and the admin skillset takes another step up.

None of these tools are on topic here, but that may get you going toward trying some things out.
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Sent from my phone. Please excuse my brevity.

On August 27, 2014 4:01:59 PM PDT, Grant Rettke <gcr at wisdomandwonder.com> wrote:
>Good evening,
>
>Suppose that /the business/ want to store tabular data inside of a
>file. They want manage that file using a GUI program that runs on OSX,
>Linux, and Windows.  Additionally, it needs to be OSS and *not* MS
>Word.
>
>Two options that immediately come to mind are [LibreOffice] and
>[OpenOffice.]
>
>The desire is that they could manage it in a format exportable to CSV
>so
>that `R' could use it.
>
>Specifically, they are looking for a tool that would export the data to
>a CSV format that `R' was happy with /right out of the box/.
>
>Have you found any good solutions that are similar or identical to this
>and what are they?
>
>Kind regards,
>
>
>[LibreOffice] https://www.libreoffice.org/
>
>[OpenOffice.] https://www.openoffice.org/
>
>Grant Rettke | ACM, ASA, FSF
>gcr at wisdomandwonder.com | http://www.wisdomandwonder.com/
>“Wisdom begins in wonder.” --Socrates
>((λ (x) (x x)) (λ (x) (x x)))
>“Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop
>taking it seriously.” --Thompson
>
>	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
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