I am a SAS user currently evaluating R as a possible addition or even
replacement for SAS. The difficulty I have come across

straight away is R's apparent difficulty in handling relatively large data
files. Whilst I would not expect it to handle

datasets with millions of records, I still really need to be able to work
with dataset with 100,000+ records and 100+

variables. Yet, when reading a .csv file with 180,000 records and about 200
variables, the software virtually ground to a

halt (I stopped it after 1 hour). Are there guidelines or maybe a
limitations document anywhere that helps me assess the size

of file that R, generally, or specific routines will handle? Also, mindful
of the fact that I am am an R novice, are there
guidelines to make efficient use of R in terms of data handling?

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,
Fabiano Vergari
fab.vergari@googlemail.com

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