Hello all,

I am working with a very large data set into R, and I have no interest in
reviving my SAS skills.  To do this, I will need to drop unwanted variables
given the size of the data file.  The most common strategy seems to be
subsetting the data after it is read into R.  Unfortunately, given the size
of the data set, I can't get the file read and then subsquently do the
subset procedure.  I would be appreciative of help on the following:

1.  What are the possibilities of reading in just a small set of variables
during the <read.table> statement (or another 'read' statement)?  That is,
is it possible specify just the variables that I want to keep?

2.  Can I randomly select a set of observations during the 'read' statement?


I have searched various R resources for this information, so if I am simply
overlooking a key resource on this issue, pointing that out to me would be
greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Brian

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