Embedding R in Postgres - The REmbeddedPostgres package

The REmbeddedPostgres package allows one to embed the R interpreter in the Postgres relational database and use R functions as if they were built-in SQL functions. This is done by defining several new Procedural Languages within Postgres whose functions are implemented in R. This means that one can implement

per-record,
aggregate and
trigger

functions in Postgres with regular R functions.

There are several simple motivating ideas for this package.

It can be much faster to perform the computations in the server rather than transferring the data from a query to the client and doing the same computations there.
Statistical functionality is available to SQL users without them having to learn a new language
We can use existing software (i.e. R functions) typically with no changes.

There is no security model in the current version of R. Nor is it thread-safe. While this is likely to change in the coming months, please be aware of the potential dangers in using this package in publically accessible Postgres servers.

Software

The package is available as a GNU zipped tar file. It installs in the same way as a regular R package, i.e.

   R INSTALL -c -l whichever/directory REmbeddedPostgres_0.2.tar.gz

Requirements

You will need to have the source of the Postgres distribution since this package needs access to the public but internal aspects of the database engine, not the client libraries.

Documentation

Scenarios for Using R within a Relational Database Management System Server A perspective on the motivation of embedding R within a database server wih some detailed examples of the different function types. An overview of embedding R in Postgres. Annotated examples Postgres.pdf A more general discussion of embedding languages in Postgres. R function help pages HTML, PDF Examples FAQ for the package Identifies and explains some of the issues that can go wrong when compiling, installing and using the package.: A perspective on the motivation of embedding R within a database server wih some detailed examples of the different function types.
An overview of embedding R in Postgres. Annotated examples Postgres.pdf A more general discussion of embedding languages in Postgres. R function help pages HTML, PDF Examples FAQ for the package Identifies and explains some of the issues that can go wrong when compiling, installing and using the package.
Annotated examples Postgres.pdf A more general discussion of embedding languages in Postgres. R function help pages HTML, PDF Examples FAQ for the package Identifies and explains some of the issues that can go wrong when compiling, installing and using the package.
Postgres.pdf A more general discussion of embedding languages in Postgres. R function help pages HTML, PDF Examples FAQ for the package Identifies and explains some of the issues that can go wrong when compiling, installing and using the package.: A more general discussion of embedding languages in Postgres.
R function help pages HTML, PDF Examples FAQ for the package Identifies and explains some of the issues that can go wrong when compiling, installing and using the package.: HTML, PDF
Examples FAQ for the package Identifies and explains some of the issues that can go wrong when compiling, installing and using the package.
FAQ for the package Identifies and explains some of the issues that can go wrong when compiling, installing and using the package.: Identifies and explains some of the issues that can go wrong when compiling, installing and using the package.

Duncan Temple Lang <duncan@research.bell-labs.com>

Last modified: Thu Apr 12 04:07:22 EDT 2001