A brief overview of SQL’s SELECT statement

One of the first steps in any data science project is to acquire and analyze the raw data. Since this data will commonly be stored in databases, understanding Structured Query Language (SQL) will enable you to get the data you need and start working quickly. This post summarizes the basics of SQL’s SELECT statement, which is how you retrieve information from the database.

Supporting skills for data science: relational databases & SQL

A successful data scientist needs to draw on skills from many disciplines, and one of the core skill sets is knowledge of relational databases and querying using structured query language (SQL). Relational databases are the most common way to store structured data, so a firm understanding of databases is key to obtaining performing simple analysis and reporting quickly.

Sending email from Outlook in R

When setting up automated reporting workflows, a key component is distributing the report to the various stakeholders so they can review it.  One useful technique is to send a “push notification” by email to alert everyone that a report or analysis task has just been completed.  Luckily, it isn’t hard to send out email from R by using Microsoft Outlook.