Database configuration

Repana package offers a simple methodology to keep definition of database connection strings that works with a definition on the config.yml file and the use of the function get_con() to be use in a DBI compliant database.

By default in config.yml offers an in-memory connection to a duckdb database with the following parameters:

 defaultdb:
    package: duckdb
    dbconnect: duckdb
    read_only : FALSE

The first element indicates the name of the package where the dbconnect() function is located, and the dbconnect indicates the name of the function used to get the connection. The rest of entries are parameters for the connection and they vary from database to database.

If the user wants a more permanent database, should add the entry for the parameter dbdir as for example:

 defaultdb:
    package: duckdb
    dbconnect: duckdb
    read_only : FALSE 
    dbdir: database\study.db

Example to get connection to a RSQLite database

  defaultdb:
    package: RSQLite
    dbconnect: SQLite
    dbname: database/results.db

Example to get a connection with a RPostgres database

  defaultdb:
    package: RPostgres
    dbconnection: Postgres
    dbname: database
    host: localhost
    port: 5432
    user: username
    password: password

By default, the get_con() function reads the entry in defaultdb but this other entries can be specified with the parameter configname or even the file where the configuration is saved with the parameter file if other file rather than the config.yml is used.

John J Aponte

2024-01-21