Data exploration and data munging

Data munging in R can be done independently without using SQL Server. The following diagram illustrates a recommended high-level process that developers can follow when using SQL Server and R. If you have worked in R before, you are likely familiar with steps 2, 3, and 5 performed in R directly.

Please note that Steps 3 and 4 are optional and will be discussed more in Chapter 6, Predictive Modeling and Chapter 7, Operationalizing R Code:

Figure 4.2 - High-Level Development Process for SQL Server Machine Learning Services with R

Let's get started with Data Munging in R. Specifically, in this section, we will be working with the R environment so that we know how it works in R before we stitch it together with T-SQL. If you are familiar with R, you may skip this section. Following are prerequisites for this section:

1. An R IDE, for example RTVS as part of Visual Studio 2015 or 2017. For more information about RTVS, please visit http://aka.ms/rtvs.
2. The WideWorldImporters...