Problem Set 1: Introduction to R and Tableau

Part 1: R

  1. Create a variable called myage and assign it the value of your age.

  2. Create a vector called grades containing the following values: 88, 92, 75, 99, and 80.

  3. Using indexing, print the third element of the grades vector to the console.

  4. Create a data frame called student_info containing the following columns: Name, Age, Major, Absent. The data should be as follows:

Name Age Major Absent
John 20 AgBiz TRUE
Emily 22 ENRE TRUE
Michael 19 ENRE FALSE
Jessica 21 AgBiz FALSE

  1. Install and load the package readr.

  2. Download the Supermarket Sales Data in csv format to a known location on your machine. The dataset should be called supermarket_sales.csv. Using the setwd() function, set your working directory to the location where you have a file called supermarket_sales.csv. Read the description of the supermarket sales data available in the Supermarket Sales Data Overview.

  3. Using the read.csv() function, read in the file supermarket_sales.csv and assign it to an object called mydata.

  4. Write a brief explanation of what you did in steps 1-7 and how it relates to the tutorial we did in class.

Part 2: Getting Started with Tableau

We will be using two Tableau products in this course: Tableau Desktop and Tableau Public. Tableau desktop typically requires a paid subscription, but as students (and teachers) we get it for free. Your assignment for this week is to be fully prepared to use these two Tableau products on your personal computer.

  1. Visit Tableau Desktop and download Tableau Desktop using the 14-day free trial. You can enter your product license key once you receive an email with your academic license. Take a screenshot of Tableau Desktop open on your computer.

  2. Visit Tableau Public and create an account. You will use this account to host your data visualizations, which you can then embed on your google site. You will be required to use this to upload homework assignments.

How to Submit

  1. Create a Webpage on Your Google Site:
  • Title the new webpage Problem Set 1.
  • This page should include your responses to Part 1 and Part 2 of the problem set.
  1. Include the Following Content:

  • Part 1:

    • Display the contents of your log file, which you generated by sourcing your R script. (Refer to the lab instructions for guidance on creating a log file.)
    • Write your answer to Question 8 in paragraph form.

  • Part 2:

    • Provide evidence that you completed Steps 1 & 2 as described in the problem set.
    • Include a link to your Tableau Public site where your work is published.
  1. Submit the Link to Your Google Site Page:
  • Copy the URL of your Google Site webpage for Problem Set 1.
  • Submit this link via Canvas.