Getting acquainted

Abstract

Before working through a real example of getting insights from data, we need to become acquainted with some tools we will use. Learning a bit about the tools first can help us feel more confident and comfortable when we then come to use them for real. Hence this chapter takes some time to introduce you to R and RStudio, including writing some simple commands, writing scripts, what to do when things seem to go wrong (as they often do!), what are functions, what are add-on packages, how to get help, and some common pitfalls to avoid.