Connecting to MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server
Connecting to a MySQL database or MS SQL Server from the R environment can be extremely useful. It allows a researcher direct access to the data without have to first export it from a database and then import it from a csv file or entering it directly into R.
This example shows the process to set up Windows to allow R to connect to MySQL and SQL Server (other databases such as Oracle and PostgreSQL would follow a similar pattern). These are step-by-step instruction on the setup and provides the R code on how to query the database once connectivity is established.