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Update or Create a nflfastR Play-by-Play Database

Source: R/helper_database_functions.R
update_db.Rd

update_db updates or creates a database with nflfastR play by play data of all completed games since 1999.

Usage

update_db(
  dbdir = getOption("nflfastR.dbdirectory", default = "."),
  dbname = "pbp_db",
  tblname = "nflfastR_pbp",
  force_rebuild = FALSE,
  db_connection = NULL
)

Arguments

dbdir

Directory in which the database is or shall be located. Can also be set globally with options(nflfastR.dbdirectory)

dbname

File name of an existing or desired SQLite database within dbdir

tblname

The name of the play by play data table within the database

force_rebuild

Hybrid parameter (logical or numeric) to rebuild parts of or the complete play by play data table within the database (please see details for further information)

db_connection

A DBIConnection object, as returned by DBI::dbConnect() (please see details for further information)

Details

This function creates and updates a data table with the name tblname within a SQLite database (other drivers via db_connection) located in dbdir and named dbname. The data table combines all play by play data for every available game back to the 1999 season and adds the most recent completed games as soon as they are available for nflfastR.

The argument force_rebuild is of hybrid type. It can rebuild the play by play data table either for the whole nflfastR era (with force_rebuild = TRUE) or just for specified seasons (e.g. force_rebuild = c(2019, 2020)). Please note the following behavior:

  • force_rebuild = TRUE: The data table with the name tblname will be removed completely and rebuilt from scratch. This is helpful when new columns are added during the Off-Season.

  • force_rebuild = c(2019, 2020): The data table with the name tblname will be preserved and only rows from the 2019 and 2020 seasons will be deleted and re-added. This is intended to be used for ongoing seasons because the NFL fixes bugs in the underlying data during the week and we recommend rebuilding the current season every Thursday during the season.

The parameter db_connection is intended for advanced users who want to use other DBI drivers, such as MariaDB, Postgres or odbc. Please note that the arguments dbdir and dbname are dropped in case a db_connection is provided but the argument tblname will still be used to write the data table into the database.