Simplifying database access from R

Question

Is there an easy way to make data from a MySQL DB accessible via a web interface? Is there a package that will translate programmatic HTTP queries into CSV files?

I would like to make R scripts available to others in my lab, but the scripts depend upon data from a mySQL database. The barrier to entry for RMySQL is relatively high for the average Windows machine [download & install mysql client access, install the RTools package , install the source of RMySQL, test it and deal with the inevitable problems.]

Is there a package that will translate programmatic HTTP queries into CSV files? That way I can simply embed URLs in my R scripts to get the data without having to modify all the clients.

It looks like DBSlayer is one option. I thought of using PHPMyAdmin but that really seems to be meant for administrative tasks, not a database proxy.

Any common options out there?

Answer 1

Just to move this question out of the Unanswered pile, I'm going to convert my comments to an answer.

You can run RStudio on a Linux box, and have users access through a web interface. It forces the users to use the RStudio interface, but it is a pretty nice interface, so maybe that isn't that bad.

You could also run RODBC instead of RMySQL. Setting up the ODBC driver can be a pain, but not as difficult as compiling a program from source on a Windows machine.