Step 2: Import Data to SQL Server using

PowerShell InDatabase Advanced Analytics

Tutorial
SQL Server 2016 and later

Updated: August 5, 2016

Applies To: SQL Server 2016
In this step, you'll run one of the downloaded scripts, to create the database objects required for the walkthrough. The script also
creates most of the stored procedures you'll use, and uploads the sample data to a table in the database you specified.

Run the Scripts to Create SQL Objects

Among the downloaded files you should see a PowerShell script. To prepare the environment for the walkthrough, you'll run this
script.
Actions performed by the script include:
Installing the SQL Native Client and SQL commandline utilities, if not already installed. These utilities are required for
bulkloading the data to the database using bcp.
Creating a database and a table on the SQL Server instance, and bulkinserting data into the table.
Creating multiple SQL functions and stored procedures.

To run the script

1. Open a PowerShell command prompt as administrator and run the following command.

.\RunSQL_SQL_Walkthrough.ps1

You will be prompted to input the following information:

The name or address of a SQL Server 2016 instance where R Services Indatabase has been installed
The user name and password for an account on the instance. The account you use must have the ability to create
databases, create tables and stored procedures, and upload data to tables.
The path and file name of the sample data file that you just downloaded. For example:
C:\tempRSQL\nyctaxi1pct.csv

2. As part of this step, all the TransactSQL scripts are also modified to replace placeholders with the database name and
user name that you provide as script inputs.
Take a minute to review the stored procedures and functions created by the script.

SQL script
file name

Function

createdbtb
upload
data.sql

Creates a database and two tables:

nyctaxi_sample: Contains the main NYC Taxi dataset. A clustered columnstore index is added to the
table to improve storage and query performance. The 1% sample of the NYC Taxi dataset will be
inserted into this table.
nyc_taxi_models: Used to persist the trained advanced analytics model.

fnCalculateDi
stance.sql

Creates a scalarvalued function that calculates the direct distance between pickup and dropoff
locations

fnEngineerFe
atures.sql

Creates a tablevalued function that creates new data features for model training

PersistModel.
sql

Creates a stored procedure that can be called to save a model. The stored procedure takes a model
that has been serialized in a varbinary data type, and writes it to the specified table.

PredictTipBat
chMode.sql

Creates a stored procedure that calls the trained model to create predictions using the model. The
stored procedure accepts a query as its input parameter and returns a column of numeric values
containing the scores for the input rows.

PredictTipSin
gleMode.sql

Creates a stored procedure that calls the trained model to create predictions using the model. This
stored procedure accepts a new observation as input, with individual feature values passed as inline
parameters, and returns a value that predicts the outcome for the new observation.

You'll create some additional stored procedures in the latter part of this walkthrough:

SQL script
file name

Function

PlotHistogra
m.sql

Creates a stored procedure for data exploration. This stored procedure calls an R function to plot the
histogram of a variable and then returns the plot as a binary object.

PlotInOutput
Files.sql

Creates a stored procedure for data exploration. This stored procedure creates a graphic using an R
function and then saves the output as a local PDF file.

TrainTipPredi
ctionModel.s
ql

Creates a stored procedure that trains a logistic regression model by calling an R package. The model
predicts the value of the tipped column, and is trained using a randomly selected 70% of the data.
The output of the stored procedure is the trained model, which is saved in the table nyc_taxi_models.

3. Log in to the SQL Server instance using SQL Server Management Studio and the login you specified, to verify that you can
see the database, tables, functions, and stored procedures that were created.

Note

If the database objects already exist, they cannot be created again.

If the table already exists, the data will be appended, not overwritten. Therefore, be sure to drop any existing objects
before running the script.

Next Step

Step 3: Explore and Visualize the Data

Previous Step
Step 1: Download the Sample Data

See Also
InDatabase Advanced Analytics for SQL Developers Tutorial
SQL Server R Services Tutorials
2016 Microsoft