Tplyr
Tplyr made clinical summary tables explain where every number came from.
Comparison · Analytics
datapack vs tidytlg
A side-by-side editorial comparison of datapack and tidytlg — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
datapack vs tidytlg: at a glance
What is datapack?
The DataONE bundler learned to edit packages in 2017 and has coasted on that ever since
datapack assembles heterogeneous data files and metadata into a single transportable bundle, serialised as an OAI-ORE resource map and BagIt archive, for deposit into repositories like DataONE. Its functional surface settled with the 1.3.x line, which made assembled packages editable rather than write-once. Since then the releases have been sparse and defensive: SHA-256 as the default checksum in 1.4.0, BagIt spec conformance in 1.4.1, and a 2025 patch that states outright it contains no new features.
What is tidytlg?
A tables-listings-graphs package that reached CRAN and then went quiet.
tidytlg generates clinical tables, listings, and graphs from tidyverse-style pipelines, maintained under the pharmaverse organisation. All four releases in the window are from a single eight-month stretch in 2023, and their content is CRAN preparation, a logging-dependency swap, and multi-file support. Release notes are merge lists rather than described changes.
datapack vs tidytlg: editorial side-by-side
datapack
0.0ANALYTICS
The DataONE bundler learned to edit packages in 2017 and has coasted on that ever since
◆ Current state
datapack assembles heterogeneous data files and metadata into a single transportable bundle, serialised as an OAI-ORE resource map and BagIt archive, for deposit into repositories like DataONE. Its functional surface settled with the 1.3.x line, which made assembled packages editable rather than write-once. Since then the releases have been sparse and defensive: SHA-256 as the default checksum in 1.4.0, BagIt spec conformance in 1.4.1, and a 2025 patch that states outright it contains no new features.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc runs from assembly to correctness of the resulting archive. Later releases keep tightening the metadata the resource map must carry — dc:creator always present, dcterms:modified always updated, the package correctly flagged as modified after any access-policy change — because a bundle whose provenance record is subtly wrong is worse than one that fails outright. The three-year gap between 1.4.1 and 1.4.2, and the latter's CRAN-note content, place this package firmly in preservation.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release, if any, to be another CRAN-compliance patch rather than functional work. The 1.4.2 note that it contains no new features is the clearest statement in the feed about where this package sits.
tidytlg
0.0ANALYTICS
A tables-listings-graphs package that reached CRAN and then went quiet.
◆ Current state
tidytlg generates clinical tables, listings, and graphs from tidyverse-style pipelines, maintained under the pharmaverse organisation. All four releases in the window are from a single eight-month stretch in 2023, and their content is CRAN preparation, a logging-dependency swap, and multi-file support. Release notes are merge lists rather than described changes.
◆ Where it's heading
The visible arc is getting onto CRAN and staying installable — vignette corrections per CRAN comments, a badge, a check fix, and replacing the timber logging package with logrx. The one functional addition is multiple-file support. There has been no release since October 2023, so on this evidence the package is stable or dormant rather than actively developing.
◆ Prediction
The entries give no signal about planned work; with nothing shipped in roughly two years, the more likely next event is a maintenance release triggered by a dependency or CRAN check than a feature.
Alternatives to datapack and tidytlg
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either datapack or tidytlg.
rlistings
Clinical listings that keep inheriting their hardest problem — pagination — from the layer below.
hoardr
A cache-directory helper that has shipped nothing but CRAN-triggered patches for seven years.
gigs
gigs redesigned its whole conversion API for rOpenSci, then spent three releases getting the docs to build.
riem
A weather-data client that keeps rewriting its HTTP layer while slowly tightening its API.
datasetjson
datasetjson rebuilt its object model to track the CDISC Dataset-JSON 1.1 schema.
See all datapack alternatives → · See all tidytlg alternatives →
Recent activity from datapack and tidytlg
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 10mo agodatapackCRAN documentation and CI cleanup
- 2y agotidytlgSwaps the timber logger for logrx
- 3y agotidytlgMultiple-file support and table-binding fixes
- 3y agotidytlgVignette update per CRAN comments
- 3y agotidytlgFirst CRAN release
- 4y agodatapackBagIt serialisation brought in line with the current spec
- 5y agodatapackSHA-256 becomes the default checksum algorithm
- 6y agodatapackResource map metadata guaranteed; removeRelationships() added
- 8y agodatapackupdateMetadata no longer drops package relationships
- 9y agodatapackAssembled data packages become editable in place ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between datapack and tidytlg?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. datapack and tidytlg are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is datapack better than tidytlg?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. datapack and tidytlg are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to datapack?
Top datapack alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "datapack alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/datapack for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to tidytlg?
Top tidytlg alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "tidytlg alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/tidytlg for the full list with editorial commentary on each.