tidytlg
A tables-listings-graphs package that reached CRAN and then went quiet.
Comparison · Analytics
datasetjson vs gsDesign2
A side-by-side editorial comparison of datasetjson and gsDesign2 — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-packagepharmaverse
datasetjson vs gsDesign2: at a glance
What is datasetjson?
datasetjson rebuilt its object model to track the CDISC Dataset-JSON 1.1 schema.
datasetjson reads and writes CDISC Dataset-JSON, the JSON replacement for SAS transport files in clinical-trial submissions. The package went from a thin reader in 2023 to a redesigned interface in 0.3.0 that targets the 1.1.0 schema, uses yyjsonr as its JSON backend, and exposes column metadata as first-class arguments. Development is contributor-driven inside the Atorus and pharmaverse orbit.
What is gsDesign2?
Group sequential design tooling that now monitors for harm, not just efficacy and futility.
gsDesign2 is the Merck-authored R package for group sequential clinical trial design under non-proportional hazards, and it has spent the last two years filling in the statistical surface its predecessor gsDesign established. Recent releases added conditional power (gs_cp, gs_cp_npe), sequential p-values, risk-difference designs with minimal risk weighting, and boundary updates from blinded interim estimates. Version 1.2.0 adds harm boundaries across the AHR and NPE design and power functions, wired through every summary and table export path.
datasetjson vs gsDesign2: editorial side-by-side
datasetjson
0.0ANALYTICS
datasetjson rebuilt its object model to track the CDISC Dataset-JSON 1.1 schema.
◆ Current state
datasetjson reads and writes CDISC Dataset-JSON, the JSON replacement for SAS transport files in clinical-trial submissions. The package went from a thin reader in 2023 to a redesigned interface in 0.3.0 that targets the 1.1.0 schema, uses yyjsonr as its JSON backend, and exposes column metadata as first-class arguments. Development is contributor-driven inside the Atorus and pharmaverse orbit.
◆ Where it's heading
The package's roadmap is not its own — it tracks a CDISC standard that is still moving, and 0.3.0 is what happens when the standard revises: object model, read and write paths, and JSON backend all changed together. Performance was addressed in the same pass, which matters because submission datasets are large enough that a slow serialiser is a real constraint.
◆ Prediction
The next significant release will most likely follow the next Dataset-JSON schema revision rather than an internal roadmap, given that 0.3.0 was driven entirely by the 1.1.0 update.
gsDesign2
3.8ANALYTICS
Group sequential design tooling that now monitors for harm, not just efficacy and futility.
◆ Current state
gsDesign2 is the Merck-authored R package for group sequential clinical trial design under non-proportional hazards, and it has spent the last two years filling in the statistical surface its predecessor gsDesign established. Recent releases added conditional power (gs_cp, gs_cp_npe), sequential p-values, risk-difference designs with minimal risk weighting, and boundary updates from blinded interim estimates. Version 1.2.0 adds harm boundaries across the AHR and NPE design and power functions, wired through every summary and table export path.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is converging on parity with gsDesign while extending past it — each release either closes a gap against the older package or adds a boundary type gsDesign never had. A visible second track is output plumbing: every new statistical feature now arrives already threaded through summary(), gs_bound_summary(), as_gt(), and as_rtf(), which is what regulatory submission work actually consumes. Performance work is steady but secondary, with gs_design_ahr() roughly 2x faster in 1.1.9.
◆ Prediction
Expect the harm boundary work to propagate into the WLR and risk-difference design families, which are the two design branches 1.2.0 left untouched, along with a vignette bridging harm boundaries to the remaining gsDesign test types.
Alternatives to datasetjson and gsDesign2
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 datasetjson or gsDesign2.
Tplyr
Tplyr made clinical summary tables explain where every number came from.
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.
See all datasetjson alternatives → · See all gsDesign2 alternatives →
Recent activity from datasetjson and gsDesign2
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 9d agogsDesign2Harm boundaries land in AHR and NPE group sequential designs ⚡
- 1mo agogsDesign2Conditional power, sequential p-values, and minimal risk weighting
- 5mo agogsDesign2gs_design_ahr() can output spending time
- 8mo agogsDesign2S3 class refactor and futility boundary vignette
- 11mo agogsDesign2h1_spending for WLR power, info_scale across fixed designs
- 1y agogsDesign2WLR design spending default corrected to information fraction
- 1y agodatasetjsonDataset-JSON 1.1.0 support with a redesigned object model ⚡
- 2y agodatasetjsonReads and validates Dataset-JSON from URLs
- 2y agodatasetjsonInitial CRAN release
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between datasetjson and gsDesign2?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package, pharmaverse — within Analytics. gsDesign2 is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 3.8 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is datasetjson better than gsDesign2?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. gsDesign2 is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 3.8 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to datasetjson?
Top datasetjson alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "datasetjson alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/datasetjson for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to gsDesign2?
Top gsDesign2 alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "gsDesign2 alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/gsdesign2 for the full list with editorial commentary on each.