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A grammar for experimental design that learned to compose designs and track its own provenance.
Comparison · Analytics
r2dii.plot vs rolap
A side-by-side editorial comparison of r2dii.plot and rolap — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
r2dii.plot vs rolap: at a glance
What is r2dii.plot?
PACTA's climate-alignment charting layer split prep from plotting, then settled into stable.
r2dii.plot renders the standard PACTA climate-alignment charts — trajectory, tech mix, emission intensity — as ggplot2 objects, paired with the 2DII colour palettes and theme. Since 0.4.0 the package has exposed a two-step pipeline where prep_*() shapes the data before plot_*() draws it, while qplot_*() remains the one-call convenience path. It declared itself stable in early 2025.
What is rolap?
A star-schema modelling package grew a query language, a deployment path, and then a map layer.
rolap builds dimensional models — star databases and constellations — from flat tables inside R. Over 2023 it acquired a multidimensional query interface, the ability to deploy models into relational databases, incremental refresh, and geographic layers exportable as GeoPackage. Since early 2024 it has been quiet, with the only 2025 release removing a test that clashed with another package.
r2dii.plot vs rolap: editorial side-by-side
r2dii.plot
0.0ANALYTICS
PACTA's climate-alignment charting layer split prep from plotting, then settled into stable.
◆ Current state
r2dii.plot renders the standard PACTA climate-alignment charts — trajectory, tech mix, emission intensity — as ggplot2 objects, paired with the 2DII colour palettes and theme. Since 0.4.0 the package has exposed a two-step pipeline where prep_*() shapes the data before plot_*() draws it, while qplot_*() remains the one-call convenience path. It declared itself stable in early 2025.
◆ Where it's heading
The package has been converging on a settled contract for years. Early releases chased visual polish and label handling, then 0.2.0 exposed the palette scales as reusable ggplot2 components, and 0.4.0 made the prepared data a first-class artefact rather than something hidden inside a plotting call. Recent releases are documentation and hygiene: a data_dictionary describing every column, definitions filled in, demo datasets renamed to say they are demos. It also moved organisations, from 2DII to RMI-PACTA, and its releases stay pinned to r2dii.analysis and to ggplot2's deprecation schedule.
◆ Prediction
With the lifecycle marked stable and the last two releases confined to dataset naming and documentation, the next release is most likely another ggplot2 compatibility pass or a sibling-package alignment rather than new chart types.
rolap
0.0ANALYTICS
A star-schema modelling package grew a query language, a deployment path, and then a map layer.
◆ Current state
rolap builds dimensional models — star databases and constellations — from flat tables inside R. Over 2023 it acquired a multidimensional query interface, the ability to deploy models into relational databases, incremental refresh, and geographic layers exportable as GeoPackage. Since early 2024 it has been quiet, with the only 2025 release removing a test that clashed with another package.
◆ Where it's heading
The 2023 releases trace a deliberate progression from modelling to operating: first a common data model and flat table class, then role-playing dimensions, then incremental refresh, then querying and deployment, then geography, then slowly changing dimensions. That is essentially the feature checklist of a data warehouse, assembled in about six months and documented with a vignette at each step. The pace since has dropped to almost nothing, which reads as a project that reached its intended scope rather than one that stalled.
◆ Prediction
Given eighteen months in which the only release was a test removal, the next release is more likely to be maintenance than another warehouse feature — though the entries give no clear signal either way.
Alternatives to r2dii.plot and rolap
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 r2dii.plot or rolap.
secuTrialR
A Swiss clinical-trial data reader that surfaces once every couple of years to clear check notes.
flightsbr
Brazil's flight-data package keeps working around what ANAC publishes and when.
kwb.db
A water-research lab's ODBC helper, still fighting Windows database drivers a decade in.
r2dii.match
PACTA's loan-book matcher opened up to sector taxonomies other than its own.
mcmcensemble
An ensemble sampler just admitted its walkers were barely talking to each other.
See all r2dii.plot alternatives → · See all rolap alternatives →
Recent activity from r2dii.plot and rolap
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1y agor2dii.plotBundled datasets renamed to mark them as demos
- 1y agorolapConflicting test temporarily removed
- 1y agor2dii.plotColumn definitions added to the data dictionary
- 1y agor2dii.plotData dictionary lands and the package declares itself stable
- 2y agor2dii.plotr2dii.plot 0.4.0 ⚡
- 2y agorolapSlowly changing dimension structure added
- 2y agorolapGeographic layers and GeoPackage export
- 2y agorolaprolap 2.4.0 ⚡
- 2y agorolapIncremental refresh for star databases
- 2y agorolapFlat table class and a shared data model
- 3y agor2dii.plotPACTA colour palettes exposed as datasets after org move
- 4y agor2dii.plotTrajectory plots move to percentage scaling alongside r2dii.analysis
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between r2dii.plot and rolap?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. r2dii.plot and rolap 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 r2dii.plot better than rolap?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. r2dii.plot and rolap 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 r2dii.plot?
Top r2dii.plot alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "r2dii.plot alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/r2dii-plot for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to rolap?
Top rolap alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rolap alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rolap for the full list with editorial commentary on each.