r2rtf
The clinical-report table engine learned Chinese, then learned to leave RTF entirely
Comparison · Analytics
sdtm.oak vs slider
A side-by-side editorial comparison of sdtm.oak and slider — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
sdtm.oak vs slider: at a glance
What is sdtm.oak?
Two releases in, the open-source SDTM toolkit now covers the domains it originally excluded.
sdtm.oak builds SDTM datasets — the tabulation standard clinical trial submissions are filed in — from raw collected data. The 0.1.0 release shipped the mapping algorithm functions and derived-variable helpers but explicitly excluded DM, trial design domains, and several others. Version 0.2.0 closes the largest of those gaps, adding DM domain support via calc_min_max_date() and oak_calc_ref_dates(), plus generate_sdtm_supp() for supplemental qualifier domains.
What is slider?
Feature-complete since 2021, and every release since has been paying CRAN's C API bill
slider provides sliding-window and index-aware window functions for R, with a C implementation underneath and a specialised fast path for common aggregations. The user-facing surface has been stable since 0.3.0 in late 2022. Everything after that is compliance and platform work: STRING_PTR removed in 0.3.2, OBJECT() removed in 0.3.3, a vctrs callable's C signature corrected, and the minimum R version raised twice.
sdtm.oak vs slider: editorial side-by-side
sdtm.oak
0.0ANALYTICS
Two releases in, the open-source SDTM toolkit now covers the domains it originally excluded.
◆ Current state
sdtm.oak builds SDTM datasets — the tabulation standard clinical trial submissions are filed in — from raw collected data. The 0.1.0 release shipped the mapping algorithm functions and derived-variable helpers but explicitly excluded DM, trial design domains, and several others. Version 0.2.0 closes the largest of those gaps, adding DM domain support via calc_min_max_date() and oak_calc_ref_dates(), plus generate_sdtm_supp() for supplemental qualifier domains.
◆ Where it's heading
This is the pharmaverse pattern of building submission tooling in the open, one domain class at a time, with the release history running through GitHub release-candidate tags before each CRAN submission. The direction is clear from the domain checklist: start with the mechanically simple Findings and Events domains, then work toward the ones with cross-dataset dependencies. DM and SUPP were the two that most often forced teams back to bespoke code.
◆ Prediction
The remaining exclusions from the 0.1.0 scope — trial design domains, SV, SE, RELREC and the EPOCH variable — are the obvious next targets, with EPOCH likely first since it depends on the reference dates 0.2.0 just added. Expect the same rhythm of release candidates ahead of each CRAN submission.
slider
0.0ANALYTICS
Feature-complete since 2021, and every release since has been paying CRAN's C API bill
◆ Current state
slider provides sliding-window and index-aware window functions for R, with a C implementation underneath and a specialised fast path for common aggregations. The user-facing surface has been stable since 0.3.0 in late 2022. Everything after that is compliance and platform work: STRING_PTR removed in 0.3.2, OBJECT() removed in 0.3.3, a vctrs callable's C signature corrected, and the minimum R version raised twice.
◆ Where it's heading
Two forces set the release schedule, and neither is feature demand. The first is CRAN closing off non-API C entry points, which packages reaching into R internals for speed have to unwind one accessor at a time — slider is on its second such release with no visible loss of function. The second is vctrs, whose breaking changes slider absorbs ahead of time; 0.2.2 exists solely to prepare for one. The last release that added anything callers can see was 0.3.0's slider_plus() and slider_minus() extension hooks.
◆ Prediction
Expect the pattern to continue: another non-API accessor removal or a vctrs compatibility release, rather than new window functions. The C-level surface is the only part of this package still moving.
Alternatives to sdtm.oak and slider
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 sdtm.oak or slider.
DoseFinding
New stewardship at openpharma, then two releases adding the methods MCP-Mod was missing
webmockr
The stubbing library added httr2 support, then spent a year cutting itself free of everything else
crul
crul took mocking back from webmockr and made it a property of the client itself
dendroNetwork
Six releases, six identical bodies — the feed carries the package abstract instead of release notes
chattr
chattr deleted every LLM integration it had written and outsourced the lot to ellmer
See all sdtm.oak alternatives → · See all slider alternatives →
Recent activity from sdtm.oak and slider
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 9mo agosliderNon-API OBJECT() removed and a vctrs C signature fixed
- 1y agosdtm.oaksdtm.oak v0.2.0 CRAN release ⚡
- 1y agosdtm.oaksdtm.oak v0.1.1 CRAN release
- 1y agosliderNon-API STRING_PTR removed; R 4.0.0 now required
- 1y agosdtm.oaksdtm.oak v0.1.0 CRAN release
- 1y agosdtm.oakv0.1.0rc4: [skip vbump] 90 cran comments (#91)
- 2y agosdtm.oakv0.1.0rc2: Fix CRAN Comments (#84)
- 2y agosdtm.oakv0.1.0: [skip vbump] Bump version for cran release (#77)
- 2y agosliderValgrind test fixes and dependency version bumps
- 3y agosliderExtension hooks let clock and almanac types serve as an index
- 5y agosliderInternal vec_order usage updated ahead of a vctrs break
- 5y agosliderlong double alignment issue fixed for CRAN sanitisers
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between sdtm.oak and slider?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. sdtm.oak and slider 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 sdtm.oak better than slider?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. sdtm.oak and slider 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 sdtm.oak?
Top sdtm.oak alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "sdtm.oak alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/sdtm-oak for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to slider?
Top slider alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "slider alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/slider for the full list with editorial commentary on each.