Log onto the DataSHIELD Training Environment

Start the Opal Servers

Your trainer will have started your Opal training servers in the cloud for you.

Logging into the DataSHIELD Client Portal

Your trainer will give you the IP address of the DataSHIELD client portal ending  :8787

They will also provide you with a username and password to login with.  

The R Studio Interface

Top left is where R scripts will open, and be available for you to edit and save.
Top right includes history and variables you have created in your current session.
Bottom left is the R console you can run commands directly here after the cursor >.
Bottom right is the file explorer, plotting screen, packages lists and help files.


Start a new script



  • A script is a record of the analyses we are working on, and typically will run again.
  • Annotations in the script, called comments, aid users in understanding the script and are denoted by at the beginning of each line.  Comments do not run in the console.
  • It is good practice to put a description at the top of your script: what it is for, author, date, dataset etc used.  This is will serve as a reminder as to what the script is for in the future.




Understand R Speak