FAQ
Metadata
Should I provide tabular or ISA-Tab metadata?
Tabular metadata are simpler to prepare, while ISA-Tab has the added benefit of being able to note relationships between raw and processed files.
How do I create an ISA-Tab archive?
The simplest way is via this Google Sheet template, following these instructions:
- Fill out all 3 sheets
- Download each sheet as tab-separated values, naming the investigation, study, and assay sheets as i_<study_identifier>.txt, s_<study_identifier>.txt, and a_<study_identifier>.txt, respectively
- Compress the 3 .txt files as a .zip archive
Alternatively, if you prefer to have access to the full functionality of ISA-Tab, download the latest version of ISAcreator and follow along with this video tutorial to create an ISA-Tab archive.
Data Set Upload
How do I get my data into the Stem Cell Commons?
You have 3 options:
- Option 1: Upload your data files alongside tabular metadata (e.g. txt, csv). Sample name, filename, and organism fields are required — the remaining fields are up to you.
- Option 2: Upload your data files alongside 3-tier ISA-Tab metadata — the benefit of this option is that file relationships can be indicated. A Google Sheet-based ISA-Tab template is available here.
- Option 3: Directly upload remote files via the AWS Command Line Interface. This option is available after providing either tabular or ISA-Tab metadata through the browser.
Collaboration
How do I share my data with another user?
As data set owner, you are able to share a data set, via the Data Sets card on My Dashboard, with a new or existing group. If the other user does not already belong to that group, invite him/her using the neighboring Collaboration card.