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Data Formats

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Data Format Types

  • General Format. Adaptable to nearly any type of study. When in doubt, use this format. It is particularly useful for clinical efficacy studies.

  • Bioassay and Titration Formats. For data that are of the form 'positive out of total.' Useful for animal bioassays and laboratory titrations.

  • ELISA Format. Designed specifically for 96-well microtiter plate format that can be exported from plate readers.

  • Mixed Example. Illustrates the combined use of two formats.

  • Software Exports. How to export data files directly from various commercial software tools, bypassing manual entry in a specific format.

General

The General Format is suitable for many types of studies. It includes three related tables. The Individual table contains variables that appear only once, either because they are inherent to the individual unit, such as a subject's sex, or because they are measured only once, such as lesions at necropsy. The Repeated table contains repeated observations on each unit. Observations may be simple replicates, such as assays of replicate vials of a vaccine serial, or they may be sequential observations, such as daily blood cell counts over a two week period. The Variables table contains specific information about the variables presented in the other two tables. This type of information is sometimes called metadata. Download Template and Examples


Bioassay and Titration

These formats are suitable for data that are of the form 'positive out of total.' Two examples are given, an animal bioassay and a virus titration. The chief difference between the Bioassay Format and the Titration Format is whether or not a challenge back-titration is included. Most bioassay data sets are relatively simple, have a common data structure, and follow a standard protocol. For that reason, Bioassay Format and Titration Format are simpler than General Format, and a Variables table is usually not necessary. Instead, a simple Comments table may be used. Download Template and Examples


ELISA

The data from ELISAs and other assays conducted on 96-well microtiter plates may be exported from spectrophotometers as arrayed on the plate. The ELISA Format follows this convention. Except for the Plate Info table, which provides basic information about each plate in the data set, the other tables are laid out as stacked 8×12 arrays. The OD table contains the optical densities, the Layout table indicates the contents of each well, and the Dilution table indicates the dilution of the material in each well.

Download Template and Examples


Mixed

Tables from different formats may be mixed when there is a need to capture different aspects of a data set. This example shows the use of two different formats for a single study. Download Template and Examples

 

Software Exports

Softmax Pro. How to export template and od data directly from the software. An additional table is needed to capture plate-level meta data. Download Template and Examples

Contact the CVB Statistics Section for information regarding exports from software not indicated.

 

Last Modified: November 15, 2012