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The CSSI DCC Portal is a public repository of experiment-related information describing cancer research investigations. You can use the portal to browse, search, and access data generated through CSSI funded projects and other user uploaded data sets. This data is in ISA-Tab format, which organizes investigation, study, and assay data according to the rules in the ISA-Tab specification

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 For more information about the ISA-Tab format, refer to the Understanding ISA-Tab page.  

Each data set contains three files--investigation, study, and assay--that conform to the ISA-Tab structure and naming conventions. Within this structure are fields that are standard for each type of file, though null values are allowed; that is, not every data set includes values for each field. The portal allows you to filter these fields in an interactive way so that you can visualize the data in a pie chart or list.You can search

The CSSI DCC Portal allows you to perform various tasks:

  • Search investigations, studies, and assays using any keyword.

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The following sections provide detailed instructions on how to browse, search, and download data.

Accessing Investigation Data

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Browsing Investigations

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Understanding the Pie Charts

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Understanding the Investigations List

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Adding and Removing Fields

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Exploring Investigation Details

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To explore investigation details

  1. Browse investigations or search investigations until you find an investigation, a study, or an assay in which you are interested.
    The search results appear.
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  2. Click the link corresponding with the investigation, study, or assay you are interested in exploring.
    The respective investigation details, study details, or assay details page appears.

  3. You can do the following from the details pages:

Investigation Details Page

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Study Details Page

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Assay Details Page

The assay details page shows the study name at the top followed by a visualization of the investigation filename, study filename and number of samples in the study, and assay filename and number of files (and total file size) in the assay. Below the visualization are links to download all or part of the assay, its file name, measurement type, and technology type. In the Visualize and Select section, the relationship of the study to its processes, and its processes to its files, are depicted in clickable icons. Click any icon to further filter the investigation data and download only a selected portion of it.

Assay Details pageImage Removed

Visualizing and Filtering Data

Once you browse or search the CSSI DCC data sets and reach a selected investigation details, study details, or assay details page, you can continue exploring the data. The ISA-Tab format is hierarchical, with investigation components becoming more granular as you proceed down the hierarchy. The largest organizing entity is the investigation, which holds one or more studies. Each study includes one or more assays. Assays are composed of samples, which in turn are composed of protocols. Data files are often associated with a protocol.

The following diagram depicts the hierarchy, without the samples and protocols.

Structure of ISA data model as described in the text on this page.Image Removed

Visualizing and Filtering Investigations

The investigation details page shows icons that represent the relationship of the investigation to its studies and assays. In the case of PSON Cell Line Genomic Characterization - mRNA, the investigation has one study and one assay.
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You cannot filter data currently at the investigation level any further in the CSSI DCC Portal. You can only download the investigation's full data at this point, or start exploring its studies and assays.

Selecting Multiple Objects

If any investigation has more than one study and assay, you can select which ones you want to filter by clicking the Select Multiple Objects box.

For example, the following investigation has many studies and assays, so it displays horizontally with a slider on the side to move up and down. It also has zoom out and zoom in buttons to see more or fewer objects.

Investigation with multiple studies and assaysImage Removed

Select the boxes next to the objects you want to visualize and filter. If you download these objects, all of these objects will be included in the download.

Visualizing and Filtering Study Data

If you select the study in the PSON Cell Line Genomic Characterization - mRNA investigation or arrive at any other Study Details page through a search, you can visualize the study's file structure and filter on any field.

You can also select multiple objects to visualize and filter within a single investigation.

To visualize and select study data

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In the Visualize and Select area, click one of the entities.

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titleStudy Hierarchy

The hierarchy of entities for studies according to the ISA-Tab standard is as follows, from less granular to more granular:

Source > Protocol > Sample

For example, click Source. Metadata for that source appears.

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Follow this same procedure if you want to filter on Protocol or Sample instead of Source.

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The following page family describes how to browse, search, and download data.

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Visualizing and Filtering Assay Data

If you select the assay in the PSON Cell Line Genomic Characterization - mRNA investigation or arrive at any other Assay Details page through a search, you can visualize the assay's file structure and filter on any field.

You can also select multiple objects to visualize and filter within a single investigation.

To visualize and select assay data

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In the Visualize and Select area, click one of the entities. Note that the width of some visualizations require you to scroll by clicking the arrows at the bottom of the page.

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titleAssay Hierarchy

The hierarchy of entities for assays according to the ISA-Tab standard is as follows, from less granular to more granular:

Sample > Protocol > Data File

For example, click the sample. Metadata for the sample appears.

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Follow this same procedure if you want to filter on protocol instead of sample.

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Click one or more values in the list to select them. To select multiple values, click one, wait for it to appear on the Metadata for Sample page, and then click the arrow again to select another value. To clear a selection, click that value again.
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Some entities do not have associated metadata fields on which you can filter the study or assay. In that case, when you click the icon for that entity, you see a message letting you know that no metadata fields are available.

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Searching Investigation Data

You can search for investigations, studies, or assays in the CSSI DCC Portal by:

Performing a Basic Search

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Searching by Keyword or Phrase

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Searching ISA Tab Fields

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Searching by Related Terms

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Viewing Detailed Search Results

In the search results, click View next to a matching term to see where in the investigation this term occurs.

Investigation listing in search result with cell as the matching termImage Removed

A detailed search results window appears. The matching term, cell, is highlighted in the metadata of each file in the ISA-Tab archive.

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To close the window, click Ok at the bottom or the x in the upper-right corner of the window.

Saving Search Parameters

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Managing Saved Search Parameters

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Downloading Investigation Data

After reaching an investigation entity (such as investigation, study, assay, source, protocol, sample, or data file), you can download the full data, selected metadata, or selected data associated with that entity. The full data is always associated with the investigation as a whole. All of the data currently in the portal is public.

Also note that if you selected multiple objects to visualize and filter, a download includes all of those objects.

Metadata describes the structure of the data collected in an investigation and translates to the file columns, field definitions, and placeholders that appear in a spreadsheet. It is in Investigation-Study-Assay tab-delimited format (ISA-Tab), which is based on the ISA-Tab specification

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The data files often contain image files and spreadsheets and can be a large file size.

Each download option has a button on the Investigation Details, Study Details, and Assay Details pages.

Download Full Data (13.48 GB zip) Download Selected Metadata  Download Selected Data Image Removed

  • Download Full Data downloads metadata and data files for the entire investigation. Since this can be a large file size, the file size appears on the button.
  • Download Selected Metadata downloads only the metadata of a selection you make after filtering a study an assay.
  • Add to Download downloads both the metadata and the data files of one or more selections you make after filtering a study or an assay.
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An investigation's full data file is always available for download. However, due to the processing resources required, downloads via the Add to Download button are currently limited to 30GB.

Downloading Full Data

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Downloading Selected Metadata

An entity's metadata shows how that entity is structured. Metadata files are usually small text files, so you can download them directly to your computer. You do not need to log in before downloading metadata files.

To download selected metadata

  1. Filter a study or an assay until you reach a selection of investigation data you are interested in downloading.
  2. On the Investigation Details page, click Download Selected Metadata.
    Your browser prompts you to open or save the .zip file. Follow your browser's instructions to open or save the file.
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    It may be useful to rename the .zip file as you save it to include the name of the investigation so that you can identify it more easily. For example, miRNA_metadata.zip.

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    titleArchive File Contents

    The archive file is in compressed format. When you download it, it may be a single compressed folder or .zip file. When you open it, you see at minimum three text files at the root of the folder or file. An example of these follow. 

       a_10290.txt

       i_10290.txt

       s_10290.txt

    The text files describe the investigation, study or studies, and assay or assays. In this example, 10290 represents the file identifier but in practice, each file identifier may be named differently, even in the same investigation. Only the a, i, or s prefix is required. If you download full data or selected data, the archive may also contain other files or folders as appropriate for the investigation; for example, images. If you download metadata, the archive only includes the a, i, and s files.

Downloading Selected Data

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Downloading Large Files with Globus

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Managing Your Downloads

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Installing the DCC Download Manager

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Using the DCC Download Manager

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Using a Download Summary

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Using a Download SummaryUsing a Download Summary