Data Editing Tools

Adding and Editing Specimen Data

By default, each new batch contains one empty row. A Data Entry User Preference can set the user’s default to add or not add the row. Add data to this row by selecting a field and typing in it. Press the Tab key to move to the next field. Some fields, such as Material Type, offer a code list from which to choose values. To open this list simply double click in a field and press the ellipsis (...) button that appears. To add a value to the field, click on a value in the list to highlight it and then press the OK button.  When the end of a row is reached, pressing the Tab key will create a new row.

Rows may also be added by selecting Insert from the Edit menu or pressing the Insert button. The new row will be inserted above the row where the cursor is located. A blank new row can be added by pressing the down arrow key from the last row in the table. Users can also import vial data into the batch from a text or Excel file or scan to add specimen data to the batch. The Generate Through and Assign BSI IDs functions may be used to generate new BSI IDs.

Only batches with a batch status of "Saved, not committed" may be edited. While adding or editing specimen data, keep in mind that data such as Date Drawn, Sample Modifiers and Subject ID, must be the same for all specimens with the same Sample ID.

To edit specimen data, open a batch in Edit mode, place the cursor in the field to edit and begin typing.  Some fields, such as Freezer, offer a code list from which to choose values. To open this list simply double click in a field and press the Ellipsis (...) button that appears. To add a value to the field, click on a value in the list to highlight it and then press the OK button.

Users can change multiple fields within a column via the Mass Change option.

Users can enter text to find and then replace the found value using the Find and Replace option.

Data can be changed by importing a file and selecting the output fields and matching used during the import.

Delete a batch row

Remove specimen data by deleting the batch row that contains the data.

To delete a row:

1. Click on the row number of the row to delete to highlight the row.  Highlight multiple rows by clicking on the row numbers while holding down the Ctrl
2. Either select Delete from the Edit menu or press the Delete
3. Confirm that the delete of the selected row(s).  Press Yes to delete or No to cancel.

If the row you are attempting to delete has a Shipment Vial ID associated with it, a dialog will open that states “You are deleting a row that contains a Shipment Vial ID.  This will break the link to the shipment. Proceed?”. Select Yes to continue, or No to cancel deleting the row(s).

Copy Specimen Data

To expedite adding or editing specimen data, data may be copied from one field or row to another.

Tools for Generating Data

Using a multi-line template, the following tools can be used to ease the processes of adding specimens to BSI. All three tools are only available for use in Add batches and shipments.  

Generate Through

The Generate Through feature automates the addition specimens in a range of Sample IDs to a batch.  You can specify Sample IDs and ranges of Sample IDs. The editor executes the template once for each Sample ID specified.  For example, if you specify 100 Sample IDs with a 3 line template, 300 vials are added to the batch with 3 specimens per Sample ID.

1. Select the Generate Through option, then manually enter valid Sample IDs in the ID (From) column.
   • The ID (From) column designates the first Sample ID of the range to be added to the batch and the ID (To) column designates the last. Multiple ranges of Sample IDs can be added in separate rows.
2. Use the available toolbar options and the following buttons in the dialog as needed:
   • Exists – This button calculates the number of existing Sample IDs per row of the dialog. The results are displayed in a new table column called Number of Vials.
   • Find – Opens the Sample ID Lookup dialog, where you can enter a combination of Date Drawn, Sample ID, and Subject ID. After entering data or importing it, you can select the Test button to generate a count of existing Sample IDs matching each row. Selecting the OK button will add all Sample IDs included in the count of selected rows to the Specify IDs for Sample ID dialog.
3. Select OK to continue and add the specified IDs and ranges of IDs to the batch editor.
4. All template rows will be added to the editor once for each selected Sample ID.

Generate Sample Data

The Generate Sample Data tool allows you to enter Sample Level data and then generate specimens from a template with the entered data.

1. Select the Generate Sample Data option from the Tools menu.
2. A dialog will open containing all Sample level fields.
3. Enter data for the sample to be added.
   • Required fields will be displayed in red and an error message will be shown. These fields do not need to be filled in in order to continue generating sample data.
4. Select Add Data.
5. All rows from the applied template will be added to the editor with the specified data added to them.

Generate Specimens

The Generate Specimens tools allows you to generate a number of subjects using a selected template.

1. Select the Generate Specimens option from the Tools menu. 
2. The Generate Specimens dialog will open. Use the Select Codes button to open the template tree. 
3. Navigate to and highlight the template which you want to use to generate specimens. Select OK.
4. Enter the number of subjects to create with this template.
5. Select Generate.
6. The template rows will all be added to the editor once for each subject.

Selecting a template

A template can be selected for Add, Modify and Delete batches on the New Batch Specification dialog when the batch properties are first specified or from within the Data Entry Editor.  Selecting a template for a Modify or Delete batch will not change any specimen data, only the columns displayed in the editor.

To select a template when creating a new batch:

1. Select the Browse... button next to "Template:" on the New Batch Specification dialog.  The Select a template dialog will open displaying all the available templates in a user's home folder location.  

   • A user can use this dialog to access a saved template in another user's folder by browsing to that location.

2. Click on the desired template.

3. Press the Open button to select the template.  The dialog will close and the template path and name will appear in the text box next to "Template:" on the New Batch Specification dialog.

   • If the path and template name are known, it can be directly keyed into this text box.  If an invalid path or template name is entered, the default template will be used instead.

To change a template from within the Data Entry Editor:

1. Select Select Template... from the Template menu on the Data Entry Editor.  The Select a template dialog will open displaying all the available templates in a user's home folder location.  

   • Users can use this dialog to access a saved template in another user's folder by browsing to that location.

2. Click on the desired template.

3. Press the Open button to select the template.   The Data Entry Editor columns displayed will change to the order specified by the template.

   • No existing data in the Data Entry Editor will be changed by changing the template used.  The selected template will only apply to new rows.

Change a template line

For templates that consist of multiple lines, it may be convenient to change the line of the template used for the next new row added during the data entry process.

To change the template line for the next new row entered:

1. Select Change Template Line... from the Template menu on the Data Entry Editor.  The Select current template line dialog will be displayed.  The row of the template used to modify the next added row in the Data Entry dialog will be highlighted.

2. Highlight the row of the template to be used for the next row added in the Data Entry Editor.

3. Select OK.  The Select current template line dialog will close and the next row added in the Data Entry Editor will be modified by the template line selected.