Use Protocol fields to establish business rules for capturing biological data. These fields are defined at the Vault level and are used to complement the row level data captured in readout definitions (raw data, normalizations, variable conditions, plate control layouts). They can be used to describe the assay in a detailed and structured manner, ensuring all meta data is captured for each Protocol definition.
In this article, we go over how a Vault Administrator can add Protocol fields using the Settings > Vault > Protocol Fields tab.
When creating Protocol definitions within CDD Vault, users have traditionally been able to define the Protocol name, a Category, and a Description. These top-level Protocol annotations can now be modified and/or expanded to include additional custom Protocol fields. The Vault Administrator must create any new fields (for example SOP, Mode of Action, Assay Kit, Assay Target, etc.) that users can then populate when creating new Protocol definitions.
To edit or add Protocol fields, a Vault Administrator can navigate to the Settings > Vault > Protocol Fields tab and click the “Add/Edit Protocol Fields” link (the pencil icon) located in the top right of this panel.
Next, the Vault Administrator can:
- “Add a protocol field” at the bottom of the list of current Protocol fields
- Type in a Name for the new Protocol field
- Choose the data type (Text, Long text, Pick List or File)
- Select if the field is optional, required or conditionally required
- Repeat steps 1 through 4 as needed
- Reorder the fields as desired using the icon on the far right
- When finished, click the green “Update protocol fields” button in the lower right corner
Users can then populate these new fields when creating Protocols. As a reminder, to create a new Protocol, click the “+ Create a new…” button in the sidebar and select Protocol.
A form containing all of the available Protocol fields, as created by the Vault Administrator, is shown.
Once the values are filled in, and the Protocol definition is saved, the Protocol Details tab will show the full definition of the Protocol.
Noteworthy tips:
- Values stored in these Protocol fields are keyword searchable within the Explore Data > Search > Protocol Field search option as well as the Explore Data > Protocols tab.
- For “Text” versus “Long text” field types, the number of characters allowed in each are the same, this distinction only affects the size of the data input box and whether the special characters drop-down is displayed when creating a new Protocol definition. The “Long text” type will display a bigger text entry box that is resizable and the special characters drop-down is displayed so that users may insert symbols (e.g. Greek character or the degree symbol).