Creating Object

Basics

Generally the workflow for using DaRIS is

• Authorised user creates a Project and team
• Project subject administrator creates Subject objects
• Acquire and upload data to Subject
• Download data for processing

In this section it is described how to create objects in the system. In all cases, select the parent object with the navigator, right click and select the appropriate Create object menu item. In all of the creation windows, TABS are used to structure the meta-data and required elements are in bold face. Use the green plus-sign icon to create a new instance of an element and the red minus-sign icon to delete unwanted elements.

Project

• Select the Repository object itself and right click
• If you have the appropriate authorisation, the contextual menu will show Create Project
  • A new window pops up with the Interface TAB selected.
• Fill in a meaningful name and description
• Select the Method that has been built for your Project or use a generic one. You should discuss this step with your DaRIS operational support staff. Note that more than one Method can be registered with a Project
• Fill in the data-use element (see Ethics/Consent Considerations)
  • Select the Metadata TAB and fill in the meta-data (all Projects in your DaRIS repository are created with the same meta-data under this TAB
    • Select the Members TAB and select team members and their role by drag-and-drop from the right panel to the left
    • Select the _ Role Members_ TAB and select role members (if any) and their role by drag-and-drop from the right panel to the left
    • Click the Create button at the bottom of the window

Subject

• Select the relevant Project object and right click
• If you have the appropriate authorisation, the contextual menu will show Create Subject
  • A new window pops up with the Interface TAB selected.
• If there is only one Method registered, other TABS such as Public Metadata and Private Metadata may be visible (it depends on the Method)
• If multiple Methods are registered, select the one you want for creating this Subject. Then the other TABS will be appear.
• Fill in the data-use element only if the participant wants to over-ride the Project data-use setting (see Ethics/Consent Considerations)
• Fill in a meaningful name and description. However, note that for human subjects, identity is never located in the name element (unless privacy is not an issue). Instead it is generally located in meta-data under the Private Metadata TAB (this is actually specified by the Method you are using).
  • Select the other TABs and fill in the meta-data. It is the Method that specifies what meta-data will be presented to you in these TABS
  • Click the Create button at the bottom of the window. When you create the Subject it will automatically create its child ExMethod as well.

Study

Generally users don't create Study objects via the portal. Generally Study objects are created when data are uploaded. However, there are circumstances when you may want to manually create a Study. It's possible with the Method object to specify Steps that create Studies for which specific meta-data is pre-defined.

For example, consider a longitudinal (in time) MR imaging experiment where data are acquired at specific time points (baseline, 18month followup, 26 month followup). You can define a Method where Step 1 describes the creation of Studies for baseline, Step 2 describes the creation of Studies at 18 months and so on. These Steps could actually specify a little meta-data fragment that describes the time point.

Because it's difficult to robustly auto-populate this kind of meta-data when data are automatically uploaded, the process is that you pre-create the Study, specifying all meta-data including that which specifies the time point. When you come to upload the data, you upload directly to this Study (either with say a DICOM client or via drag-and-drop in the portal).

There are two ways to pre-create Study objects in the portal.

From the ExMethod directed graph

• Select the ExMethod parent object with the navigator
• Select the Experimental Method TAB
• Double click on the desired Step on the graph and a new window pops up
• Click the Add Study button and fill in the meta-data that is editable
• Click the create button at the bottom of the window

From the ExMethod itself

• Select the ExMethod parent object with the navigator and right click
• Select Create Study from the contextual menu that pops up
• Select the relevant Step in the Method and fill in the meta-data that is editable
• Click the create button at the bottom of the window

DataSet

There is no interface in the portal to create a DataSet. These are created automatically when data are uploaded.