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Sample Metadata CSV-file
💡 What is a sample metadata file?
A sample metadata file contains descriptive information about each sample – for example, group, treatment, timepoint, or any other attributes used for labeling in plots.
How to format the sample metadata file before uploading to Omics Studio
Your file must be a CSV file with:
- One row per sample
- The first column containing sample names
- Additional columns containing metadata (optional)
Example table
📄 Sample Metadata (.csv)
| Sample | Group | Treatment | Timepoint | ... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample 1 | Control | Saline | Day 0 | ... |
| Sample 2 | Treated | Drug A | Day 1 | ... |
| Sample 3 | Treated | Drug A | Day 2 | ... |
| Sample 4 | Control | Saline | Day 2 | ... |
Rules
⚠️ Important: Merge all Sample Metadata into a single file
You can only select one Sample Metadata file per study. If your study includes multiple expression matrices and statistics files, make sure that your selected Sample Metadata file already contains information for all samples included across those matrices – in other words, merge all sample metadata into a single file.
Header (first row)
| Sample | Group | Treatment | Timepoint | ... |
|---|
- Each column must have a name (no empty cells in the header).
- The name of the first column (A1) does not matter – it can be empty or any other text.
First column
- Must contain sample names written as text (each name should start with a letter, not a number or formula).
- Make sure the sample names are identical to those in the
expression matrix– this is how Omics Studio matches the samples. - No empty values are allowed in this column.
- Each sample name must be unique.
Example
| Sample |
|---|
| Sample 1 |
| Sample 2 |
| Sample 3 |
| Sample 4 |
Group columns
Additional columns
- May contain any type of metadata (e.g.
Group,Treatment,Batch,Timepoint, etc.). - These values are used for labeling and grouping in plots.
- Empty values are allowed in these columns.
Example
| Group | Treatment | Timepoint |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Saline | Day 0 |
| Treated | Drug A | Day 1 |
| Treated | Drug A | Day 2 |
| Control | Saline | Day 2 |
💡 Good to know
✅ The first column must contain the sample names as strings.
✅ All other columns are optional and can include any metadata you like.
✅ Empty values are allowed in metadata columns.
❌ Empty headers are not allowed.
❌ Empty sample names in the first column will cause an error.