The Explore Data Tool offers a visual, intuitive way to browse available datasets.
When you first load the Explore Data tool, the full contents of the Kids First Data Resource Portal are summarized for you. As you use the tool to build your query, the number of datasets is progressively narrowed down to just those you wish to analyze.
The Explore Data tool allows users to query the database through both drop-down menus as well as interactive charts and graphs.
The top of the screen shows drop-down menus which allow users to identify particular subsets of data that are meaningful for their research. The bottom portion of the screen shows graphical representation of the data in the portal. As you build your query, the information in these graphs will update in real time to reflect your current selection.
Users build queries by selecting relevant categories from the drop-down menus at the top of the screen.
A good starting place might be to narrow your query to just the particular studies you are interested in or have access to. You can do this by clicking the Study icon, selecting Study from the drop-down menu, and choosing studies off of the list, for example Kids First: Congenital Heart Defects.
Select Studies from the drop-down menu.
After choosing to Apply your selection, the number of participants, families, and files will automatically update to reflect only those from this particular study.
You can continue to narrow your query by adding additional filters. A cardiologist particularly interested in a single congenital heart defect, for example, Tetralogy of Fallot, might want to only look at samples from individuals with that diagnosis.
Selecting diagnoses in the charts below (for example, Tetralogy of Fallot) will narrow you query to only include those results.
You can add another query by selecting it from the drop-down menu above, clicking Clinical and then selecting one of the Diagnosis options from the list. You can also select a Diagnosis from one of the charts at the bottom of the window instead of using the drop-down menu.
You can also search for diagnoses or other any other filter using the Search all filters box at the top left.
At this point, the Cohort Results indicate a much smaller number of files that reflect the specific queries of the data. You can continue to add more filters to further refine your dataset as you wish.
When you are satisfied and want to access these files for analysis, select the number of Files next to Cohort Results to load these into the File Repository Tool.
Select the number of files next to Cohort Results (in this example, 507) to send these files to the File Repository tool for analysis.
Save your query for later by clicking the Save button. You can also share saved queries with collaborators using the Share button to generate a URL that will bring them to this same page.
Once you have completed your query, you can Save it to return to it later. This option is at the very top of the page
Saved queries can be shared with collaborators using the Share button. The short URL provided can be sent via email and will bring users to this same query output.