Skip to content

Creating Samples

The sample is the physical specimen taken from a subject. A sample owns the sequencing files (VCF, BAM, FASTQ) and the metadata describing how the specimen was collected and processed.

Every analysis runs on a sample — the files you add to a sample are what its pipelines consume.

Sample list page showing samples linked to their subjects, with sample IDs and creation dates.

Creating a sample

  1. Open Samples from the left nav and click New Sample.
  2. Choose the Subject this sample was taken from.
  3. Enter a Sample ID — a human-readable identifier, unique within the project (e.g. NA12878-DX-01).
  4. Optionally add specimen metadata: specimen type, collection date, sequencing type, and any other identifiers your workflow needs.
  5. Optionally attach the sample's data files (VCF, BAM, FASTQ) now — or add them later from the sample's detail page. See Uploading Data Files.
  6. Click Create Sample.

Creating a sample requires a project Contributor or Admin role.

Where things live in the UI

  • Samples list — /samples. Browse and search the project's samples.
  • Sample detail — /samples/{sample_id}. View the sample's metadata, its subject, the orders it participates in, and its uploaded files.
  • New sample — /samples/new. Create a sample by choosing a subject, entering a Sample ID, and adding optional specimen metadata.
  • Subjects — where samples come from.
  • Orders — how samples participate in a case.
  • For scripted creation, manifest upload, and samplesheet generation, see CLI → Managing Samples.
  • Analyses — how a sample's files feed a pipeline.