This workflow will answer frequently asked questions about depositing data to CEBS.
2. Contact the CEBS Scientific Administrator:
Jennifer Fostel, Ph.D.
Tel (919) 541-5055
3. Add study annotation metadata to accompany the experimental data.
The metadata should describe subject types and characteristics, procedures applied to the subjects such as animal maintenance or culture conditions and
treatment parameters. You can include information on instruments and software, descriptions of protocols, study conclusions and a link to the scientific
paper based on the data.
Providing metadata allows the study data to be used in searching, cross-study comparison and analyses as well as potentially used by other databases.
For a checklist of the types of information useful for study meta-data see
After submission, we will ask you to review the data with the CEBS user interface before we make it public.
CEBS uses a special type of file, called Simple Investigation Formatted Text (SIFT) for storing study data. It is an enriched text file format that allows
the custom software of the CEBS application to associate synonyms, related terms, and metadata relationships by using the information in the SIFT file and
database tables.
A java program called the CEBSDataBuilder can create a SIFT file incorporating your data and study information. This process requires manual entry of terms
and that experimental data be stored in a delimited text or Excel file for one click uploading.
The CEBSDataBuilder can be downloaded to your desktop (Instructions).
Should you have many studies to submit, then the CEBS team developers can create programs that will translate your studies into SIFT files. The submitted
data files should have a standard format and a well defined schema.
In order to run the .exe file, you need java version 1.5 or higher* installed on your machine. If you dont have java runtime environment installed on your
machine, go to
http://www.java.com to download and install it. Most machines already have it installed. (*we know that
there is a bug in java 1.6.0.1 3)
for a Mac:
1. Use Firefox to download data from the FTP site. (The site does not work well with most versions of Safari. Most likely, a Safari user will be able to
see the folders or file icons but be unable to open or download the files.)
3. Click the tools folder to open it.
4. Double-click on CEBSDataBuilder_mac.zip (the file will unzip in the Downloads folder).
5. Close the Firefox window to exit.
6. If you use Safari (not recommended), you will need to paste the above ftp server address into the URL address box or click the hyperlink.
7. Connect as a guest to the server and click the Connect button.
8. Follow steps 3-4 then in View (Finder Menu) click Show Sidebar and dismount the ftp server 157.98.110 to exit.
for a PC:
2. Click the Directory link tools.
3. Click the link CEBSDataBuilder.zip.
4. Click Save (saves the zip file to the Downloads folder) or Save As to save the zip file to your desktop.
5. Close the FTP window.
Private data is only available to authorized persons, not the general public.
To access private data in bins, follow these steps:
1. Click the Open My Data button.
2. Log in with your network username and password:
a. NIH account Select authentication = NIH, and PRODUCTION
b. NIHEXT account Select authentication = NIHEXT, and PRODUCTION.
3. Click the Private Data button.
Note that if you are unable to access the private data, you may not be authorized to see it. The Point of Contact for this data must fill out the
Access Memo to allow access.
4. If you have a private bin, your folders will appear.
5. Remember to click the Logout button, located in the top row of buttons on the black ribbon, when you finish your session.
To access private Tox21 Phase I or II data:
1. Click the Open My Data button.
2. Log in with your network username and password:
a. NIH account Select authentication = NIH, and PRODUCTION
b. NIHEXT account Select authentication = NIHEXT, and PRODUCTION.
3. Click the Private Data button.
Note that if you are unable to access the private data, you may not be authorized to see it. The Point of Contact for this data must fill out the
Access Memo to allow access.
4. Click on the CEBS Home button.
Navigation tip: Clicking the CEBS Home button on any page will return you to the CEBS Home page.
a. Then click on the Tox21 Phase I or Tox21 Phase II button in the Workflow section.
b. Alternative: You may also access this data on the CEBS Home page by clicking the CEBS data domain button in the Search Study section of
the home page and selecting the Tox21 domain.
5. Remember to click the Logout button, located in the top row of buttons on the black ribbon, when you finish your session.