Hi Jenn,

I think you've found all the documentation we have. You're right that this isn't well documented at the moment- we'll try to improve this in coming releases. Here's a brief overview of where data goes, by file in the specimen import archive:
labs.tsv: this data is loaded directly into the study.site table.
primary_types.tsv: this data is loaded directly into the study.specimenprimarytype table.
derivatives.tsv: this data is loaded directly into the study.specimenderivative table.
additives.tsv: this data is loaded directly into the study.additive table.

specimen.tsv is the most complex. All fields from this file go into the study.specimenevent table, which is accessed through the 'history' links in the vial view or directly via the specimenevent table in the schema browser. The subset of fields that should be constant across locations (such as vial ID, vial volume, etc.) are also inserted into the study.vial table. Fields that are not expected to be the same across location (freezer information, for example) are found only in specimenevent. Aggregating up one more level from study.vial, the study.specimen table (accessible via the 'grouped vials' links in 11.3 and later) summarizes the data by collection. This table contains all fields from study.vial that are expected to be the same across all vials from a given collection (such as subject ID, visit, type, and draw timestamp).

Note that study.vial and study.specimen also contain a number of calculated fields that are not found in the import data- these are used in a variety of places within the system.

Hopefully this overview is helpful- please let me know if you have questions about specific fields in the import process.

Thanks,
Britt

The information Britt provided seems generally useful, so I added it to a new doc page:
https://www.labkey.org/wiki/home/Documentation/page.view?name=specimenArchiveDataDestinations

Thanks,
Elizabeth

Thanks for that extra information. It is helpful. I do have one specific question. If I include a ship_date for a vial, it is marked as unavailable, which is great. The site name in the vial view changes to "In Transit". These vials are not in transit, they are at labs and being used in experiments. What information do I need to provide to get that column to better reflect the situation?

Thanks again,
Jen

Hi Jen,

The vials will show a location of 'In Transit' until the specimen feed includes a new entry for the vial that shows arrival at a new location (indicated by the received date or stored date columns). In other words, your data is correct for the shipping location- the vial has come and gone from that location. The receiving location now has to indicate that they've received the vial. Does that make sense?

Thanks,
Britt