1. Sections, Entering & Editing Data
Core ELN Training:
Sections, Entering & Editing Data
Welcome to CORE ELN Training. This lesson will continue with the discussion on the Electronic Laboratory Notebook module and how it can be configured and used within the Platform for Science. This chapter will concentrate specifically on entering and editing data within an Electronic Laboratory Notebook.

2. Course Topics Sections Entering Data Editing Notebook Entries
Reusing Data
Making Notebook Templates
In the last lesson we learned what Electronic Laboratory Notebooks are, along with learning the basics on how they are created. In this lesson, we will start with a quick recap on defining what sections are and then continue on to learn how to enter data into a notebook, how to make changes to the notebook sections and content as needed. We will finish with a look at ways to reuse data and creating templates to help simplify the process of entering data.
Please click on the page when you are ready to begin.
CONFIDENTIAL

3. Sections Section (sometimes referred to as a “page” in an Entry)
Part of a notebook entry or template entry
Holds related content
Provides functionality to enter that type of content (for example, upload attachments, a text editor or a chemical sketch tool).
Users can add as many sections to an entry as they need (unless limited by admin)
Tip: Useful to retitle original section name to describe content better
As a quick review of the last chapter, a section can be defined as being part of a notebook entry, or template entry, which holds related content. Since each section is typically displayed on a separate web page, you can think of it as a “page” of an entry. Each section also provides the appropriate functionality to enter the content that belongs there, such as text editors, file upload mechanisms, or other tools. Unless an administrator limits it, users can add as many sections as they need to an entry. It is also possible to retitle the original section name so that it better describes the content.
Here is an example of a procedure section displayed within a template entry. In this template, the Simple Text Editor section has been renamed to “Procedure” in order to indicate what type of text should be entered here.
CONFIDENTIAL

4. Common Section Types File Attachments Office Tools Chemistry
Image Section
PDF Section
Attachments
Office Tools
Office Web Apps
MS Word Web App
MS Excel Web App
MS Powerpoint Web App
ThinkFree
Document
Spreadsheet
Presentation
Simple Text Editor
Chemistry
Reaction
Reaction Sketch
Associations
Let’s take a quick look at some common section types that may be available to use in your ELN. There are typically sections that allow you to attach files. Depending on your license, you will probably have either Office Web Apps or ThinkFree to provide text, spreadsheet, and presentation editor functionality. These will be discussed in detail in the documentation or in a separate lesson. If you have a chemistry license, there will be special sections to enter your reaction sketches and stoichiometry tables. These sections will also be covered in a separate lesson. There may also be sections that can be used to store associations to records in the LIMS. For this lesson, we will focus on two main generic section types that are available in all systems (the Image Section and the Attachments Section).
CONFIDENTIAL

5. Navigating To Sections
OR select the Add/Edit Sections function to toggle view
Select the hyperlink for the section you want to view
Each section will have a separate page – click on the desired section box on the left to open that page on the right
Since notebook and template entries often contain multiple sections, you will often need to navigate between the different section pages. By default, when you navigate to an Entry Details page you will usually be in the editable view where the sections are listed as tabs along the left side of the record and the content of the current section is displayed on the right side of the page. Some navigation routes may take you to a listing of the sections contained in the entry like the one shown here. If you are in this section summary view, simply click on the blue hyperlink to the section you want to view or click on the Add/Edit Sections function. Once you are in the editable sections view, you can click on any section tab on the left and it will load the content for that section on the right. The section that is currently on display will be highlighted so you can easily keep track of where you are.
CONFIDENTIAL

6. Entering Data Concepts
You are not required to enter data in every section, but an administrator may define a field within a section as mandatory (must be filled before section can be saved – it will be marked with an asterisk)
You can always leave a record partially complete and return later to enter more data (as long as the entry is in an open state)
Be sure to save each section before moving to a new one
Unless the system has been configured to enforce section order, you can enter data in any order
Data is viewable by anyone with access as soon as it is entered
You can add or remove sections as needed
Once you have navigated to a specific section, you are ready to enter data into it. Let's look at some basic concepts about entering data in general. These concepts are important for all sections within the CORE ELN.
First, when you are entering data, you are not required to enter data for every section within the ELN. You can always leave a record partially completed and then come back and return to finish it at a later time as long as the entry is in an open and editable status. Be aware, however, that an administrator may define a particular field within a section as mandatory. (Remember, mandatory fields will display on the page with an asterisk so they can be identified easily.) All fields that are marked as mandatory must be filled in before the section can be saved.
Be sure you save each section before moving on to a new section. This will ensure that all the data you enter is, in fact, saved to the database.
Typically, the data within each section of the ELN can be entered in any order, unless your system has been configured to enforce section order.
The data that you enter will be viewable to anyone who has access to that data - as soon as you save the data! Finally, if you have additional data that may not fit existing sections, you can add new sections or remove unwanted ones as needed. There is no limit to the number of sections that can be added to an Entry.
CONFIDENTIAL

7. Uploading Images Open Image section
Click on Upload link and browse to file
Thumbnail picture of image will be displayed; click on image to view in larger window
Use Edit hyperlink to replace image with a new file
Let's look at how to add data to some specific section types that might be in an Entry. We will look at the Image Section first.
It may be helpful for scientists to upload an image to a notebook, to help provide some visual supporting data. Once an image is attached, the Image section will display a thumbnail image of the uploaded picture. This is useful for gels, scans or other types of biological data.
To upload an image, first navigate to the Entry Details page  that you want to attach the image to. On the left side of the page, you will see the different types of data that can be associated with the Entry. Click on the Image Section so that the section is displayed in black, indicating that it has been selected. You can rename the default title for the section if desired. Next, click on the upload link, to upload the image to the section. The upload link will provide you with the ability to search for the file to upload. The file can be in any common image format for example, .jpg, .gif, .png.
Once the file has been located, select a Project if Project level security is enabled, and then click on Upload to write a copy of the file into the database.
Once the file has been uploaded, you should see a thumbnail image of your uploaded file. If you have attached an incorrect file, simply click on the Edit link to re-attach a new file. If it has been uploaded correctly, click on Save to save your Entry.
Once an image has been attached, users then have the ability to download the section content if needed. If a user wants to download the complete image file to open within another application, they can click on the image and retrieve the download from the internet browser. You can also just copy the thumbnail image and paste it into other documents if needed.
Similarly, you can attach a pdf document to a PDF Section in the same way. After it is uploaded, the pdf contents are displayed directly in the section. Here is an example of PDF section with a file uploaded.
 There are many other ways to navigate to this page that were discussed in the first lesson. We can just start at the Entry Details page and focus on this part of it. (Maybe use the Quick Find Tool to jump to the record)
CONFIDENTIAL

8. Uploading Other File Types
Open Attachment section
Click on Upload link and browse to file
Hyperlink to file will be displayed; click on hyperlink to download copy of file (stored in db)
Use Edit hyperlink to replace with a new file (original file will not be changed)
Your admin may configure sections to upload specific types of files (e.g. Analytical Results)
Note: For Office files, import them through the office tools so content will be indexed
If you have files to attach with more content than is useful to display directly, you can use an Attachment section to upload files and display a hyperlink to their contents.
Similar to the image or PDF sections, open the desired Attachments section. Click on the Upload hyperlink and use the Choose File button to browse to the file and open it. Next click on the Upload button to copy the file into the database. Users can now download and view the attached file by clicking on the file name hyperlink. Keep in mind that in order for another user to open the file, they must have the software required to open the file installed on their computer.
Note that if you are attaching documents with contents that you would like to index for future searches, you should use one of the sections that contains a text editor (such as Document for ThinkFree or MS Word Web App for Office Web Apps) instead of the attachments section.
CONFIDENTIAL

9. Editing Notebooks
You can only edit notebook entries when they are open – entries that are closed or signed can not be modified unless they are reopened
You can not permanently remove a notebook, template or a notebook entry from the database, but you can deactivate a record to remove it from view and searches
A deactivated notebook will remain viewable if there is an active entry within it
When open, you can add or remove sections and change content within sections
You can only edit your own entries (not even an administrator can write to your entry)
Every time an entry is opened or re-opened for editing the event is logged
Now that we have looked at the process of adding data to entries and have learned how to attach various files, let’s move on and see how we can edit the data that we have entered.
Let's start with some basic concepts about editing notebooks.
First, when editing notebook entries, you will only be able to edit entries when they are open. Entries that are closed or signed cannot be modified unless they are re-opened. (We will look at the process of closing and signing notebook entries in the next lesson).
Second, you cannot permanently remove a notebook, template, or a notebook entry from the database. If you do not want to have these viewable, you can deactivate the record to keep it from showing in views and searches. Be aware, however, that if you deactivate a notebook, it will it will remain viewable if there is an active entry within it. All entries within the notebook must be deactivated for the notebook to be deactivated.
Third, when a notebook is open, you can add and remove sections and change content and files within sections, as often as needed. Note, however, that you can only edit your own entries. Even if you are an Administrator, you can only edit your own entries.
Finally, in regards to audit tracking, every time an entry is opened or re-opened for editing, the event is recorded and a new version is stored. We will look at viewing the audit records in the next lesson.
CONFIDENTIAL

10. How Do I Change Attached Files?
Click on the edit hyperlink to browse to a new or updated file
The display or hyperlink to view file will be replaced with the most recent uploaded file
The original files can still be viewed from the edit hyperlink
Now that we know a little about editing, let’s go back to our file attachments. What if we need to update the contents of an attached file?
If you have attached an incorrect file or need to upload a new version with corrections, navigate back to the section that needs to be updated. Then simply click on the Edit link to re-attach a new file. Don't forget to click on Save again to save the change to the newly attached file. When clicking on the Edit link, you will see the Files icon, on the Main Toolbar, shows a number 2, indicating that two files have been attached. The original file that was attached can still be seen by clicking on the Files icon and then clicking on the View Files option for that file.
CONFIDENTIAL

11. How Do I Deactivate a Record?
To deactivate the entry must be open
Multiple records can be deactivated through the List Functions page
Good practice to add comment why deactivating record
Click on Edit icon, deselect Active checkbox, and save changes
We have discussed the process for deactivating records in prior lessons, and the process is the same for deactivating a Notebook entry. Navigate to the Notebook entry you wish to de-activate, and click on the Edit icon to edit the Entry. De-select the Active box and click on Update to save your edit. If there are multiple records that need to be activated at the same time, you can navigate to the List Functions Page, and De-activate multiple records at the same time from there.
CONFIDENTIAL

12. How Do I Change Sections?
If not already, must be one of your open entries and in Add/Edit Sections mode under Functions menu
Click on Add hyperlinks in Add Page to add new sections
Can also add sections from Add Page from Template panel
Remove button will remove a section (and its contents)
Additional sections can be added or changed at any time while the entry is open and editable. Keep in mind, however, that as we just mentioned, you can only make changes to your OWN entries.
If you want to add additional sections, simply navigate to the Details Page for that entry, and expand the Add Page drop-down list at the bottom left of the page to see all of the available sections that can be added. Click on the Add hyperlink next to the section that is needed. The new section will be added at the end of the list of sections – you will not be able to reorder them later so be sure to add sections in the order that you want them. There is no limit to the number of sections that can be added. You can also add the same section multiple times, although it is recommended that you change the default section title in order to make it easier to find the correct content later. For example, you could have one section with a text editor that is titled Purpose and another section that uses the same text editor titled Procedure.
If you have templates configured, you can expand the Add Page from Template option, and select a specific section from a template to add to your Entry. Template sections may contain some generic default data that is already entered, in an effort to help make entering data easier and more consistent across entries.
If a section was added in error and you would like to remove it, select the Section so that it is highlighted in black and click on the Remove button. This will remove both the section and its contents as well. You will NOT be able to retrieve the contents later.
CONFIDENTIAL

13. How Do I Change Content?
If not already, must be one of your open entries and in Add/Edit Sections mode under Functions menu
Click on desired section in the left panel to view section
Type in new values where needed (non-editable fields will not give you a place to enter or change data)
Click on Save buttons to update the database
The data within the section can also be modified as needed while the entry is open and editable. From the Details page, simply make the edits as needed and click on SAVE to save your changes. Non-editable fields will not provide a place to enter or change data, and cannot be modified.
CONFIDENTIAL

14. Reusing Data Action Description When to Use
Copy
You can make a copy of any closed entry (from any public notebook) or any entry from your private notebook into your own notebook
If you have similar data that is easier to modify from another single experiment than to enter it from scratch
Add To Template
You can make a copy of any closed public entry or any of your private entries into your own notebook template
If you have a general experiment that you run many times with only small amounts of new data values to enter
Create or Use Public Template Notebook
You can build your own template notebook and entries from scratch and share them for anyone to use
If you want to have everyone in a group follow a standard entry format with the same section organization
Create or Use a Private Template Notebook
You can build your own template notebook and entries from scratch and add default data that you frequently use
If you want to pre-enter the data and section organization you always enter for almost all experiments
Now that we know how to enter and edit data from scratch, let’s take a look at some of the different strategies there are to make data entry easier. Many scientists commonly have very similar data that is entered for many entries. Even if they don’t have the same data, they often have the same organizational format across many entries. It would be a lot of work for users to create this from scratch for every entry.
One quick thing a scientist can do if they are repeating a very similar experiment is to copy an existing entry and modify the new copy with data for the current experiment. Users can copy any private or public closed entry into their own notebooks.
If a scientist is frequently copying the same entry many times, it may make sense to make a copy of this entry into your own template notebook. You can then clean out any specific data and use this copy as a template when creating new entries.
If an administrator or department head wants to establish a standard organizational format that everyone should follow, they can create a public template entry that everyone can use.
If a scientist has lots of default data and a standard organizational format they want to reuse often, they can create their own private template entry for themselves.
CONFIDENTIAL

15. How Do I Create a Template Ntbk?
Select Create under the Notebooks > Template Notebook menu (remember you should be in the ELN application)
The major difference between creating a notebook and a template notebook is that you do NOT need a signature workflow for a template
Since you will probably have fewer template entries than notebook entries you may want to just store all template pages in a single notebook
Any template entries that you make will be stored in a template notebook. Typically, most users only need one template notebook to store all their templates since there will not be as many template entries. A template notebook is very similar to a notebook except that it does not contain a signature workflow since there is no final data that needs to be verified and reviewed.
To create a template notebook, you can use the Create option under the Template Notebook menu. Just like with notebooks, you will be able to select whether the template notebook will be public or private and which users will be allowed to add entries to it.
CONFIDENTIAL

16. How Do I Copy Entries?
To see the Copy/Add to Templates menus the entry must be closed or be created by you
To make a copy of this page into your own notebook click on Copy
To make a copy of this page into your own notebook template click on Add to Templates
You will be asked to select from a list of your notebooks or notebook templates where the copy should go
Once you have a template note book to store your templates, you can start to add template entries to them. As we mentioned earlier, one way to reuse data was to start from an existing notebook entry.
If you just want to make a direct copy of a notebook entry to your own notebook entry, you can use the Copy function. You will only be able to copy your own Entries or if it is an Entry someone else created, that entry must be closed. We will look at closing entries in the next lesson.
To copy an Entry, simply navigate to the Details page of the Entry and expand the Function drop down menu. Select the Copy option. This will prompt you for the Notebook to copy the entry into. Select the appropriate Notebook and click on Select. This will copy the Entry, along with all of its data, into the Notebook you selected. It will also bring you directly into the details page of that Entry.
If you want to copy the Entry into a template notebook for repeated uses, select the Add to Templates option from the Function drop down. Select from the drop down list the appropriate template notebook to add the template entry to. Click on the Select button and a copy of the entry will be made. You will be brought directly to the new template entry.
CONFIDENTIAL

17. How Do I Create a Template Entry? (From Scratch)
If you start from the Template Notebook New Template function you can create a new template from scratch and add sections or start from an existing template
If you start from the Entries > Entry > Add New Template menu you can define which template notebook and then add sections to an empty template
Once you have a template notebook created, template Entries can then be added either from the New Template Function on a Template Notebook Details page OR by selecting Add New Template Entry from the Entry Menu.
The Create New Template Entry page will look very similar to the Create New Entry page. You can either create an empty template entry record and add the desired sections as we described earlier in the lesson, or you can start by copying an existing template with one or more previously defined sections and modify it.
For example, let’s start by navigating to our Biology Department Template Notebook. We can use the New Template function to start a second standard template for another set of users. We’ll reuse the current Biology Standard Templates as our starting format. We can enter a new title to describe the content so users can select the correct template. Click on the Create Entry button.
On the Template Entry Details page we can see the previous sections already populated. Let’s add a PDF section for to attach a supporting literature file. The template is now ready to be used in new notebook entries.
CONFIDENTIAL

18. Course Review Sections Entering Data Editing Notebook Entries
Reusing Data
Making Notebook Templates
This chapter has expanded on the topics of Electronic Laboratory Notebooks and has covered the additional topics of Sections, Entering & Editing Data, Changing Sections, along with Creating Notebook Templates. You should be comfortable with all of these topics at this time. If there is anything that you would like to review, please go back through that section again as needed. If you feel you have a good understanding of this material, then please continue on with the next lesson.
Thank you for investing your time in CORE ELN Training.
CONFIDENTIAL