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Research data has history: a sample is prepared, measured, and analyzed; one result is derived from another. Dataerai captures that history as relationships between assets, so the lineage of your data stays with the data.

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How relationships work

A relationship is a directed link from one asset to another, with a type that describes the connection. Types are free-form so they can match your domain — common examples include:
  • analysis_of — this asset is an analysis of another
  • prepared_from — this sample was prepared from another
  • created_sample — this measurement created or used a sample
Linking assets builds a lineage you can follow — for example, sample → measurement → analysis — and makes related data easy to find from any point in the chain.
Dataerai asset Relationships section showing incoming Derived From edges

Incoming edges — what this asset was Derived From (its upstream sources).

Dataerai asset Relationships section showing outgoing Feeds Into and Mashed Into edges

Outgoing edges — what this asset Feeds Into and was Mashed Into (its downstream results).

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View and add relationships in the app

Open an asset and look at the Relationships section in the General tab of its detail panel. Relationships are grouped by direction — Incoming (what this asset was derived from) and Outgoing (what it feeds into) — and then by type within each direction. Use the view toggle in the section header to switch between two layouts:
  • List view shows each direction and type as a flat, scannable list of related assets.
  • Tree view shows the same relationships as an expandable tree you can collapse and open by direction and type.
To add a relationship, click the + button in the section header and fill in the inline form:
  • Target asset ID (UUID) — the asset you’re linking to. Paste its UUID (this is a direct ID entry, not a name search).
  • Type — a free-form verb describing the connection, for example analysis_of.
  • An optional analysis mode from the dropdown (see below).
Click Add to create the link. The link is directed from the current asset to the target asset. You can remove an outgoing relationship with the × next to it — only the asset that owns the link (the source) can delete it.

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Record how an analysis was done

A relationship can also note the analysis mode — how the analysis affected the sample. The dropdown options are non-destructive, altering, destructive, in-situ, ex-situ, invasive, and non-invasive, plus a blank “no analysis mode” choice. Capturing this is valuable for reproducibility and for understanding whether a sample survived a measurement. When you create a relationship through the SDK or REST API, you can also attach a free-text note, a timestamp, and arbitrary qualifiers to record when and how the connection was made. The web form captures the target, type, and analysis mode; the note, time, and qualifier fields are available programmatically.

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Create relationships from code

Use the Python SDK when your notebook or analysis pipeline creates a new asset and should link it back to its source data:
The link is directed from the derived asset to the source asset. See the pycroscopy guide for a complete notebook-style preservation example.

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Why it matters

Provenance makes your data trustworthy and reproducible: anyone who finds a result can trace it back to the raw data and the steps in between. It also complements attribution, which links data to the grants and publications behind it.

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Next steps

Assets & content

The asset these relationships connect.

Attribution

Link data to grants, publications, and contributors.