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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.

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Record how an analysis was done

A relationship can also note the analysis mode — how the analysis affected the sample. Options include non-destructive, altering, destructive, in-situ, ex-situ, invasive, and non-invasive. Capturing this is valuable for reproducibility and for understanding whether a sample survived a measurement. You can add an optional time and a note to a relationship as well, to record when and how the connection was made.

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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.