How do I view and correct errors in my submission?

What this error means

The date entered does not follow the required ISO 8601 date format. All dates must include year, month, and day in a specific format.

How to fix it

• Locate the cell with the date error (it will be highlighted in red or shown in the error message)
• Delete the current value
• Enter the date in the format: YYYY-MM-DD
• Ensure all parts are present (year with 4 digits, month with 2 digits, day with 2 digits)

Examples

What this error means

The value entered is not in the allowed list of options for this field. This happens when typing manually instead of selecting from the dropdown.

How to fix it

• Click on the cell showing the error
• Click the dropdown arrow that appears
• Select a value from the list provided
• If your desired value is not in the list, check the 'Picklist' sheet for the complete list of allowed values
• Never type values manually - always use the dropdown selector

Common mistakes

• Typing 'south africa' instead of selecting 'South Africa' from the dropdown
• Adding extra spaces before or after the value
• Using abbreviations (e.g., 'SA' instead of 'South Africa')
• Misspelling the option

What this error means

One or more values entered in a multi-select field do not match the allowed options exactly. Multi-select fields allow multiple values but each must be exact.

How to fix it

• Check the cell note (hover over the cell) for the complete list of allowed values
• Type each value EXACTLY as shown in the list
• Separate multiple values with commas and NO SPACES
• Maintain exact capitalization, punctuation, and slashes

Example

What this error means

The field requires a numeric value but text or special characters were entered.

How to fix it

• Remove any letters or special characters
• Remove units of measurement (e.g., 'years', 'days', '%')
• Enter only whole numbers (integers)
• Do not include spaces or commas as thousand separators

Common examples

• Host Age: Enter '35' not '35 years'
• Number of Vaccine doses received: Enter '15' not 'Fifteen'

What this error means

A required field has been left empty. Mandatory fields (highlighted in yellow) must have values for successful submission.

How to fix it

• Look for cells highlighted in yellow - these are mandatory
• Check the error message to identify which specific field is missing
• Enter an appropriate value in the empty field

Common mandatory fields for Cholera

• study_id
• isolate_id
• geo_loc_name_country
• sample_collection_date
• specimen_source_material_category
• biospecimen

Types of date relationship errors

• Date must be before sample_receive_date
• Date must be after sample_collection_date

What these errors mean

Dates must follow a logical sequence. For example, a sample cannot be received before it was collected, and processing cannot occur before receipt.

How to fix it

• Review all date fields in the row
• Ensure dates follow logical order: Collection Date → Received Date → Processing Date → Sequencing Date
• Check for data entry errors (e.g., typos in year)
• Verify dates with original records if necessary

Example of correct date sequence

• Sample collection: 2024-07-10
• Sample received: 2024-07-11
• Processing date: 2024-07-12
• Sequencing date: 2024-07-15

What this error means

The same value appears more than once in a field that requires unique identifiers. Common in isolate_id.

How to fix it

• Find and review all duplicate values
• Update duplicates with unique identifiers
• Consider adding suffixes (e.g., -A, -B) to differentiate samples

Tips for maintaining uniqueness

• Use a consistent naming convention
• Include location or date codes in IDs
• Maintain a master list of used IDs
• Use Excel's Data Validation to prevent duplicates during entry

What this error means

The validation system requires that the fasta file name and fasta header name provided in the metadata must exactly match the accompanied fasta file.

How to fix it

• Open your FASTA file in a text editor
• Check the sequence headers (lines starting with '>')
• Ensure the sequence headers in metadata exactly matches the header (after '>' symbol)
• Update either the metadata or FASTA file to ensure consistency
• Check if the fasta file name matches the fasta file in the metadata

Example