i2b2 - Documents

Please identify and upload documents useful for understanding an ontology and the structure of the CRC tables.

Ontology Cell:

Ontology Design. This is the published design document for the Ontology cell. It contains details of the Ontology table within the cell and is essential for understanding how a given ontology is stored. Needs careful pondering in association with the other documents concerning the CRC cell and the metadataxml column.

CRC Cell:

CRC Design. This is the published design document for the CRC cell. It contains details of the central observation_fact table and how the ontology is used via the concept_dimension table. Lots of other details too.

MetadataXML column:

MetadataXML Column Format. The Ontology table within the Ontology cell contains an optional column c_metadataxml. The design document for the Ontology Cell states in sum total:

c_metadataxml is an optional field to store extra information about the concept in xml
format. It is currently used to describe value metadata associated with a lab finding.

The attached document is a valuable addition. To my mind (Jeff), the use of this column extends beyond lab findings to any column which can contain a variable amount.