Projects

This page contains detailed information about managing projects in SCIENTRY.

Overview

Projects are the top-level containers in SCIENTRY that organize your research data. Each project can contain multiple models and has its own access control settings.

Key Features

• Create and manage project containers
• Set project-level permissions
• Archive completed projects
• Track project versions

Project Creation and Versioning

When creating a project, the project version is a mandatory attribute that helps you track different iterations of your research work.

Project Versioning System

SCIENTRY supports project versioning to help you manage different iterations of the same research project. This is particularly useful when you need to:

• Create variations of an existing project
• Maintain different versions for different experiments
• Track project evolution over time
• Share project templates with team members

Using Existing Projects as Templates

When creating a new project, if you type the name of an existing project, SCIENTRY will detect this and offer you the option to use that project as a template:

1. Template Detection: As you type the project name, if it matches an existing project, a card will appear offering to use it as a template
2. Template Selection: Click on the template card to automatically populate the new project with:
   • The same description as the original project
   • All models from the original project (with their attributes and configurations)
   • The same access control settings
3. Version Requirement: When using a template, you must change the version number. This ensures that:
   • Each project version has a unique identifier
   • You can track which version was based on which template
   • The system can distinguish between different iterations

Version Naming Conventions

While SCIENTRY doesn't enforce a specific versioning scheme, common practices include:

• Semantic Versioning: 1.0.0, 1.1.0, 2.0.0
• Date-based: 2024.01, 2024.02, 2024.03
• Experiment-based: v1-control, v1-treatment, v2-optimized
• Simple numbering: v1, v2, v3

Benefits of Project Versioning

• Data Integrity: Each version maintains its own data and configurations
• Experiment Tracking: Easily compare results between different project versions
• Collaboration: Team members can work on different versions simultaneously
• Backup and Recovery: Previous versions serve as backups of your work
• Template Sharing: Create standardized project templates for your research group

Example Workflow

1. Create Initial Project: Create "Genetic Analysis Study" with version "1.0.0"
2. Add Models: Define Sample, Experiment, and Analysis models
3. Create New Version: Use the project as a template to create "Genetic Analysis Study" version "1.1.0"
4. Modify New Version: Add new attributes or modify existing models as needed
5. Compare Results: Both versions maintain their own data and can be compared

Important Notes

• Unique Version Requirement: You cannot create two projects with the same name and version
• Independent Data: Each project version maintains its own records and data
• Template Inheritance: When using a template, all models and their configurations are copied, but data is not transferred
• Access Control: Each project version can have different access control settings