Prepare a results file

Most results reach you as a table from the analyzer, the middleware or someone's spreadsheet. To import one, see Import a file; to type results in by hand, see Enter results in the grid.

Keep the file and each cell within the size limits; a cell can hold up to 2,000 characters. Save .xls and .xlsm files as .xlsx or CSV first.

The file or pasted text you choose goes to LabRuns in full so the dialog can read it, and it is cleared as soon as the import is saved, or after an hour if you leave the import unfinished. Only the columns the import reads are kept. A recognized patient identifier shows as Patient identifier (not saved), and a patient-linked heading such as Accession starts as Leave out; if you choose it as Specimen ID, the dialog asks whether to replace its values with study codes. See Import a file. Before you choose the file, remove patient identifiers from its cells, its filename and its worksheet names, along with any specimen codes built from them. The Terms of Service list the patient identifiers that must stay out of LabRuns.

• One row per measured result. Each replicate, day and instrument reading gets its own row. Move replicates in side-by-side columns, such as Rep1 and Rep2, onto separate rows. The import can also do this for numbered columns; it asks how to read them.
• One column per kind of information, such as specimen ID, result, level, day, run and replicate.
• One study per table. A precision study and a method comparison for the same analyte need two tables and two studies.
• Only the data. Remove totals, averages, merged cells and blank columns. Title or note lines above the heading row are skipped.

Method comparison and qualitative agreement put both methods' results for a specimen in one row, in two columns. The column reference lists the columns for each study type.

specimen_id,result,level,day,run,replicate
QC-001,99.2,1,1,1,1
QC-001,100.4,1,1,1,2
QC-001,98.7,1,1,1,3

Blank lines are skipped. Blank cells are flagged. See Handle missing and censored values.

Put the headings in one row directly above the results. If the first row could be headings or data, the import asks which it is. Without headings, columns are named Column 1, Column 2 and so on, and you choose each column's use under Columns in your file.

• Recognized headings include specimen_id, Sample ID, Result, Level, Day, Run, Replicate, Lot and Instrument. See the full list. If two columns fit the same field, you choose.
• A unit in brackets, such as Result (mg/dL) or Result [mmol/L], fills in a new study's unit. Imported into an existing study, it must match that study's unit. See Units.

• Save as text with one delimiter throughout: comma, semicolon or tab. The delimiter is found for you.
• Quote a value that contains the delimiter, such as "1,234.5". Unquoted, it splits into two columns.
• With decimal commas, use semicolons or tabs so that 4,56 stays one value.

If the columns don't line up under Rows to import in the dialog, re-export with quoted values. See Import problems.

• One worksheet at a time. The sheet that was open when the workbook was last saved is read first. When the workbook has more than one sheet, the dialog lists them under Worksheet; choose the one you want.
• Formulas come in as text and their rows are flagged, because formulas never run. Paste the cells as values in your spreadsheet first.
• Numeric cells keep their value, written in the study's convention. 1.5 becomes 1,5 in a decimal-comma study. A cell formatted as a percentage is read at the scale it shows: a cell showing 12.5% comes in as 12.5. Use one percentage format for a column.
• Leading zeros need text cells. A spreadsheet stores 001 as the number 1. Format ID columns as Text, or use CSV.
• Dates come in as text, such as 2026-09-01T00:00:00.

Blank template (CSV), at the top of a study's Set up and Data stages, gives the right headings without example results; carryover also includes its 21 prepared positions and roles. Templates and downloads lists them all.

1. For an existing study, fill in analyte, unit, matrix and instrument on Set up.
2. Check that Numeric convention matches how the file writes numbers.
3. Use one header row and one row per result. Remove totals and notes.
4. Specimen IDs are coded, and formatted as text if they have leading zeros.
5. Results are plain numbers or declared categories. Correct or exclude <0.5, >1000 or hemolyzed before calculating.
6. The file has one analyte, matrix, instrument and unit, or you are ready to split it. See Files that mix analytes, matrices, instruments or units.