= OpenClinica HowTo Import Data

Tags: [[OpenClinica]] [[Odin]] [[Data Integration]]

== Process

1. Convert a CSV file into a CDSIC XML file using [[Odin]]
2. If importing data for patients at a site level, choose the site in [[Odin]], but always import into [[OpenClinica]] from within the study level.
3. Select the {{{Import}}} option from the {{{Tasks}}} menu.
4. Select the [[Odin]] output file.
5. Error messages are displayed in red.  If you get an error, correct the data in the CSV file and redo the [[Odin]] transformation, reusing the mapping file.
6. Error messages are not always shown, but you can tell if the import has not worked because it will ask you to upload a file at the bottom of the screen.
7. Errors often occur in look ups, which it calls {{{Response Sets}}}, because the data contains an invalid option.
8. Data can be imported into the same event / events multiple times, with the values overwriting the existing data.  If the column does not exist in the new data set, the value will not be overwritten.

== Gotchas

1. Do not include semicolons in CRF field names, because they break OpenClinica.  I wonder why?

== Alternative

There is a OCDataImporter desktop client that is hard to use, does not import repeating values, but does give better error messages than Odin. 

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