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Guide to the NIH CDE Repository

Introduction

This User Guide provides an overview of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Data Element (CDE) Repository and describes its features and functionality.  It contains step-by-step instructions for navigating the NIH CDE Repository. You may also refer to the Video Tutorials Page for a NIH CDE Repository Overview.
 

Purpose of the NIH CDE Repository

The NIH CDE Repository is a free collaborative platform for common data elements (CDEs) and Forms. The CDEs in the Repository are structured, human and machine-readable definitions of data elements that have been recommended or required by NIH Institutes and Centers and other organizations to use in research. For more information, please visit the NIH CDE Repository About Page.
 

What are Common Data Elements? 

Common Data Elements (CDEs) are standardized, precisely defined questions paired with a set of specific allowable responses, used systematically across different sites, studies, or clinical trials to ensure consistent data collection. 

CDEs let researchers work together because of the common factor, the common data element that provides researchers with larger sets of reusable data. 

Please visit NLM's Office of Engagement and Training's webinar, Common Data Elements: Standardizing Data Collection for an in-depth look at how common data elements work. 
 

Introduction to Content - CDEs and Forms

  • CDEs
    • Definition: A Common Data Element, or CDE, is one defined question (i.e., variable) paired with a specific set of rules for the allowable responses. CDEs may be used in data collection instruments across multiple datasets, research sites, studies, etc. 
    • Example: “What is the patient’s height?” is a question; its allowable response might be, “whole number using centimeters as the unit of measure”.
    • Organization of Repository: The NIH CDE Repository is organized so that you can browse CDEs from the grid in the middle of the page which displays CDEs by classifications. Classifications are groupings of CDEs that are typically associated with an NIH Institute or Center (IC) or research initiative. You can also search for CDEs by entering keywords in the search bar. Every CDE has a single steward or owner, but they can be used by other organizations. You can also export CDEs in JSON, CSV, or Excel formats.
  • Forms
    • Definition: A Form (sometimes known as a Bundle) is a set of questions or variables with specified sets of allowable responses that are bundled together and used as a set for particular research or clinical reasons. Bundles are indivisible and individual CDEs pulled from them are not considered valid.
    • Example: BRICS Social Determinants of Health
    • Organization: Forms are simply curated sets of CDEs. The forms page allows you to search and browse forms instead of individual CDEs. The number of forms in each classification are stored in the grid. Registered users can create forms using CDEs in the repository. Forms may be original or representations of real-world questionnaires. You can export forms for data collection in a variety of formats. Boards can also be created by users to save CDEs or Forms of interest, which can be either private or public.
       

NIH Endorsement and Submissions

NIH Endorsement: The NIH CDE Governance Committee reviews CDE submissions, and endorses collections of CDEs that meet meaningful criteria. The NIH endorsed CDEs published in the NIH CDE Repository support FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and re-usable) data sharing.  Adherence to FAIR principles provide high quality “computation-ready” data with standardized vocabularies and readable metadata retrievable by identifiers that modernize the NIH data ecosystem.  

The Governance Committee will decide whether to endorse collections of CDEs according to the following criteria, which were set by the NIH Scientific Data Council:

  • Clear definition of variable, measure with prompt and response
  • Documented evidence of reliability and validity
  • Human- and machine-readable format preferred
  • Recommended/designated by a recognized NIH body (Institute/Center, Committee, etc)
  • Licensing and intellectual property status clear (prefer Creative Commons-by or open source)

Submissions: To submit a CDE collection, a submitter must email a completed submission package with individual CDEs/Bundles to NIH-CDE-Governance@nih.gov with all required fields completed. The Governance Committee is charged with assessing whether submitted CDEs meet criteria that merit designation as “NIH-endorsed CDEs.” Designating endorsed CDEs and making them discoverable and accessible through the NIH CDE Repository is expected to advance the use of CDEs in NIH supported and conducted research, broadly defined.

For a more detailed description of the CDE Collection and NIH Endorsement review process, visit the Submitting CDEs & Forms section of this guide.

 

Registration, Sign In, and Settings

The NIH CDE Repository uses the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Terminology Service (UTS) Sign on Service which lets you set up an account and sign in using your NIH credentials, your account with a research organization, or a personal account such as Google, Microsoft, or Login.gov.

A user account is not required to browse the NIH CDE Repository, but when you are signed in, you will have expanded access to features. User account holders can create Boards and save CDEs and Forms to them, remember your preferences on all your devices, and if approved, become a curator, and view/manage your organization's content. Users with NIH credentials can choose to see CDEs of any registration status – including previewing draft CDEs that have not yet been published.

Register for a User Account

If you do not yet have a UTS account, you may request one using your credentials from NIH (recommended), Google, Microsoft, Login.gov, or another research organization. 

  1. Click on the "Sign In" button located at the top right of the homepage. 
  2. On the NIH CDE Repository Sign In page, select the "Sign Up" option. You will be redirected to the UMLS Terminology Services Sign Up page. 
  3. Click on the identity provider you wish to use for your user account:
    • If you have NIH credentials (i.e., your name is found in the NIH Employee Directory), you should use "NIH Employees."
    • If you are affiliated with a research organization, such as a university or research institute, you may use "Research Organization."
    • If you have a "Login.gov" account, you may use that,
    • Otherwise, you may use your personal Google or Microsoft credentials to sign up. 
  4. Agree to licensing terms. 
  5. Fill out the web form to submit your request.

NLM will review your license request within three (3) business days, and once your request has been approved, you will receive an email notification. You will then be able to access services that require a UTS License. 


Sign In

Once you have been granted a UTS license or account, you may sign in to the NIH CDE Repository with your account credentials. 

  1. On the NIH CDE Repository Sign In page, select the "Sign In" option.
  2. Sign in to your UTS account using the identity provider with which you created it. 
     

Account Settings

In your account settings page, you may access your user profile, available settings, and CDE viewing history. Depending on your role in the system, you may see relevant comments. 

You must sign in to view your user settings. Once you've signed in, click your username at the top right corner of the screen and select "Profile."

Screenshot of user profile and user settings sections with expanded dropdown menu for user settings.

  • Profile
    • The Profile page is displayed by default when you open User Settings. 
    • If you are viewing a different Settings page, click "Profile" on the left navigation pane in your User Settings
    • The Profile page displays information about your user account, including your account privileges:
      • Username: The NIH CDE Repository Account name associated with your login.
      • Curator for: CDE collections that you are responsible to review for accurate content - prior to publication. 
      • Admin for: The administrator responsible for submissions of your organization's collections and point of contact regarding submission. 
  • Search Settings
    • Select "Search Settings" in the left navigation pane
    • Specify whether you would like your search results to include only published CDEs and Forms or published and draft CDEs and Forms by clicking the associated radio button:
      • The "Published CDEs and Forms" selection displays all Preferred Standard, Standard, and Qualified CDEs in your search results. 
      • The "Published and Draft CDEs and Forms" selection displays all Preferred Standard, Standard, Qualified, Recorded, and Candidate CDEs in your search results. 
    • Important Note: Only qualified, standard, and preferred standard status CDEs and forms are considered final. Candidate and Recorded status CDEs and forms are draft submissions, under review, and subject to change. They are made available to NIH staff (logged in using NIH credentials) for informational purposes only. Non-NIH staff can only view Recorded and Candidate CDEs for which they are the Curator or Org Administrator.

  • Viewing History
    • Select "Viewing History" on the left navigation pane
    • The Viewing History Page lists the most recent CDEs and Forms that you have viewed while signed in to your account. You have the option to view the CDE or Form in another tab or pin it to a board of your choice. 
    • Click the eye icon to view the full CDE page. (An eye icon is used as the button to click for viewing the full CDE page.)
    • Click the pin icon to pin a CDE to a board of your choice. (A pin icon is used as the button to select to pin a CDE to a board.)
  • Comments
    • Select "Comments" on the left navigation pane (visibility depends on your role in the system)
    • On the My Comments Page, you can view all comments you have made from your account on CDEs, Forms, or Boards.

 

Exploring CDEs

You may search for CDEs in the NIH CDE Repository using a variety of options and methods. This section describes the NIH CDE Repository Home Page, the CDE Search Page, and the CDE Search Results Page. 

No account is needed to search and view CDEs in the NIH CDE Repository. However, if you create a user account and sign in, you will be able to save CDEs to a Board, and export lists of CDEs and Forms. 
 

Home Page

Click "Search by topic, keyword, or organization" in the search bar in the middle of the home page, then enter your search criteria. 

The system will retrieve the best matches for your search terms, comparing them with many fields in the database: CDE name, classifications, organization name, and more. See the CDE Search Page, CDE Results Page, and Search Tips sections for further information about refining and filtering your search. 

To change to search All CDEs, click the "Search All CDEs" tab above the search bar. To change to a Form search, click the "Search Forms" tab above the search bar.

Close up screenshot of the home page search bar with red boxes highlighting the different search tabs of "Search All CDEs" and "Search Forms."

CDE Search Page

The CDE Search Page allows you to search for CDEs by classification/organization, by simple text search, or by advanced search using Boolean operators and query syntax. This section describes how to navigate to the CDE search page from anywhere in the Repository, how to browse CDEs by classification(s), how to perform a text search, and advanced search tips.

  • Navigate to CDE Search Page
    ​​​​​To navigate to the CDE Search Page, click "CDEs" in the top Navigation Bar from any page in the Repository. This will open the CDE Search page where you can search for CDEs by entering search criteria in the Search Bar or by selecting a Classification to browse. 
  • Text Search
    1. Enter your search terms in the search bar. You may search for CDEs by entering keywords, an abbreviation of the submitting organization, NLM Identifier, and other text. 
    2. Click the Search button to the right of the search bar, or press [ENTER] to perform the search. The system will load the CDE Results Page with the results of your search.  ​​​​​​
  • Browse by Classification
    • Classifications are topical organizations of CDE collections. The top-level classification for CDEs is the NIH Institute or research initiative which submitted the collection. Classifications can be further broken down into different domains and subdomains such as disease category or specific research initiative. 
    • Each classification box includes the following information: 
      • Abbreviated classification name
      • Full classification name
      • Source (if available) - for example, a link to the external repository for this collection 
      • Number of elements in the collection
    • The following actions may be performed on each classification box:
      • Click the abbreviated classification name to browse CDEs in that classification. 
      • Click the source link (if available) to be redirected to the external repository for this collection.

CDE Search Results Page

The CDE Search results page displays CDEs that match the criteria of your search. Exact matches will rank highest in the results. If your search contains more than one term, results containing either term will be retrieved. You can refine your search using the search bar or facets, view CDE results, and perform actions such as pinning and exporting the resulting CDEs. For descriptions of all capabilities of the search results page, please see 1-5 below.

Screenshot of the CDE search results page with red boxes highlighting different page elements including the "Search Bar," "Results Summary Bar," "Search Filters," "Action Buttons," and a "CDE Result."

  • Results Summary Bar
    • The results summary displays the number of CDEs retrieved in the current search active filters. 
    • To remove a filter from the search, click on one of the filters shown in the Active CDE Filters section. 
    • To clear all filters, click the "Clear All" button.  ​​​​​​
  • Search Bar
    • The search bar of the search results page can be used to further refine search results. 
    • To add additional text search criteria, type keyword(s) in the search bar and click the magnifying glass on the right or [ENTER] to initiate the search.
    • Review section 3 of this guide for instructions on how to perform a text search and use advanced search operators. 
  • Search Facets
    The search facets are located on the left side of the search results screen. Here, you may refine your search by drilling into specific classifications(s), registration status(es), and data type(s). To the right of each available filter, the number of results that will be returned when that filter is added is displayed.
    • Classification: In most cases, this is the steward organization that owns the CDE or form. The steward may have applied additional classifications (domain, related initiative, etc.). 
      • Click on any classification to add it as a AND condition. 
      • Classifications that have subcategories will have a right-pointing angle bracket next to it. 
    • Registration Status: Indicates where a CDE or form is in the review/vetting process. Statuses include:
      • Incomplete - In process; missing information
      • Candidate - Complete; ready for review or in review
      • Recorded - Passed NLM basic review; all mandatory metadata present
      • Qualified - Meets requirements of "Recorded" status, passed quality review by NLM Curators, and submitter has approved
      • Standard - Meets requirements for "Qualified" status and has been recommended by an authoritative source
      • Preferred Standard - Defined by an authority such as HHS, NIH, OMB based on an alignment to clear
    • Data Types: The format of the permissible values for the CDE. Data Types include:
      • Value List - a predefined list of values. Example - CDE "Seizure Indicator" has a Value List of: Yes, No, Suspected, and Unknown
      • Text
      • Number
      • File
      • Date
  • CDE Results
    On the Search Results Page, CDEs that match the search criteria and filters will be shown. The default view is Summary View. To switch to Table View, click the second button, labeled "Table View," in the action bar. 
    • Summary View: In Summary View, the CDE fields displayed are Name, Registration Status, Steward, Used By, Source, and Value/Code Name/Code (if CDE is Value List data type).
      • To navigate to the CDE details page, click on the CDE Name.
      • To pin the CDE to a board, click the pin​​​​​​​ icon. (A pin icon is used as the button to select to pin a CDE to a board.​​​​​​​)
    • Table View: In table view, the default CDE fields displayed are NIH-Endorsed (gold ribbon), Name, Question Texts, Permissible Values, Number of Permissible Values (Nb of PVs), Steward, Used by, Registration Status, and Identifiers. (See figure below for referenced examples):
      ​​​​​​​​​​​​
      ​​​​​​​To edit the CDE table view fields:
      1. Click the "Customize Table" button above the table. 
      2. Select the CDE Table View Fields you want to see in the table. You may also choose the "Load Default" option to return the default view fields. 
      3. After you have selected your fields, click "Close." ​​​​​​

      Screenshot of table view of CDE results with a red box around the "Customize Table" button.​​​​​​​

  • Action Buttons
    ​​​​​​​The action buttons bar is located at the top right of the CDE Search Results page. The action buttons bar lets you hide filters, switch between summary view and table view, pin all CDEs in the search results, and export the CDE search results. 
    • Hide Filters:​​​​​
      Click the Hide Filters button to hide all filters on the left side of the CDE Search Results Page.
      ​​​​​​​
    • Summary View/Table View:
      • Click the Summary View button to navigate to Summary View from Table View.
      • Click the Table View button to navigate to Table View from summary View.
        ​​​​​​​
    • Pin All
      ​​​​​​​Click the Pin All button to pin all CDEs in the search results to a board.
      ​​​​​​​
    • Export All
      1. Click the Export All button to export all CDEs in the search results.​​​​
      2. Select JSON, XML, or CSV from the dropdown menu to specify the file type of your export.
         

Search Tips

  • To search for an exact phrase, use quotation marks.
    • Example: Searching "Patient Health" returns 32 CDEs that contain the exact phrase, "Patient Health." Searching Patient Health returns 2400 CDEs which contain both "Patient" and "Health" somewhere. 
  • Boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT
    • AND: Retrieves CDEs which contain both terms (default search operator where more than one search term is provided)
    • OR: Retrieves CDEs which contain either one of the terms
    • NOT: Excludes CDEs with the term
    • Syntax: [search term A] [AND, OR, NOT] [search term B]
      • Note: You must capitalize the operator: AND, OR, NOT.
      • Example: A search of male OR man returns 413 CDEs whose name contains either "male" or "man". 
  • The asterisk "*" is the wildcard character. A search for "*" returns all CDEs in the Repository.
    ​​​​​​​

Exploring Forms

You may search for Forms in the NIH CDE Repository using a variety of options and methods. This section describes the NIH CDE Repository Forms Search Page and the Forms Search Results Page.

No account is needed to search and view Forms in the NIH CDE Repository. However, if you create a user account and login, you will be able to save Forms to a Board, and export lists of Forms to promote collaborative research.
 

Forms Search Page

  • Navigate to Forms Search Page:
    Click on “Forms” in the top Navigation Bar on any page in the Repository. This will open the Forms Search page where you can search for Forms by entering search criteria in the Search Forms bar or by selecting a Classification to browse.
    ​​​​​​​
  • Text Search
    • You may search for Forms by entering keywords, an abbreviation of the submitting organization, Titles of CDEs contained in the form, NLM identifier, and other text.
    • Enter keywords(s) of interest in the search bar. 
    • Click the search magnifying glass icon to the right of the search bar, or press [ENTER] on your keyboard to perform the search. The system will load the Forms Results Page with the results of your search. 
  • Browse by Classification
    • Classifications are topical organizations of CDE or Form collections. The top classification level of a CDE collection is the NIH institute or research initiative which submitted the Form. 
    • Classification groups are displayed in alphabetical order. 
    • Each classification box includes the following information:
      • Abbreviated classification name
      • Full classification name
      • Source (if available) - a link to the external repository for this collection
      • Number of elements in the collection
    • The following actions may be performed on each classification box:
      • Click the abbreviated classification name to perform a Form search for that classification. 
      • Click the source link (if available) to be redirected to the external repository for this collection. 
         

Forms Search Results Page

The Forms Search results page displays all Forms that match the criteria of your search. Exact matches will rank highest in the results. If your search contains more than one term, results containing either term will also be retrieved. In the search results page, the user can refine their search using the search bar or facets, view Form results, and perform actions such as pinning and exporting the resulting Forms. For descriptions of all capabilities of the search results page, please see bullets 1 through 5 of this section. 

Screenshot of the forms search results page with red boxes highlighting different page elements including the "Search Bar," "Results Summary Bar," "Search Filters," "Action Buttons," and a "Forms Result."

  • Results Summary Bar
    The results summary displays the number of forms that are present in the current search results. 
     
  • Search Bar​​​​​​​
    • The search bar of the forms search results page can be used to further refine search results by creating an additional text search. 
    • To add additional text search criterion, type desired keyword(s) in the search bar and click the magnifying glass on the right or [ENTER] on your keyboard to initiate the search. 
    • Review the Text Search and Search Tips section of this guide for instructions on how to perform a text search and use advanced search operators. 
  • Search Facets
    ​​​​​​​The search facets pane is located on the left side of the search results screen. Here, you may refine your search by drilling into specific classification(s) and registration status(es). To the right of each available filter to select, the number of data elements that will be returned when that filter is added is displayed.
    • To remove a filter from the search, click on the "x" in the filter shown in the Active Forms Filters. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​To clear all filters, click the "Clear All" button.
    • Classification: The steward organization(s) that own or use the form (or CDE). The steward may have applied additional classifications (disease, domain, population, etc.). In the Search Facets figure, the forms result page is already filtered to the NINDS collection, and you may further filter by Disease, Domain, Population, or Preclinical TBI.
      • Click the plus button to add a second classification filter as an AND condition. 
      • Click the minus button to add a second classification filter as a NOT condition. 
      • Click the right-pointing angle bracket to the right of any classification to view all available subclassification filters within that category.
    • Registration Status: Indicates where a form (or CDE) is in the review/vetting process. Statuses include: 
      • Incomplete - in process; missing information
      • Candidate - complete; ready for review or in review
      • Recorded - passed NIH basic review; all mandatory metadata present
      • Qualified - from authoritative source; attributes meet NIH quality standards; endorsed/vetted by community
      • Standard - includes terminology such as LOINC or SNOMED
  • Forms Results​​​​​​​
    ​​​​​​​On the Search Results Page, all CDEs that match the search criteria and filters will be shown. The default view is Summary View. To navigate to table view, click the 2nd button labeled “Table View” in the action bar.
    • Summary View: In summary view, the Forms fields displayed are Name, Registration Status, Matched By Status, Number of Questions, Steward, and Used By.
      • To navigate to the Form's detailed page, click on the Form Name. 
      • To pin the CDE to a board of your choice, click the pin icon. ​​​​​​​​​​​
    • Table View: In table view, the default Form fields displayed are Name, Steward, Used By, Registration Status, Identifiers, and Questions:
      • To edit the Form table view fields:  ​​​​​​​
        1. Select the Settings icon (gear) to the right of the "Name" column.
        2. Select all Form View Fields you wish to view in the table. You may also choose the "Load Default" option to return the default view fields. 
        3. After you have selected your desired view fields, click "Close". 
  • Action Buttons
    ​​​​​​The action buttons bar is located at the top right of the Forms Search Results page. The action buttons bar has several capabilities including hiding filters, switching between summary view/table view, pinning all Forms in the search results, and exporting the Forms search results. 
    • Hide Filters​​​​​
      ​​​​​​​Click the Hide Filters button to hide all filters on the left side of the Forms Search Results Page.
      ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
    • Summary View/Table View
      • Click the Summary View button to navigate to Summary View from Table View.
      • Click the Table View button to navigate to Table View from summary View.​​​
    • Export:
      1. Click the Export All button to export all forms in the search results.​​​​
      2. Select JSON, XML, or ODM from the dropdown menu to specify the file type of your export. 
        ​​​​​​​

Search Tips

To browse search tips for exploring Forms, please view the Search Tips section of the Navigating CDEs page in this guide.

 

Submitting CDEs & Forms

NIH Endorsement Workflow

NIH-recognized bodies (institutes, research initiatives, etc.) may submit CDEs to the NIH CDE Governance Committee for consideration for endorsement. When the Governance Committee deems the CDEs as endorsed, and the submitter has signed off, NLM will publish the CDEs in the NIH CDE Repository and flag them as NIH Endorsed.

After a CDE collection is submitted and the governance committee accepts the CDEs for review, NLM curators will review the collection with a QA checklist and load draft CDEs into the repository. These are reviewed by the governance committee and, if endorsed, these CDEs will be published in the repository as NIH-endorsed CDEs.​​​​​​​

Submission Template

Submitters must use the governance submission template, which NIH users can find in the NLM Common Data Elements Team (NIH credentials required for access). After all required fields of the submission template are complete, and all additional metadata is added, NLM Curators will perform QA and Curation on the collection, and communicate any gaps that must be addressed by the submitter. 

Screenshot of the spreadsheet document for submitting CDEs.​​​​​​​

Instructions:

  • All submission fields are listed in row 1 of the governance submission template. In row 2, an indication is made outlining which fields are required, conditionally required, and optional. In row 3, a description of each field is included which includes instructions on how to complete each field.
  • Complete each required field of the governance submission template. Each CDE should be given a unique row and required fields must be completed for all CDEs in the collection. Required fields include:
    • CDE Name
    • CDE Data Type
    • CDE Definition
    • Preferred Question Text
    • CDE Source
    • Data Element Concept (DEC) Identifier
    • DEC Concept Terminology Source
  • Complete all conditionally required and optional fields, where applicable. Conditionally required and optional fields include:
    • NLM Identifier for NIH CDE Repository
    • Mapping to Other Groups
    • CDE Type
    • Name of Composite or Bundle
    • Permissible Value (PV) Labels
    • Permissible Value (PV) Definitions
    • License/Copyright Owner
    • License/Copyright Permission
  • Add additional metadata
    ​​​​​​​If there is additional data that you want to provide for CDEs in your collection, that does not map to the fields in the governance submission template, you may add it to the far right of the submission template in the “Added Properties” section.

 

My Boards

Boards allow NIH CDE Repository users to save CDEs or Forms of interest. They promote a collaborative platform for saving and sharing CDEs and forms. Boards can be either private or public. Anything you include in a public board will be visible to anyone. Private boards are only visible to you. See sections 1 through 3, below, for instructions on creating new boards, adding CDEs and Forms to boards, and exporting your boards.

My Boards Page

The My Boards page allows you to create, edit, and share your boards of CDEs and forms to promote collaborative research and analysis. This section describes how to navigate to the My Boards page, how to filter your boards by type and share status, how to add a new board, and how to edit and view existing boards.  

Screenshot of the "My Boards" section with the "Add Board" and "My Boards" buttons, board filters, and board tiles outlined in red.​​​​​​​

  • Navigate to the My Boards page:
    Click the "My Boards" tab​​​​​ in the top right panel from any page in the NIH CDE Repository. 
    ​​​​​​​
  • Add a Board
    1. Click the "Add Board" button​​​​ next to My Boards. The board creation window will appear. 
    2. Using the dropdown arrow on the right side of the screen, indicate which type of element the board will contain: CDEs or Forms.​​​​​​​​​​​​​
    3. Enter text to provide a Name/Title for the board.
    4. Enter text to provide an optional description for your board. ​​​​​​​
    5. Click the "Save" button.​​​​
  • Filter Your Boards:
    • Narrow your board search by selecting criteria from different sections on the left panel:
      • Type: Designates whether the board contains CDEs or Forms
      • Share Status: Designates whether the board is private or public. 
  • Board Tiles
    • The My Boards page displays your boards in tile format. Each board tile displays the following:
      • Board Name
      • "Private" (A lock icon is used to indicate the board is private.) or "Public" (A world icon is used to indicate that the board is public.​​​​​​​)
      • Edit (A pencil icon is used to represent the edit button.) and delete (A trash can icon is used to represent the delete button.​​​​​​​) buttons
      • The number of CDE(s) or Form(s) in the Board
      • A description of the Board
      • The board's modification status​​​​​​​
    • Actions
      • Navigate to the Board's Details Page:
        ​​​​​​​Click on the Board Title.
        ​​​​​​​
      • Delete a Board: ​​​​​
        1. ​​​​​​​Click the delete button (A trash can icon is used to represent the delete button.​​​​​​​).
        2. Click "Save" to confirm the deletion of the board tile or click "Cancel" to cancel the deletion and return to the My Boards page.
      • Edit a Board:
        ​​​​​​​Click the edit (A pencil icon is used to represent the edit button.​​​​​​​) button at the bottom right of the board tile. The edit board popup will appear.
        • Perform a text edit on the Board Name
        • Perform a text edit on the Board Description
        • Change Board Privacy
          • Select the "Public" button to make the board public, meaning anyone in the NIH CDE Repository may view the board.
          • Select the "Private"​​​​​ button to make the board private and only viewable to your account. 
        • Create a new tag by entering text in the "New tag" section.
        • Click the "Cancel" button to cancel the editing of the board. 
        • Click the "Save" button to save your board edits. ​​​​​​​

Adding CDEs and Forms to My Boards

  • Add CDEs and Forms to My Boards from the Search Results Page:
    1. Navigate to summary view by clicking the "Summary View" button​​​​​​ in the top right pane. 
    2. Select the pin icon​​​​​​ to the right of the CDE/Form that you would like to add to your board. 
    3. Select the board that you would like to add the CDE to by selecting the board name, or choose to create a new board by clicking the "Add Board" button. Click the "Cancel" button to go back and cancel your actions. 

Screenshot of a CDE search with the pin icon for adding a CDE to a board outlined in red.​​​​​​​

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  • Add CDEs and Forms to My Boards from the CDE or Form Page:
    1. From the CDE or Form page, select the "Add to Board" button below the CDE/Form Name. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
    2. Select the board that you would like to add the CDE or Form to by selecting the board name, or create a new board by clicking the "Add Board" button​​​​. Click the "Cancel" button ​​​​​to go back. ​​​​​​​

    Screenshot of a CDE page with the "Add to Board" button outlined in red.​​​​​​​

Exporting My Boards

Exporting your boards from the NIH CDE Repository will allow you to access your board offline and perform any QA and Analysis on the board, where necessary. To export a board, follow the steps below:

  • Navigate to the My Boards page by clicking on the "My Boards" button at the top right of the window, from anywhere in the Repository. 
  • Once on the My Boards page, select your board by clicking on the board name.​​​​​​​
  • From the Board page, click the "Export Board" button at the top panel. Then, click on the type of file that you wish to export the board as: CSV, JSON, or XML. 

Screenshot of the options available for users to export a board when selecting this option, with the button and types of exportable file formats outlined in red.​​​​​​​