Data Table Templates

Data table templates allow you to create, save, and reuse table structures across multiple studies. This improves efficiency and ensures consistency when working with data tables in Benchling.

Accessing Data Table Templates

Data table templates are found in each study in the Templates tab of the Data Tables page, shown in the image below. 

When you create a template, you will have the option to create either a personal template or a published template. These templates have the same functionality with different access policies. 

• Personal Templates: Created by you, only visible to you
• Published Templates: Created and shared by an administrator, visible by everyone

Creating a Data Table Template

To create a data table template, from an existing data table follow these steps:

1. Open a study and navigate to Active tab of the Data tables page
2. Click on the name of an existing data table to open it 
3. Click the Save icon to save as a template 
4. Enter a name for the template and click Save to store it for future use 
   • By default, this will create a personal template for your use only 
     
     
     
     
5. If you are an administrator and you'd like to publish a template for the whole team to use, open a study and navigate to the Templates tab of the Data tables page  
6. Click on the ... icon in the last column of the table that lists templates and select the Publish option
   
   
   
   
7. Confirm that you want to make the template available to all team members by clicking Publish in the modal that pops up

Using a Data Table Template

To use an existing data table template, follow these steps: 

1. Open a study where you want to use a template
2. Go to the Data Tables page and click Create new Data Table
3. Click the Create using template option
4. On the Create using template page, enter a name for your data table in the textbox and use the dropdown to select which data table template you'd like to apply and click Next
5. Depending on how the data table was configured, you may have to go through a few steps before clicking the Next button to make sure that the columns in the data table match your study
   • Adjusting measurements - ensures that the measurements in your template match the measurements in your study. Make adjustments by using the dropdown to select the relevant measurement option

• • Modifying the reference date - ensures that the system aligns data collection dates with the study’s start date. Adjust the reference date if necessary to shift measurement or observation dates.
    
     
    

6. On the choose animals screen, use the checkboxes to select the animals that should be included in the data table, then click Submit to generate the new data table 

Editing and Managing Templates

Editing a Template

To edit the name of a template, use the ... menu to the right of the template row. Templates cannot be directly edited. Instead, create a new template with updated settings and delete the old version if needed.

Deleting a Template

To delete a template, follow these steps:

1. Open a study and navigate to the Templates tab of the Data tables page  
2. Click on the ... icon in the last column of the table that lists templates and select the Delete option
3. Confirm the action by typing DELETE into the text box and then clicking Delete template  

Additional Features

Filling Dose or PK Bleed Columns

To fill dose or PK bleed columns, follow these steps:

1. Use the Auto-Fill option to populate timestamps for dosing or PK bleed schedules
2. Adjust intervals and start times as needed
3. Overwrite existing timestamps if required

Filling Missing Data

To fill missing data, follow these steps:

1. Select a column and apply missing timestamps only to empty cells
2. This will fill with this sequence of timestamps from the first empty cell to the next cell with a timestamp value set
3. This may need to be repeated multiple times to fill all empty timestamp cells

Troubleshooting

• If measurement columns don’t align, check study-specific measurement options and adjust accordingly
• If timestamps shift unexpectedly, verify the Reference Date settings
• If templates are missing, confirm that they are either personal or published and accessible under the Templates tab
• For further assistance, contact Benchling support.