Preparing a Study Data File

When preparing a study data file, the study staff must ensure that the file meets the following criteria:

At least 75% of records contain 9-digit SSN, DOB and either First Name OR Last Name; OR
At least 75% of records contain First Name, Last Name, DOB, Gender, and at least one of the following: 4-digit SSN, Phone #, OR Full Address (excluding P.O. Box)

All VPR-facilitated linkages require that a validated, edited, encrypted Study Data File be submitted according to pre-defined file specifications. The Study Data File will contain subject-identifying information (linkage fields) and will be used to link with record-level data at the participating registries.

Requestors can verify that they have created a Study Data File that follows one of the pre-defined formats, by using the validation module inside Match*Pro. Match*Pro will read the Study Data File and edit the linkage fields in the file.

Allowable File Formats

The VPR will accept files with records in either of these formats:

Researcher Layout : The standard researcher record layout is a fixed-width file that is 965 characters in length. This record length can be extended to a total length of 1316 characters if the researcher wishes to submit additional data that falls outside of the scope covered by the first 965 characters. Every record in the file should be of equal length. The records in the file should contain the fields listed in the positions that have been specified here. With the exception of Patient ID Number, which is required, if the value for a particular field is unknown it can be left blank; however, the spacing structure must be retained.
NAACCR Layout (version 21+): The NAACCR layout is intended for registry data files; however, requestors can also create their Study Data File following one of the NAACCR file layouts. Only NAACCR version 21 forward can be used. For more information on the various NAACCR layouts please go here.

Validating the Study Data File

Match*Pro's validation tool should be run on the Study Data File prior to submitting for VPR linkage. The validation tool allows the requestor to 1.) identify any issues with the format or content of the file; 2.) run and resolve edit checks to improve the quality of the data items used for linkage, with the aim of fewer than 5% of the records being flagged with one or more errors; and 3) encrypt the cohort file before uploading to the VPR-CLS. Match*Pro has been designed as a Windows-only application. In order to run the Match*Pro validation tool, the requestor will need to do the following:

Download Match*Pro
Download the Validation Configuration File
Refer to the researcher Validation and Encryption Instructions