Data Structure

Everything in FlowJo Envoy is part of a data hierarchy:

envoy-file-hierarchy
  • Every item in this list (except groups) is a member of an item further up in the hierarchy.
  • An item can be part of one and only one higher item.

For instructions on how to use Explore view to locate and organize your data, see Navigate the Explore View.

Flexibility

You have a great deal of choice in how you use this data hierarchy. FlowJo Envoy requires the following:

  • Workflows are designed as procedural sequences of tasks performed one after the other.
  • Steps are designed as one of those single tasks that produce data.
  • Files and folders must be part of a project, study, or workflow.
  • Similarly,
    • Everything in FlowJo Envoy must be under a group.
    • Workflows must be part of a project.

However, all the rest of the organization is up to you.

For example, a small lab with a handful of flow cytometers and a light workload might only need a few workflows in a single project. At the other end of the scale, a large lab with many pieces of equipment and a large staff spread out over multiple locations might need dozens of groups, projects, and studies to stay organized. This is particularly true for keeping track of data files, whether needed for tasks or produced by them.

Definitions

  • Group—All projects and FlowJo Envoy users are part of a group. All members of the group have access to all projects, studies, workflows, folders, and files within it, but not to any projects, studies, workflows, folders, and files within another group. 
  • Project—The top organizational level in FlowJo Envoy. Everything in FlowJo Envoy must be part of a project. A project can contain studies, workflows, folders, and files.
  • Study—An optional organizational level in FlowJo Envoy. Create studies within projects if you need additional categories to classify workflows within projects. Studies can only contain workflows, folders, and files.
  • Workflow—A series of ordered steps of a scientific study that produces a result (usually data) when all the steps have been completed properly. Workflows can be inside projects or studies.
    • For more information on workflows, see Workflows.
    • To learn how to create a workflow, see Create a Workflow.
    • To learn how to administer a workflow (such as start work on a workflow, check status, temporarily halt work, etc.), see Administer a Workflow.
  • Step—A task within a workflow. Every workflow should contain at least one step. When all the steps of a workflow are marked Done, the workflow is complete. Steps can only be part of workflows.
    • For  more information on steps, see Steps.
    • To learn how to create a step, see Create a Workflow and Edit a Step.
    • To learn how to administer a step (such as check status of work on a step, report that work on a step is complete, etc.), see Administer a Step.
  • Folder—A grouping of files. Folders can be inside projects, studies, workflows, or other folders.
    • To learn how to administer folders (such as creating, moving, and deleting folders), see Administer Files.
  • File—A digital document that contains text or data, whether created by FlowJo Envoy or by some external software such as a text editor or spreadsheet. Files can contain data created during a step, instructions to complete a step, etc. Files can be inside projects, studies, workflows, or folders.
    • To learn how to administer files (such as uploading, downloading, moving, and deleting files), see Administer Files.
  • Instructions—A file containing directions how to carry out a workflow or step. An instructions file can be any text file that can be viewed in a browser. For instructions on how to upload instructions files and assign them to steps and workflows, see Create a Workflow.
  • Instrument—A listing for a piece of equipment used to complete work on a step or workflow.