Data Transfer#

This How-to Card describes transferring data at LCSB and is split into two sections:

• Description of common use cases when transferring data at LCSB
• Important factors to consider when transferring data

For questions and/or support on transferring your research data, please contact the LCSB data stewards via lcsb-datastewards@uni.lu.

Which data transfer journey applies to you?#

This section outlines the common scenarios for transferring data at LCSB, covering both receiving data from collaborators and providing data to collaborators.

Receiving data from collaborators#

• Receiving data from external partners via the Data Submission System (DSS): External data providers can submit metadata and upload data through the DSS, which is then transferred to LCSB infrastructure. The DSS also supports cloning previous submissions, which is useful when a provider needs to submit data in separate batches. For more information on how to submit data via DSS, please visit the dedicated How-to Card on the DSS.
• Accessing data from a data provider’s site: This includes downloading data from external repositories. After downloading the data using the method provided by the data provider, generate checksums for the data (please see the Checksums section below), and store both in the correct project location (please visit the How-to Card on solutions for storing research data).
• Pull-based/iterative ingestion (e.g. data from wearables): Data is received via a dedicated virtual machine (VM) using the appropriate protocols/credentials, and should be stored in the correct project folder (please visit the How-to Card on solutions for storing research data).

Providing data to collaborators#

When providing data to collaborators, several transfer tools are available at UL-LCSB, differing in maximum file size, sensitivity of data supported, and ease of use. Please refer to the How-to Card on data transfer tools to select the tool best suited to your use case.

For every scenario, the transfer should be recorded in DAISY, as described in the dedicated section below.

What to consider when transferring data?#

This section describes important factors to consider when transferring data.

Legal framework covering data transfer#

Before transferring data between LCSB and collaborators, a legal agreement must exists for covering the data transfer. These agreements comes in various forms:

• Data Transfer Agreement (DTA)
• Data Sharing Agreement (DSA)
• Material (and Data) Transfer Agreement (MDTA): e.g. for transferring cell lines
• Terms of Service (ToS)
• Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
• Consortium Agreement (CA)

If no legal agreement exists for the intended data transfer, please initiate the legal process by contacting the the LCSB legal team via email LCSB-Legal@uni.lu.

Checksums#

Generating checksums both before and after data transfer is important to verify the data integrity, e.g. that data has not been unintendedly corrupted during transfer. Checksums should be sent together with the data and compared to the calculated checksums on the data received. Several algorithms exists for generating checksums such as SHA and MD5.

For further information, please visit the following card on how to generate checksums.

Record activity in DAISY#

DAISY is a registry for recording research projects and data processing activities at LCSB. When transferring data, it is thus important to record data transfer activities in DAISY, and especially when transferring personal data due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The transfer should be recorded in the specific dataset logbook with information on data sender, data recipient, and storage location for data received to LCSB.

The legal agreements covering the data transfer mentioned in the above section should also be uploaded to DAISY.

Please visit the user guide, for further information on usage of DAISY.