EDSbreaker: Automated parsing and data retrieval from .eds files generated by Applied Biosystems qPCR instruments

EDSbreaker is a lightweight tool for quick access of information from Applied Biosystems .eds datafiles. Please note: This tool is intended for use by Thermo Fisher Scientific Engineers and Technical Support Staff qualified to evaluate these reports, and is not intended for general consumer use.

This tool can be used to capture information stored in .eds files generated by the following real-time PCR instruments:

• ABI 7500*
• ABI 7500F
• StepOne
• StepOnePlus
• ViiA7
• QuantStudio 6 Flex
• QuantStudio 7 Flex
• QuantStudio 12K Flex
• QuantStudio 3
• QuantStudio 5
• QuantStudio Dx

'*' EDSbreaker is not currently compatible with .sds files. For ABI 7500 files analyzed using SDS v1.x, please open the .sds file in v2.x software and re-save the file as .eds. This will not work for ABI 7900HT files.

EDSbreaker will iterate through all .eds files in the host directory and generate one text file per parsed .eds file, which contains:

• Full filepath
• Instrument name
• Software name
• Software version
• Instrument serial number*
• Block serial number*
• Run status

'*' There are limitations on reporting exist based on instrument/software version which are currently being addressed for future versions.

Instructions for use

• Download the current stable build of EDSbreaker.exe
• Locate target .eds files and place a copy of EDSbreaker in the target file directory.
• Double click EDSbreaker to run the program and generate your text reports.

v1.5.2

Notes:

• First version made public to Thermo Fisher Scientific employees.
• Performs cleanup, and does not leave behind zipfiles or unzipped contents.
• The 'ext' folder is a temporary folder generated in the host directory which houses the zipfiles and unzipped folders required to parse .eds datafiles. EDSbreaker should automatically delete this folder prior to termination of the program. If a software glitch leads to the retention of the 'ext' folder, please manually delete this folder.
• The process of file copying and unzipping can be cumbersome and resource-intensive. The software may be more prone to errors when iterating through large batches of QS12K files.
• This version does not extract image files from .eds files.

Updates to come:

• Fixed bug which causes the program to hang when evaluating non-eds files saved with the .eds extension.
• Parsing messages.log for enhanced serial number retrieval and display.
• Parsing calibration files for calibration date retrieval and display.
• Parsing QS12K files for barcode information retrieval and display.