Checking Access

You can check your access to data on BDC using the website or on a specific platform

BDC Website

Go to the Explore BDC Data page of the BDC website. Under the section, "Requirements for Accessing BDC Hosted Data," click Check My Access.

BDC Powered by Gen3 (BDC-Gen3)

Go to BioData Catalyst Powered by Gen3, select NIH Login, then log in using your NIH credentials. Once logged in, select the Exploration tab. From the Data Access panel on the left, make sure Data with Access is selected. Note whether you have access to all the datasets you expect.

Checking data access in BDC-Gen3

Data Access

Parameter	Description
Data with Access (default)	A user can view all of the summary data and associated study information for studies the user has access to, including but not limited to Project ID, file types, and clinical variables.
Data without Access	Displays data you do not have subject-level access to, but for which summary statistics can be accessed. Locks next to the project ID signify to users that they do not have subject-level access but they can still search through the available studies but only view summary statistics. Projects will also be hidden if the select cohort contains fewer than 50 subjects (50 ↓, "You may only view summary information for this project", example below); in this case grayed out boxes and locks both appear. An additional lock means users have no access.
All Data	Displays all projects, but also projects you have no access to. A lock will appear for data you cannot access. Users can view all of the data available in the BDC-Gen3 platform, including studies with and without access. As a result, studies not available to a user will be locked as demonstrated below.

BDC Powered by PIC-SURE (BDC-PIC-SURE)

You do not need to check your data access on BDC-PIC-SURE. Instead, refer to the Accessing BioData Catalyst Data page, then click Check My Access.

BDC Powered by Seven Bridges (BDC-Seven Bridges)

1. Log into BDC-Seven Bridges.

2. Click your username in the upper right, then select Account settings.

3. From the upper left, select the tab for Dataset Access.

4. Browse the datasets and note whether you have access to all the datasets you expect.

   • Datasets you have access to will have green check marks.

   • Datasets you do not have access to will have red check marks.

BDC Powered by Terra (BDC-Terra)

You do not need to check your data access on BDC-Terra. But before submitting a help desk ticket, ensure that you’ve done the following steps:

Establish a link in BioData Catalyst powered by Terra to your eRA Commons/NIH Account and the University of Chicago DCP Framework. To link eRA Commons, NIH, and DCP Framework Services, go to your Profile page in BDC-Terra and log in with your NIH credentials.

Screenshot of NIH account credentials

If your access still has issues using particular files or datasets in analyses on BDC-Terra, submit a request to our help desk.