Data scaling (also known as data transformation) is the process in which the original data value is transformed to a new value. This is necessary to perform on data whenever the analysis of the data is not appropriate in the original units of the data. This is the case for cytometry data, where positive signals can spread over massive numeric distances while dim or negative signals do not. Cytometry data are fundamentally log-like, and thus are re-scaled accordingly to be interpreted linearly. To learn more about data scaling, please see our guide Understanding Data Scaling.
This article only discusses how to use the autoscaling feature in OMIQ. If you want to set your scaling cofactor manually, please see our article on How to Set the Scaling Cofactor.
1. Open a Scaling Task
Click Open on the Scaling task.
Default workflows in OMIQ will have a scaling task added. Depending on whether the files have a spillover matrix stored in them, your default workflow might look different.
Adding a second scaling task downstream of an existing scaling task is not ideal. The second scaling task will be transforming already scaled data. This can result in events with very small values. If you need a second scaling task below the first scaling task to set Display Bounds, you can set the Scaling Type to None (linear).
2. Automatically Set the Scaling Cofactor
Click on Autoscale.
Select a File to use as the basis for the autoscaling algorithm. Click Submit.
An ideal file to use would be the most representative staining of your complete panel. This template file is used to set every non-linear channel in the task. For this reason, we recommend using a fully stained file that most represents your files.
A confirmation appears that autoscaling is complete.
You can override the cofactors set by autoscale, if required, by manually entering them. See Step 2 of our How To Set the Scaling Cofactor for more.