Your laboratory owns its data. You can download a full copy at any time, free, and take it wherever you need it. If you decide to stop using VipLIMS, you can close your account yourself, with a 30-day safety period before anything is deleted.
Before you start
- You need the Administrator role.
- Exports contain patient and clinical data. Store the file somewhere secure that your laboratory controls, in line with your own data protection policies.
What the export contains
The export is a single ZIP file.
| Contents | Format | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| One file per record type, such as patients, cases, specimens, reports, institutions, users and audit events | JSON | Moving data into another system, or keeping a complete machine-readable copy |
| The same record types | CSV | Opening in a spreadsheet, or importing into tools that read CSV |
| Uploaded files | As uploaded | Request forms, images and documents attached to cases and messages |
| Authorised reports | A human-readable copy of every authorised report version, as issued |
A README file in the ZIP lists every part, and a manifest gives the number of records of each type.
Download a full export
- Open Laboratory account (in the Administration part of the menu).
- Under Export everything, choose Download full export.
- Save the ZIP file when your browser offers it.
The more data your laboratory holds, the longer the export takes to prepare.
Check your export
After downloading:
- Open the ZIP file and confirm it contains the JSON, CSV and PDF files.
- Open a CSV file in a spreadsheet and check a few recent cases.
- Open a few report PDFs and compare them with the reports in VipLIMS.
Other exports
You do not need a full export for everyday reporting. Many pages offer their own downloads, for example turnaround-time figures to Excel from TAT. See Turnaround times.
Closing your account
Closing your account deletes all of your laboratory's data from VipLIMS after a grace period. Please read this section in full first.
Step 1: Take a final export
Download a full export and check it, as described above. We cannot recover your data once deletion has happened.
Step 2: Check your record-keeping obligations
Your laboratory may be required by law or by professional guidance to keep reports and records for a set number of years. Make sure your export, stored securely, meets those obligations before you close the account.
Step 3: Close the account
- Open Laboratory account (in the Administration part of the menu).
- Under Close this laboratory account, choose Close the account….
- Type the laboratory name and your password, then choose Schedule closure.
What happens next
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Immediately | The account is marked for closure and the 30-day grace period starts |
| During the 30 days | An Administrator can cancel the closure at any time and carry on as before |
| After 30 days | An automated job permanently deletes all laboratory data |
| Within the backup retention period | Copies in our encrypted backups are removed as the backups age out |
| Kept | A minimal audit record that the closure happened, with no clinical content |
Cancel a closure
If you change your mind within the 30 days:
- Sign in as an Administrator.
- Open Laboratory account.
- Cancel the closure.
Nothing is lost if you cancel within the grace period.
If VipLIMS ever shuts down
If we ever decide to stop running VipLIMS, we will give every laboratory at least 12 months' notice and make a full export available to each one. You will always be able to take your data with you.
Common questions
Is exporting free? Yes. Exporting your data is always free.
Can you move our data into another system for us? Data migration is available as an optional paid service. See Pricing or email [email protected].
Can we delete a single patient's records? Clinical records are not deleted while your account is open. This protects the integrity of the record and the audit trail. Records are deleted only when your laboratory closes its account.
Is the export encrypted? The download travels over an encrypted connection. Once it is on your computer, protecting the file is your responsibility.
More detail is in our Terms of service and Data processing agreement.