Lab EDD Import

LimnaFlow supports CSV and Excel (.xlsx, .xls) uploads from the major commercial environmental laboratories that produce the majority of US analytical data. Supported commercial lab formats include Eurofins/TestAmerica (standard CSV with header row), Pace Analytical (SEDD-derived XML and CSV), SGS (Excel multi-sheet), and ALS Environmental (CSV). These four labs cover approximately 60-70% of US commercial environmental lab output.

For government-mandated electronic submissions, LimnaFlow supports SEDD (Staged Electronic Data Deliverable) XML, NYSDEC EDD v5 (2024 format), GeoTracker ESI for California projects, MassDEP EDD format for Massachusetts cleanup sites, and NJ LSRP EDD format for New Jersey Licensed Site Remediation Professional submittals. Each format is parsed natively — no pre-conversion or reformatting required.

When you upload an EDD, LimnaFlow automatically detects the file format and maps columns to the required fields: analyte name, CAS number, result value, units, qualifier, MDL, reporting limit, sample ID, location, sample date, matrix, and analytical method. The auto-detection engine recognizes common column header variations across labs — for example, 'PARAM,' 'Analyte,' and 'Chemical Name' all map to the analyte field, while 'RESULT_VALUE,' 'Result,' and 'Concentration' map to the result field. Lab-specific headers like 'RPT_LIMIT,' 'RL,' and 'PQL' are recognized as reporting limit variants.

Auto-detection succeeds for 80%+ of uploads without any manual intervention. When it does, you see a green confirmation with the detected format name and a preview of the mapped data before committing the import.

When auto-detection cannot confidently map every column — typically with in-house lab formats, legacy EDDs, or unusual header naming — LimnaFlow presents a manual mapping interface. Each required field appears as a dropdown, and you select which column in your file corresponds to which field. Optional fields (dilution factor, analytical method, collection time) can be mapped or skipped.

Critically, manual mappings are saved per lab. If you receive EDDs from a small regional lab with non-standard headers, you map the columns once. Every subsequent upload from that lab uses your saved mapping automatically. Saved mappings appear in your account settings and can be edited or deleted at any time.

Every import runs through validation before data enters your project. LimnaFlow checks for missing required columns (analyte, result, units, sample ID), detects unit mismatches within the same analyte across samples, identifies duplicate sample entries (same sample ID and analyte), and reports parsing errors with specific row numbers so you can fix the source file.

Validation warnings are categorized as blocking (import cannot proceed — e.g., no analyte column detected) or advisory (import proceeds but flags are noted — e.g., three duplicate rows detected). Advisory warnings appear in the import history log alongside the timestamp, filename, and record count for every import.

For monitoring events with data from multiple labs or multiple matrices, batch import lets you upload several EDDs at once. All files are processed as part of the same sampling event, and the system tracks which lab produced which results. This is common in site assessment projects where groundwater, soil, and water samples may go to different labs or different analytical groups.

Every import is logged in the import history with timestamp, original filename, record count, validation warnings, and the user who performed the import. Import history provides a complete chain of custody for your data — you can always trace back to which file produced which results and when it was uploaded.