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Big Y - Data Downloads

Big Y Data Downloads

After you have received results for a Big Y, Big Y-500, or Big Y-700 test, your data will be available to download in a variety of formats. All of these can be accessed from your Big Y Results Page.

Accessing your Big Y Data Downloads

You can access your Big Y Data from your dashboard or from your navigation bar.

To access from your dashboard:

  1. Sign in to your kit.

  2. On your dashboard, locate the Y-DNA Results & Tools widget.

  3. On the Y-DNA Results & Tools widget, in the Big Y section, click the Results button.

To access from your navigation bar:

  1. Sign in to your kit.

  2. On the navigation bar at the top of the page, go to Results & Tools > Big Y > Results..

The options to download your data will be available as blue buttons near the top right corner of the screen. From here you will have multiple file type options.

Export Matches (CSV)

This .csv file contains the following information about your Big Y matches:

  • Name - Includes the matches names as they have listed them with separate columns for Full name, First Name, Middle Name, and Last Name.
  • Match Date - This indicates the date you and the match were identified. This may be the date you tested, they tested, or that either of you upgraded from the Big Y-500 test to the Big Y-700 test.
  • Haplogroup - This lists the furthest downstream subclade or haplogroup of your match.
  • Non Matching Known SNPs - This includes both known SNPs and novel variants that you do not share with your match.
  • Y37, Y67, and Y111 Genetic Distance - If your Big Y match is also an STR match at any of these levels, it will list your Genetic Distance with them. Otherwise it will list “No Match”.
  • Big Y Comparison - This lists the number of mismatches you have out of the total number of Big Y STRs you and a match both have.
  • Paternal Ancestor - This lists any information about the Most Distant Known direct paternal ancestor that your match has provided.
  • Notes - This lists any private notes you have added to you match.

Note: This list is pulled from your Block Tree matches and contains Big Y matches as well as any Y-STR matches (37 markers and above) that have taken a Big Y as well.

Export SNPs (CSV)

This .csv file contains the following information on the SNPs verified by your Big Y test:

  • Type - This lists whether the SNP is a Novel Variant (one that has a position but not a name) or a Known SNP (One that has been identified and named by a testing company.)
  • Position - This lists the chromosome position for Novel Variants. This is in HG38 reference location.
  • SNP Name - This lists the name of known SNPs that have been verified by your Big Y Test.
  • Derived - This indicates if you are positive, negative, or no call for known SNPs.
  • On Tree - This indicates if the SNP if on the FTDNA Y-DNA Haplotree.
  • Reference - This lists what the value (A, C, T, or G) is for a SNP or location based on the reference sequence (HG38).
  • Genotype - This lists what your value )A, C, T, or G) is for a SNP or location compared to the reference sequence (HG38).

Download VCF

For the advanced user, we have made the BigY raw data files available for download. The download will be a zipped archive that contains a VCF and a BED file.

The VCF file contains a list of all variants found using the build 38 human genome reference. You can find more info about the VCF file format here.

We include variants that did not pass our analysis standards for your informational purposes only.

The BED file contains the regions that were targeted in Big Y and passed our sequencing and analysis quality control. You can find more info about the BED file format here.

Buy Raw Data

Your Big Y data can be compiled into a BAM file. This entails an additional internal cost to convert, store, and provide this large file format. Originally this price was included in the cost of the Big Y test and was available to download when results were complete. However, only a small portion of Big Y participants request this download. Rather than continue to pass this cost along to all Big Y participants, we have chosen to only charge those who wish to download their BAM file for that data. You can read more about BAM files here.

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