So... nothing posted for a longggggggggg time... and this post is just about MonogDB as well. But it's been an interesting last few months because of MongoDB.

First I completed a system that I'd been working on for a few months that used MongoDB to load genetic test results from different laboratory instruments.The idea is that each instrument has different data that needs to be loaded, edited, analyzed and then processed to produce results that our system can recognize as genetic test results. Namely, the sample ID and what alleles were present.

The system then uses a single standard loader program to process the results and, based on common fields it finds in the MongoDB document, loads the list of alleles found for a given tissue sample. This may sound complex or simple, depending on your background. But the short version is: we can now integrate a new laboratory instrument in much less time than previously needed thanks to MongoDB's flexible schema.

Our wonderful MongoDB Enterprise Account Executive, Mark Bloomberg, thought we had an interesting story and suggested that we submit it for a proposed talk at the first MongoDB World conference held June 2014 in NYC. "Sure.. why not I thought", never thinking they'd actually be interested. But I guess Mark knew better and they were interested. And so I was off to NYC, after preparing and fine tuning a talk on our system. That was a LOT of work, but well worth it! And with a lot of help from the professionals at MongoDB who provided invaluable feedback, as well as feedback from other friends who shall remain nameless unless she gives me permission to include her name, I developed what turned out to be a pretty decent presentation. At least I think it was pretty good, though I know I can, and will, do even better next chance I get.

To be continued...