Connection to database in IM Browser

IM Browser was designed to visualize interaction data stored in a relational database. It was tested with MySQL and Oracle databases. The implementations at DroID and the Finley lab web site connect by default to DroID and C.jejuni databases. To connect to a different database select option "Connection" -> "New". IM Browser will prompt for connection information (see image below). Enter host name (enter "localhost" or "127.0.0.1" for a MySQL database installed on your computer), database name, login name and password. Select database type (MySQL or Oracle).

After IM Browser successfully connects to the database it will display the list of available tables. You have to specify tables with interactions, and optionally specify a table with gene attributes (called a lookup table) and a table with gene expression data. You can have any number of interaction tables. Look-up and expression tables are optional.

For an interaction table you need to specify which two fields identify the interaction (they are either the fields with gene/protein ID, or the fields with gene/protein symbol). Other fields are considered as interaction attributes. In our database some interaction tables have dataset-specific confidence score. If your data contains the confidence score and you want to add/filter the graph by high/low confidence, you need to specify the field with the confidence score and enter the minimum value for the high confidence.

For the lookup table you need to specify the field with gene/protein IDs. If you want the node label to be pulled from the lookup table, you need to specify the field with the node labels.

For the expression table you need to specify the field with gene/protein IDs.


You can save the database configuration (you will be prompted for it), and load it again through "Connection"-"Load" the next time you use IM Browser with your database.

For questions, comments, suggestions feel free to contact Lana Pacifico (lpacifico at wayne dot edu).