Hyperspace
Hyperspace is the front-end interface to Epic. While most familiar to practicing clinicians, there are several tools—SlicerDicer and Reporting Workbench – that are accessed through Hyperspace and important to the Vanderbilt research data ecosystem. SlicerDicer is Epic’s data exploration tool that allows users to quickly visualize data on large patient populations, but it does not allow for record-level data extracts. Data in SlicerDicer are queried from the Caboodle data model and available with a one-day delay. Hyperspace also provides the Reporting Workbench utility – a self-service data extraction tool that provides datasets in a tabular format, with optional summaries and visualizations, for research and operational use. Reporting Workbench extracts data directly from Hyperspace (Chronicles data model), so data are available immediately once they are entered in the EHR. Both SlicerDicer and Reporting Workbench are free to Vanderbilt researchers with access to Epic, but access to both the tools and specific data elements may be limited by individual security permissions Highly complex reports with custom criteria and columns may benefit from the EHR build service from the VCLIC core.
Clarity
Clarity is Epic’s data warehouse, which contains all data from the EHR and is updated nightly. Clarity contains the most comprehensive corpus of EHR data at VUMC, but data are primarily only available since November 2017. Data in Clarity are fully identifiable, and unlike the RD and SD, do not contain linkages to outside data sources. Access to Clarity is available through VCLIC’s Data Access Work Group (VDAWGS), which requires certification or proficiency in Epic’s Clinical Data Model. Many researchers may choose to obtain Clarity data from the VCLIC core, which offers professional data extraction services.
Caboodle
Caboodle is also an Epic data warehouse, focused specifically on writing efficient reports. Caboodle also contains most, but not all data available in Clarity. Data in Caboodle are fully identifiable and updated nightly. However, unlike Clarity, Caboodle contains linkages to external (non-eStar) data to help simplify data extracts. Caboodle is most commonly accessed using SlicerDicer, which is available through Hyperspace. There is also a SQL interface that is available to VDAWGS members.
Reporting Workbench
Reporting Workbench is a tool within Epic that allows users to run administrator-created reports, build reports from templates, and take actions based on the results of these reports. Reporting Workbench queries Epic’s Chronicles database, which means it can retrieve the most up-to-date information available. This is different from other tools like Slicer Dicer, which uses Caboodle and Clarity database which are extracted from Chronicles nightly. All reports within Reporting Workbench are created from templates which in part determine the master file searched, such as patients or orders. Reports themselves include search criteria and display elements. If you chart search for My Reports you view the library of available templates and reports which can vary based on security and access permissions. In this video on Confluence (VUMC network or VPN required), Dr. McCoy shows how to run a report, view results, and take actions like sending a bulk message to select patients. She also shows how to create your own reports and options to consider for different needs.