How do I read my raw data?

You will need to send your raw data to a genetic analysis tool, or a professional who is trained in genetics to read the raw data and interpret it.

To simply look and see whether an SNP is present, you can search the raw data following these steps:

1. Open your raw data file
2. Type control-find to open a search window
3. Enter the SNP number you are interested in like so: rs662

Most rsid#s are long (5 to 8 numbers) and there will be only one match, or perhaps a few you need to tab through to find your unique RSID.  The shorter RSID#s, with only 3 or 4 numbers, will generate a long list of matches. 

For example,  RS662 will generate a list of 395 potential matches.  Tabbing through each potential match to find the one you are interested in would be very time-consuming. To shorten this process, you need to go to this website https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/snp/ and find the Chromosomal Position for your RSID# in the reference genome GRCh37.

In this case, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/snp/
2. Type RS662 (or your RSID# needed) in the search box and click search. 
3. It should take you to a result page. Make sure you are looking at returns for Homo sapiens, and not some other animal. It will say  [Homo sapiens] after the RSID#.  
4. Highlight and copy the number after the "7:" under "chromosome. Basically, it is the address on the chromosome for the RSID# you are interested in.
5. Go back to your raw data file and paste it into the search box. Make sure there are no empty spaces in front of the number or you will get zero results.