Autoclassification

The Autoclassification process tries to code, or classify, terms from an external source data system by looking for dictionary terms that exactly match each source term. It also looks for exact matches to previously manually classified source terms. These are called Verbatim Term Assignments (VTAs) or, in the case of dictionaries with nonunique coding levels such as WHO-Drug C, Verbatim Term Individuals (VTIs). In the case of VTIs, the auxiliary information associated with the omission must match that of the VTI and autocoding with auxiliary information must be enabled. See Nonunique Coding Level Dictionaries.

If Autoclassification does not find a direct match or a previously created VTA or VTI for a term, it creates an omission that must be manually classified.

For more information, see:

• Using Search Objects
  
• Creating Global VTAs during Autoclassification
  
• Running Autoclassification
  

Using Search Objects

You can use search objects to supplement TMS's basic Autoclassification process, increasing the likelihood that TMS will find a match for a verbatim term, and specify the order in which you want TMS to execute them. Depending on the Approval Type setting in the Define Search Objects window, if TMS finds a match via a search object, it creates:

• An Omission with a Candidate Term

• An Approved VTA

• A Nonapproved VTA

See Defining Search Objects.

This section includes:

• Domain Match
  
• Custom Search Objects
  

Domain Match

TMS provides one pre-packaged search object called Domain Match. If the Domain Match search object is enabled for the current dictionary/domain combination, TMS searches for a match in all other domains.

Custom Search Objects

You can also create custom search algorithms to supplement TMS's Autoclassification process. Create a PL/SQL function in the database and define the object in the Define Search Objects window. See Creating Custom Search Algorithms.

Creating Global VTAs during Autoclassification

Before running Autoclassification, consider whether you want the VTAs that you create to be available only within the domain in which you create them (Domain VTA) or available to all domains (Global VTA). Two settings in the TMS reference codelist TMS_CONFIGURATION control the default status of VTAs created during Autoclassification: ALLOWGLOVTAS and AUTOGLOVTAS. If both are set to Y, Autoclassification creates global VTAs. If either is set to N, Autoclassification creates domain VTAs.

You can change the scope of the VTA after autoclassification. For information about promoting a VTA (making a Domain VTA available globally) or demoting a VTA (making a Global VTA specific to a domain), see Promoting and Demoting VTAs.

Running Autoclassification

When TMS is fully or partially integrated with an external system, the Autoclassification process is triggered by the batch job through which the two systems share information (for Oracle Clinical, this is Batch Validation). When there is no integration between TMS and an external system, you must run the tms_user_autocode package from the API.

You can also do a trial run of Autoclassification without updating the Omissions table by running the TryClassifying function in the tms_user_autocode API package, and view the results by looking in the function output. This allows you to see what the results of Autoclassification would be, without actually updating any data.