What is RDML? The open format for qPCR data
Every qPCR vendor has its own run file format. RDML is the one format they can all share, and the one to use when data needs to outlive the instrument it came from.
RDML (Real-time PCR Data Markup Language) is an open, XML-based file format for qPCR data, developed by the RDML consortium of researchers and instrument makers. An .rdml file stores the plate layout, samples, targets, dyes, raw amplification and melt curves, and results such as Cq values, in a documented structure any tool can read. It was designed alongside the MIQE guidelines so that qPCR experiments can be shared, reviewed and reanalysed independently of vendor software.
What an RDML file stores
- Experiment and run metadata: instrument, date, protocol.
- Samples and their type (unknown, standard, NTC, and so on).
- Targets, with dyes and optional sequence information.
- Reactions: each well, linking sample and target to the measured data.
- Data: fluorescence per cycle for amplification, per temperature for melt, and calculated values such as Cq.
Technically an RDML file is a zip-compressed XML document defined by a public schema.
Why it matters
Vendor formats are tied to vendor software and change between versions. An open format gives you three things: collaborators on other instruments can read your data; reviewers can reanalyse your raw curves; and your archive does not depend on a program that may not run in ten years. Several journals and repositories accept or encourage RDML for qPCR supplementary data.
How to create and open RDML
Some instrument software exports RDML directly. Where it does not, or where you only have the run file, CycleView converts QuantStudio .eds, LightCycler .ixo and .lc96p, and Rotor-Gene .rex files to RDML. It also opens RDML from any source, with full curve review and ΔΔCt analysis.
Open your run on your own laptop
CycleView opens QuantStudio, LightCycler, Rotor-Gene and RDML files on Mac and Windows. The viewer is free, and nothing is uploaded.
Get CycleView
Mac and Windows · runs locally · for research use, not for diagnosis.
FAQ
Is RDML free to use?
Yes. The format and its schema are open and freely available.
Can Bio-Rad CFX data be saved as RDML?
CFX Maestro can export RDML. That is the recommended route for opening CFX data in other tools, since .pcrd files are encrypted.
Does RDML replace MIQE?
No. MIQE is a checklist of what to report; RDML is a file format that can carry much of that information in a structured way.