MyHeritage not currently accepting uploads from FTDNA

Question

MyHeritage is not currently accepting uploads from FamilyTree DNA.  It generates an error message that the file is incompatible.  I discovered this last night after trying several times to upload multiple raw files downloaded from FTDNA.

I called MyHeritage this morning and was told that they cannot currently accept FTDNA transfers.  I didn't get a good explanation but briefly mentioned was something regarding X-chromosome matching (a feature update that is overdue).  No estimated time to resolution was given.  This seems particularly odd given that MyHeritage and FTDNA tests are both conducted in the same lab, Gene by Gene.

Comments

I called MyHeritage this morning to follow-up and was told that they are still working on the problem.  This time he said that FTDNA changed something about their files.  It may be that this problem only affects recent tests.

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Myheritage accepted all the old ftdna file I had, but I also was having serious problem with my sisters file which was only process by ftdna two weeks ago, I keep getting an error message

Aoife

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Looks like MyHeritage has finally resolved it.  I successfully uploaded a recent FTDNA data file this morning.

DNA kit FT-##### was uploaded successfully and assigned to #####.
We will begin processing this kit immediately and results will be available in 5-7 days. We will email you as soon as the results are ready.

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I tried to upload a 37 Concenated raw file from FTDNA to MyHertiage (as I have done 50 times with other tests) this morning. The file was tagged "invalid". This is a test which was analyzed April 4, 2019. Called support, they had no clue, just "there might be something with the new chip". If this has been going on since beginning of this year, why don´t they fix it?

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The new chip only started being used in the last couple of months.  I think these are two separate problems.

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I have tried several times since 14 Jun 2019,to upload a build 37 concatenated raw file from FTDNA. The file was finished processing by FTDNA a few days prior to that. It is accepted with a message that the format is unsupported and My Heritage is working on the problem. The file is then marked as invalid. I hope this issue might be resolved soon.

Answer 1

Update, FTDNA did actually change the atosomal file format without telling anyone.

This is the response to my ticket regarding a problem with the Raw data file:

Hi XXXXX,

Thank you for contacting FTDNA. I've checked on the autosomal raw data files for kit XXXXXX and found that all of the raw data files have been generated and posted to the website correctly. There is no error in the files available to you.

We recently changed our autosomal raw data file format. The new file format is not sorted by chromosome by default like the old format was. Many websites including Gedmatch and MyHeritage cannot yet accept this new format. You should contact those sites to see if they have an update to their transfer system planned.

Best regards,

XXXXX
Information Specialist

Comments

oops, posted the update without logging in, my bad.

However, the Raw data file format has definitely been changed.  Gedmatch Genesis upload has a very very hard time with the new format but to the credit of their programmers it did eventually upload, I think. At first look it APPEARS to eventually load it correctly, but I am still waiting for my second comparison upload to tokenise.  I uploaded the new Raw data file which threw heaps of weird screen displays during the extended time period upload, and I also edited the new Raw data file to match the old version, it loaded really quickly without any adverse reaction, ie the same as usual.  The same edited Raw data file uploaded to MyHeritage without any problems, whohoo.

Someone with better computing skills than I poses will probably come up with a widget that can convert the raw data file directly.  What I did though was to un gzip the file, open it in a current version of Excel and do some sorting and editing and concatenating to put it into the same  chromosome and SNP order as the old file format. I then removed the new chromosome 0 SNPs? (don't ask me why they are there), and the other new  XX and XY SNPs (don't ask me why they are there either). I changed the headers to the same as the old file headers and I added "" marks and saved the file as a .CSV and then opened it in Notepad++ and did some find and replace searches to fix Excels problems. Finally I gzipped the resulting  .csv and did the uploads.  Look for Gedmatch genesis DA7539078 the unmodified FTDNA new raw file and DA7539078 edited to match the old forma, although the files have not completed matching with other kits at the time of this posting. M.

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My recent FTDNA file was accepted by Genesis.  I did the same procedure as you Matt, modified the file in Excel to match the old format, and it was accepted at MyHeritage.  It hasn't finished processing, so I don't know if there will be any issues.  It seems pretty lame of MyHeritage that they can't sort out the new format in a timely manner, but GEDmatch, with its very limited resources, can get it done.

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Hello,

what was th old FTDNA header? I have only the new file and don't know how to change it.

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The headers are:

RSID

CHROMOSOME

POSITION

RESULT

From the new format, remove the first three rows and the header before the X chromosome results start.  Sort the chromosomes/positions in ascending order and concatenate allele1 and allele2 into a single RESULT column.  Remove the '0' chromosome results.  Put in the new headers. 

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If you are going to edit the Raw result file for MyHeritage then you may as well use the same edited file for your Gedmatch upload, it uploads far faster than the raw new format file.

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Thank you Kerry, it worked!

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Just try with the modifications:

Remove the 0 chromosomes positions and XX and XY SNPs (before the X chromosome). Not need to concatenate allele 1 and allele 2. But it seems there were changes in rsid (sometimes with others characters). MyHeritage said the file is invalid. So not worked for me. Any suggestions?

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MyHeritage fixed this quite a while ago.  There's no need to make these modifications any more.  Make sure that you've downloaded "Build 37 Raw Data Concatenated" from FTDNA.  

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Right now I spoke with MyHeritage: the problem is not fixed and they don't have even a schedule to do this...

Answer 2

Am just asking here -

Are you sure you have the right DNA raw data file?

FT DNA creates several different kinds of Raw data files and if you uploaded the wrong one, then you won't get anywhere.....

Answer 3

I suspect it affects all raw data atDNA files downloaded since FTDNA changed the format.
There's a post on Facebook about this, answered by a MyHeritage support person that they are still working on the problem and will advise when fixed.

GEDMatch uploads of the same files works, but throws up way way ore info than previously indicating that at least the sort order of the file may have changed. Don't know what else.

Answer 4

There is a glitch at FTDNA, I think.  I have put in a request to fix my autosomal file, but I see there are obviously others affected as well. In short, the final SNP sort in order of chromosome number and position number appears to have failed at FTDNA, so the raw data files supposedly ready for downloading are probably an internal intermediarylist of SNPs and chromosomes.  The sort order does not appear to be the same as an MS spreadsheet sort order either.  The header is different as well, looks like an internal header set of three lines and it also identifies the kit number, which may be a privacy problem.  If you unzip the raw data file, then open it in something like Notepad++ you can check to see if is OK.