Important Change to Big Y Analysis
I've resisted writing about the change that has been taking place at FamilytreeDNA with the upgrade and to how they will analyze Big Y results going forward. The reason for the delay was to allow the dust to settle and see how the process was progressing in order to give you the most accurate update to what is going on. This affected our DNA group in that we have four members of our group who are anxiously waiting for their results.
The untimely setback for our Sproul testers during this upgrade is still a positive move for our group. For one, these four members are the first Big Y testers for our project so we have no members waiting to have their previous results to go through the re-read.
What is occurring is how the analysis program reads the DNA results. Each SNP that is targeted for genealogical analysis is assigned a numeric location in our strand of DNA. What the change is doing is adjusting the numeric location for that SNP giving it a more refined result. It will also not only have the ability to find newly discovered private SNPs but will also re-evaluate the quality of previously discovered SNPs in the the previous analysis. So this is an important upgrade!
This is a positive step forward for Big Y but unfortunately for our new testers this upgrade to the analysis came at exactly the same time most of our members were expecting their results. FTDNA had already begun to rerun the results of previous testers in their database when our testers results were expected.
So what has happened is our testers' results have been pushed back several weeks while FTDNA reruns the thousands of results already in their database. The positive is their results will be the most current used in genealogical DNA data analysis. FTDNA is still in the process of re-running older Big Y results but also fitting in results of new Big Y tests.
The question might be what do we do in the meantime? We should be patient! This is a huge improvement in SNP analysis and immensely improves the confidence in our SNP results.
We should also use this time to evaluate our strategy for how to proceed with our individual DNA goals. FTDNA will very soon have their winter sale of their testing products. I can't possibly urge us all enough if you haven't already to try and take advantage of the sale to upgrade your ySTR results as much as possible. The ySTR111 should be the goal for our members in this group. We have such a unique surname that testing out to 111 markers will only help you with much higher confidence in finding your closest cousins.
If you have tested out to ySTR111 congratulations and thank you! The next test you might want to consider is the Big Y test. As mentioned above (and in previous posts) it will determine SNPs that will be unique to you and your closest cousins. These SNPs in some cases are being tracked so that the estimated age of these SNPs can be calculated with as much accuracy as possible. If you have tested Big Y, thank you too! The goods news is your testing for the Sproul surname is maxed out and there is no more Y-Chromosome testing you can do.
What I would suggest from this point is to take advantage of the sale and consider the mtDNA testing. This will help you with your maternal side of your DNA. Also consider the autosomal test FamilyFinder. If you find a close enough Sproul match through your Y-Chromosome testing you may be able to verify your paper-trail by comparing your results with the other tester(s) who may also have FamilyFinder results, provided they are within about five generations.
So there we have it. Lots to consider, lots to do. I will say the sale coming up is generally the biggest sale they have during the year. I will qualify for those who may not know that I in no way, shape or form get any kind of reimbursement or other monetary benefit from FTDNA for promoting their products. They don't host or fund this blog. The reason I do promote their products is for one; the support is about the best out there, and two; is because I understand how important these products are in order for us to be successful in moving our project along in a successful manner.
I hope, if at all possible you consider taking advantage of the upcoming sale to either take the plunge and begin your DNA journey or upgrade to compliment the hard work you do in researching your family. I will keep you posted once the sale is announced.
The untimely setback for our Sproul testers during this upgrade is still a positive move for our group. For one, these four members are the first Big Y testers for our project so we have no members waiting to have their previous results to go through the re-read.
What is occurring is how the analysis program reads the DNA results. Each SNP that is targeted for genealogical analysis is assigned a numeric location in our strand of DNA. What the change is doing is adjusting the numeric location for that SNP giving it a more refined result. It will also not only have the ability to find newly discovered private SNPs but will also re-evaluate the quality of previously discovered SNPs in the the previous analysis. So this is an important upgrade!
This is a positive step forward for Big Y but unfortunately for our new testers this upgrade to the analysis came at exactly the same time most of our members were expecting their results. FTDNA had already begun to rerun the results of previous testers in their database when our testers results were expected.
So what has happened is our testers' results have been pushed back several weeks while FTDNA reruns the thousands of results already in their database. The positive is their results will be the most current used in genealogical DNA data analysis. FTDNA is still in the process of re-running older Big Y results but also fitting in results of new Big Y tests.
The question might be what do we do in the meantime? We should be patient! This is a huge improvement in SNP analysis and immensely improves the confidence in our SNP results.
We should also use this time to evaluate our strategy for how to proceed with our individual DNA goals. FTDNA will very soon have their winter sale of their testing products. I can't possibly urge us all enough if you haven't already to try and take advantage of the sale to upgrade your ySTR results as much as possible. The ySTR111 should be the goal for our members in this group. We have such a unique surname that testing out to 111 markers will only help you with much higher confidence in finding your closest cousins.
If you have tested out to ySTR111 congratulations and thank you! The next test you might want to consider is the Big Y test. As mentioned above (and in previous posts) it will determine SNPs that will be unique to you and your closest cousins. These SNPs in some cases are being tracked so that the estimated age of these SNPs can be calculated with as much accuracy as possible. If you have tested Big Y, thank you too! The goods news is your testing for the Sproul surname is maxed out and there is no more Y-Chromosome testing you can do.
What I would suggest from this point is to take advantage of the sale and consider the mtDNA testing. This will help you with your maternal side of your DNA. Also consider the autosomal test FamilyFinder. If you find a close enough Sproul match through your Y-Chromosome testing you may be able to verify your paper-trail by comparing your results with the other tester(s) who may also have FamilyFinder results, provided they are within about five generations.
So there we have it. Lots to consider, lots to do. I will say the sale coming up is generally the biggest sale they have during the year. I will qualify for those who may not know that I in no way, shape or form get any kind of reimbursement or other monetary benefit from FTDNA for promoting their products. They don't host or fund this blog. The reason I do promote their products is for one; the support is about the best out there, and two; is because I understand how important these products are in order for us to be successful in moving our project along in a successful manner.
I hope, if at all possible you consider taking advantage of the upcoming sale to either take the plunge and begin your DNA journey or upgrade to compliment the hard work you do in researching your family. I will keep you posted once the sale is announced.
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