# Problem with taxa-collapse: Please provide a DataFrame with a string-based Index **URL:** https://forum.qiime2.org/t/problem-with-taxa-collapse-please-provide-a-dataframe-with-a-string-based-index/13946 **Category:** User Support **Tags:** taxonomy, taxa, collapse **Created:** [March 7, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/problem-with-taxa-collapse-please-provide-a-dataframe-with-a-string-based-index/13946 "2020-03-07T22:19:39Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 2
### Author: ![Nicholas\_Bokulich](https://forum.qiime2.org/user_avatar/forum.qiime2.org/nicholas_bokulich/32/19937_2.png) [@Nicholas\_Bokulich](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/Nicholas_Bokulich) #### Post date: [March 9, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/problem-with-taxa-collapse-please-provide-a-dataframe-with-a-string-based-index/13946/2 "2020-03-09T16:51:47Z")
Welcome to the forum, @Lia_Abramovitch! > [@Lia\_Abramovitch](#): > > \*\* Please provide a DataFrame with a string-based Index\*\* Uh oh, sounds like maybe you are using sample IDs that consist of numbers. While this is allowed in QIIME 2, it is discouraged because some of the underlying dependencies can't handle numeric sample IDs. See this topic for more details and a workaround: > [@Problem with 'taxa collapse'](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/problem-with-taxa-collapse/9081/2): > > Hi @allebiotech, Sounds like the problem may be that your sample IDs are all numbers? While this is not forbidden in QIIME 2 metadata formats, it is discouraged since it can cause cryptic bugs like this to emerge when some of the underlying packages that QIIME 2 uses cannot handle numeric sample IDs. If I am wrong, and your sample IDs are not numbers, please ignore what I have to say below and instead do the following: please report the full error message please run qiime feature-table summ… Good luck! --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/problem-with-taxa-collapse-please-provide-a-dataframe-with-a-string-based-index/13946)._