# Using genome-sampler for my own dataset **URL:** \ **Category:** Library Support\ **Tags:** genome-sampler\ **Created:** [February 16, 2025, 3:08pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/using-genome-sampler-for-my-own-dataset/32542 "2025-02-16T15:08:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zsggq2006](https://forum.qiime2.org/user_avatar/forum.qiime2.org/zsggq2006/32/20577_2.png) [@zsggq2006](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/zsggq2006)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 3:08pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/using-genome-sampler-for-my-own-dataset/32542/1 "2025-02-16T15:08:28Z")
I would like to subsample a large set of genomes with genome sampler. I have a few questions about the metadata format because I am using my own database. I would like to know the minimum information needed for the metadata. At the moment, I can only provide the sampling time and location. Additionally, my sequence sampling only includes the year information. Given this, I am unsure how to set up uniform sampling based on time, especially since the tutorial mentions 7 sequences over 7 days, which does not apply to my situation. Could you please provide guidance on the necessary metadata format and how I might approach the uniform sampling setup in my case? Thank you for your assistance. ---
**Author:** ![gregcaporaso](https://forum.qiime2.org/user_avatar/forum.qiime2.org/gregcaporaso/32/17769_2.png) [@gregcaporaso](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/gregcaporaso)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/using-genome-sampler-for-my-own-dataset/32542/2 "2025-02-16T15:38:39Z")
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**Author:** ![gregcaporaso](https://forum.qiime2.org/user_avatar/forum.qiime2.org/gregcaporaso/32/17769_2.png) [@gregcaporaso](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/gregcaporaso)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/using-genome-sampler-for-my-own-dataset/32542/3 "2025-02-17T18:33:29Z")
Hi @zsggq2006, Thanks for your interest in `genome-sampler`! First, just for your information, we created a new genome-sampler release for the first time in a few years last week, so it may be worth updating if you're using an old version. [More information on this here.](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/installing-genome-sampler-on-macos-running-seqouia/32420/10) > I would like to know the minimum information needed for the metadata. You can find the format described [here](https://use.qiime2.org/en/latest/references/metadata.html). Technically speaking, there is no metadata required beyond the [identifier column](https://use.qiime2.org/en/latest/references/metadata.html#identifier-column). > Additionally, my sequence sampling only includes the year information. That should technically still work, as long as you have the four digit year included in the column that you're providing as the `dates` column to `sample-longitudinal`. Try providing something like the following to your `sample-longitudinal` command: `--p-samples-per-interval 10 --p-days-per-interval 365` This should select 10 samples per year, and you can change the `10` to whatever value you'd like. As far as I know, no one has used genome-sampler this way, but I did some testing to confirm that this will work and it looks like it will. Let me know if you run into problems. Also, note that `genome-sampler` was designed to work on viral genome sequences (SARS-CoV-2 specifically). If you're working with genomes that are longer than about 23k bases, the `sample-diversity` command almost certainly won't work for you. ---
**Author:** ![gregcaporaso](https://forum.qiime2.org/user_avatar/forum.qiime2.org/gregcaporaso/32/17769_2.png) [@gregcaporaso](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/gregcaporaso)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/using-genome-sampler-for-my-own-dataset/32542/4 "2025-02-17T18:34:29Z")