The LabResults table contains all of the data that appears on a laboraotory report. Each line of the report is usually one row of the LabResults table. The LabResults table contains data corresponding to the HL7 Observation Result segment (OBX); and for convenience, some information from the Observation request (OBR) segments of HL7. OBR Identifers can be used to join the LabResults table to the LabRequests table.
Required fields versus Desirable fields: The database table requirements regarding which columns are required are minimal. This was done in order to make sending data into the system as easy as possible for smaller systems which might not collect large amounts of data about each interaction. However, in order to make the data useful for analysis there are some fields that are considered highly "desirable" and it is hoped the data providers will provide as many fields as possible. Please also refer to the pages that discuss the additional registration data for Viral Load related data and how that data is stored. Those data elements are all highly desirable to collect but fall under a slightly different structure when they are submitted to the LDR.