FAQ

Common questions about Vaelyra: what it is, the platforms and languages it supports, how it keeps data on your own machine, what it exports, how to verify a download, and how licensing works.

What is Vaelyra?
Vaelyra is a desktop application for clinical research that turns records you already hold into one structured, analysis-ready dataset. You read each value aloud from the source document, Vaelyra confirms and records it, and when you are done you export a file ready for SPSS, JASP, and other statistical software.
Is Vaelyra an EDC system?
No, and that is by design. Electronic Data Capture systems collect new trial data at the point of a study visit, under a protocol, with visit schedules, randomisation, and monitoring queries. Vaelyra is for the opposite situation, where the data already exists, scattered across letters, records, and spreadsheets, and the work is abstracting it into a clean dataset. For a prospective trial that needs an eCRF, Vaelyra is not the right tool. For a retrospective chart review, a registry, an audit, or a secondary analysis, it is.
What kind of studies is it for?
Retrospective chart review, registries, clinical audits, and secondary analyses. In short, any study where the values you need are already written down somewhere and have to be brought together into one structured file.
Which platforms does it run on?
Vaelyra runs on macOS and Windows today, with a Linux version expected in the third quarter of 2026.
Can I use Vaelyra on a phone or tablet?
Vaelyra is a desktop application, made for working at a computer with the source documents open alongside it. It runs on macOS and Windows today, and on Linux from the third quarter of 2026. There is no phone or tablet version, since abstraction work belongs at a desk with the records in view.
Which languages can Vaelyra understand?
Voice entry currently works in English and Dutch, and further languages will follow. If you need another language, mention it on the quote form and we will tell you what is possible. The application interface is in English today, with more interface languages expected in the third quarter of 2026.
Does my data leave my computer?
No. Speech recognition and storage both run on the machine itself. Entry needs no cloud service, no account, and no network connection. The audio is transcribed locally and stays where it is recorded. Because everything is processed on the machine, there is no data processing agreement to negotiate.
How is the data stored?
In an encrypted database on the researcher’s own computer. A copy of the database file, on its own, stays unreadable, which matters when a backup travels or a machine is handed in. Every change is written to an audit trail that is always on, and the application includes a viewer for inspecting it.
What does the voice entry need?
A working microphone and the application itself. Entry works without an internet connection. You read each value aloud, hear it repeated back, and confirm it before it is committed, so errors are caught while the source document is still in front of you.
What can I export, and how does that compare with other research data tools?
Research data tools commonly offer a familiar set of export formats, namely comma-separated values (CSV), Excel, SPSS, SAS, Stata, R, and the CDISC ODM XML standard. Vaelyra exports to SPSS in its native format today, producing a .sav data file together with a .sps syntax file, with variables, labels, measurement levels, and types already defined. JASP opens .sav files directly, so the same export covers it. Vaelyra also produces Excel, CSV, and a codebook PDF. Support for SAS, Stata, R, and CDISC ODM (XML) is expected in the third quarter of 2026.
Why does the export start from a clean dataset rather than a spreadsheet?
Because the structure is defined up front. Variables carry their proper measurement levels and types, value labels are attached, and missing data is recorded by category rather than left as an ambiguous blank. The file that comes out is ready for analysis, with the cleaning and coding already done.
How does Vaelyra handle missing data?
Missing values are typed rather than left blank. The application distinguishes between categories such as a value that was not entered, one that is not available in the source, one that is not applicable, and one that is unknown or declined, so the distinction carries through into the analysis.
How can I verify a download?
Every download is published with a SHA-256 checksum. After downloading, compute the checksum of the file on your own machine and compare it against the published value to confirm the file arrived complete and unaltered. On macOS, run shasum -a 256 followed by the file name in Terminal. On Windows, run Get-FileHash followed by the file name in PowerShell. The two values should match.
Why does Windows show a warning when I install Vaelyra?
While Vaelyra is in active development, its Windows builds are not yet signed with a commercial certificate, so Windows SmartScreen may show a warning the first time you run the installer. The warning is harmless. You can continue by choosing More info and then Run anyway. To be sure the file is the genuine one, verify its SHA-256 checksum against the published value first. Signed Windows builds will arrive as development continues.
What does it cost?
Vaelyra is licensed per seat, where a seat is one installation on one machine, with no user accounts and no per-user fees. A shared ward laptop used by several researchers is one seat. Pricing is by quotation, so tell us how many seats you need and we send a figure by email. Buying is by invoice, with no online checkout and no payment card, which suits institutional procurement.
Can I try it before buying?
Yes. The free demo is the whole application, with two limits while it is unlicensed. It holds a single dataset, and export waits for a licence. A licence key opens both on the same install, so any study you set up while evaluating carries straight over.
What happens when a licence lapses?
Everything continues for 30 days while the application reminds you to renew. After that, every existing dataset stays fully readable and editable, and export and the creation of new datasets resume the moment the licence is renewed. Your data stays available throughout.
Can I move a licence to a new machine?
Yes. When a machine is replaced or leaves the study, write to us and we release its seat so the key works on the new machine. A machine kept off the internet can be licensed with a licence file instead of online activation.
Who makes Vaelyra?
Vaelyra is built for clinical research by Provaz. It is in active use in a clinical study and under continued development.