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MeAnd23W_AncestryCompSegments Table

The MeAnd23W_AncestryCompSegments table holds the painted-segment side of 23andMe’s Ancestry Composition. Each row is one chromosome segment that has been assigned (“painted”) to a single population on one of the two chromosome copies. Together these segments are the raw chromosome painting that the percentages in the summary table are computed from.

This table pairs with the MeAnd23W_AncestryCompSummary table: a segment’s population_id plus threshold point back to the matching summary row, which carries that population’s label, color, and percentages. A single population at a single threshold typically owns many segment rows across the chromosomes.

Column Reference

ColumnTypeDescription
Idint (PK)Auto-incrementing primary key
psidstringThe 23andMe profile ID being gathered
thresholdstringThe confidence threshold this painting was reported at. Pairs with the summary row at the same threshold.
population_idstringIdentifier of the population this segment is assigned to. Joins to the summary table.
chromosomestringThe chromosome the segment lies on
haplotypeintWhich of the two chromosome copies the segment is painted on — 1 for the first haplotype, 2 for the second
start_bplongStart position of the segment, in base pairs
end_bplongEnd position of the segment, in base pairs
created_datestringWhen this record was created

How It’s Populated

Segments are produced alongside the summary rows while the Ancestry Composition population tree is being walked for a profile. For each population node, the painting for both haplotypes is read:

  1. For haplotype 1 and haplotype 2, each chromosome carries a list of segments. Each segment supplies its start and end positions in base pairs.
  2. One row is written per segment, recording population_id, chromosome, the haplotype number (1 or 2), and start_bp / end_bp, all at the current threshold.
Saving is done per profile as a replace: existing summary and segment rows for the psid are deleted first, then the freshly gathered rows are written, so a profile’s painting always reflects the most recent gather.

Related Tables

  • MeAnd23W_AncestryCompSummary — one row per population per threshold; supplies each segment’s population label, color, and percentages via population_id + threshold.
  • MeAnd23W_Profiles — the profiles gathered under the account.