<p>eUtilities for dbSNP is in the process of being retired. See <a href="https://ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2018/06/15/dbsnp-updates-json-refsnp-report-api/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this post</a> from NCBI. You may want to check out the <a href="https://api.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/variation/v0/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">new API</a>.</p>
<p>From the NCBI Insights blog post:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Entrez search is available <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mailman/pipermail/dbsnp-announce/2018q1/000184.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">only for human</a>. We will retire all Eutils report formats (RS docsum XML and ASN.1, FASTA, and FLAT text) later this year. Only eSummary XML report will be supported.</p>
<p>Batch Query Service for all organisms will be retired October 2018. Users of human dbSNP data should transition to the new API.</p>
<p>We will place non-human FTP data in the <a href="ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/snp/archive." rel="nofollow noreferrer">archive directory</a>. Please see the phase-out plan <a href="https://ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2017/05/09/phasing-out-support-for-non-human-genome-organism-data-in-dbsnp-and-dbvar/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">announced last year</a>.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-05T16:22:36.673Z
2018-12-05T16:22:36.673Z
2020-06-18T08:30:41.743Z
vkkodali
<p>According to the 2017(!) textbook, it worked at that time, for instance, </p>

<p><code>https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esearch.fcgi?db=snp&amp;term=autism</code></p>

<p>At this time, this does not work and for each conceivable term it will find 0 records. </p>

<p>What is the right way to search in <code>snp</code>, valid in December 2018?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-05T14:14:08.553Z
Welcome to the site Slepecky. Could you provide a reference to the textbook you mention? Maybe there is an updated version someone can look up. Have you tried looking the eutils manuals for this task?
llrs
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-05T16:07:50.487Z
Also, please explain what you are trying to do so we can come up with alternatives.
terdon
<snp><public-databases><phylogenetics>
ncbi...eutils/esearch.fcgi: How to search now in the snp database?
# ncbi...eutils/esearch.fcgi: How to search now in the snp database?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-12-05)

According to the 2017(!) textbook, it worked at that time, for instance,

`https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esearch.fcgi?db=snp&term=autism`

At this time, this does not work and for each conceivable term it will find 0 records.

What is the right way to search in `snp`, valid in December 2018?

**Tags:** snp, public-databases, phylogenetics
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to the site Slepecky. Could you provide a reference to the textbook you mention? Maybe there is an updated version someone can look up. Have you tried looking the eutils manuals for this task?  
> **username_2**: Also, please explain what you are trying to do so we can come up with alternatives.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-12-05. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

eUtilities for dbSNP is in the process of being retired. See [this post](https://ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2018/06/15/dbsnp-updates-json-refsnp-report-api/) from NCBI. You may want to check out the [new API](https://api.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/variation/v0/).

From the NCBI Insights blog post:

> Entrez search is available [only for human](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mailman/pipermail/dbsnp-announce/2018q1/000184.html). We will retire all Eutils report formats (RS docsum XML and ASN.1, FASTA, and FLAT text) later this year. Only eSummary XML report will be supported.
>
> Batch Query Service for all organisms will be retired October 2018. Users of human dbSNP data should transition to the new API.
>
> We will place non-human FTP data in the [archive directory](ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/snp/archive.). Please see the phase-out plan [announced last year](https://ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2017/05/09/phasing-out-support-for-non-human-genome-organism-data-in-dbsnp-and-dbvar/).


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