Sequence trace format Textual format SAM Sequence Alignment/Map (SAM) format for alignment of nucleotide sequences (e.g. sequencing reads) to (a) reference sequence(s). May contain base-call and alignment qualities and other data. The format supports short and long reads (up to 128Mbp) produced by different sequencing platforms and is used to hold mapped data within the GATK and across the Broad Institute, the Sanger Centre, and throughout the 1000 Genomes project. sam beta12orEarlier Alignment format (pair only)