samplemanager LIMS Archives - Astrix https://astrixinc.com/tag/samplemanager-lims/ Expert Services and Staffing for Science-Based Businesses Thu, 11 May 2023 18:37:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 On Demand Webinar – Sample Manager Modules https://astrixinc.com/webinar/on-demand-webinar-sample-manager-modules/ Sat, 04 Feb 2023 01:37:16 +0000 https://astrixinc.com/?p=22701 Everything you need to know about getting the most out of SampleManager […]

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Everything you need to know about getting the most out of SampleManager Modules.

The post On Demand Webinar – Sample Manager Modules appeared first on Astrix.

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Tips for SampleManager Implementation and Upgrades https://astrixinc.com/blog/samplesmanager/tips-for-samplemanager-implementation-and-upgrades/ Fri, 21 Oct 2022 00:17:13 +0000 http://astrixinc.com/?p=1804 Thermo Scientific™ SampleManager LIMS™ is unique in that it delivers laboratory management, […]

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Thermo Scientific™ SampleManager LIMS™ is unique in that it delivers laboratory management, analytical data management (SDMS), industry-leading instrument and system integration, and procedural execution (LES) capabilities in a single solution. With it wide-ranging capabilities, SampleManager (SM) is frequently implemented as a global solution in multiple locations across an enterprise, and also in different laboratory types such as QA/QC, R&D and others.

SampleManager LIMS™ is continuously upgraded to meet the changing needs of laboratories across all industries – pharmaceutical QA/QC, food and beverage, oil and gas, petrochemical, water and environmental, manufacturing, contract labs, and more. Each new release of SampleManager contains new functionality that is built upon feedback and customer input from these sectors, and this ensures an upgrade path that respects your previous investment while allowing you to take advantage of collected industry knowledge to respond to changing business or regulatory demands.

SampleManager LIMS™ offers the potential for significant operational and business benefits for your organization. There are, however, important considerations to take into account when implementing or upgrading the SampleManager solution in order to realize its full potential to transform your laboratory operations, improve organizational agility, and unlock the power of your laboratory data. In this blog, we’ll discuss key best practice recommendations to follow during your SampleManager implementation or upgrade that will ensure your project maximizes success in ensuring compliance, streamlining processes, improving quality, reducing costs, and driving productivity and innovation in your laboratory environment.

Tips for Optimizing SampleManager LIMS™ Implementations and Upgrades

The following best practices are recommended when undertaking a SampleManager LIMS™ upgrade or implementation:

Make the Most of the “Out-Of-The-Box” Features of SampleManager: SampleManager has a wide variety of system configuration features that can likely meet the needs of your laboratory today and into the future. SampleManager (SM) version 11 specifically features several advanced new tools and user-interface enhancements that serve to improve laboratory management, process mapping and automation. Best practice is to examine and understand all these features, and utilize as many of them as you can in your implementation to meet your requirements and simplify implementation. Some examples include:

  • Workflow and Lifecycles (SM 11): SampleManager’s unique workflow capabilities are designed to empower lab users and managers by allowing them to easily build workflows that map to actual laboratory processes and make choices about instrument integration and reporting for regulatory requirements or management metrics. Workflow features allow laboratory users and managers to perform specific actions and/or designate statuses for any dynamic or static data, create elaborate decision trees, automate email and reporting. As laboratory needs evolve, workflows can be modified to mirror the new process.
  • Report, Label and Form Designer (SM 10): Allows laboratory users and managers to create custom reports and labels, filters and folders for organizing data, and new database fields. Also allows users to change or create new forms that enable setting the data as desired.
  • Inventory Tracking: SM has the ability to track almost any commodity, stock, or standard solution to let users know where inventory comes from, where it is used, and when it expires.
  • Instrument Calibration and Training Tracking: SM can do the work of tracking training and instrument calibrations for you. The software has the ability to alert users if training is out of date or an instrument is out of calibration.

Avoid Customizations Unless They Are Really Required: Astrix SM experts have experienced several implementations where extensive customizations to satisfy requirements have dramatically extended project duration. Writing new or changing existing code in VGL (SM proprietary language) or ,NET, besides making the project more expensive and time-consuming, can increase the complexity of future maintenance/migration/validation, and potentially lead to system errors. SM comes with a lot of configurable items that can usually be adjusted to meet the lab’s requirements without the need for customization.

Designate Appropriate Internal and External Resources for Project Implementation: In addition to making a good decision regarding which external informatics consultant to work with on a SM project, it is crucial for organizations to assign motivated and skilled internal resources to a SM implementation or upgrade. Significant collaboration between quality external and internal resources is required for the success of any SM project. Collaboration must occur to determine project requirements, as well as configure static data, templates and data analysis.

Make sure you plan on designated internal resources spending time on the project, which means they will be less available for their day jobs. The best external consultants can help you backfill your laboratory staff for the duration of the project so that it does not disrupt productivity in the laboratory. Note that internal staff assigned to the project team will develop a lot of SM knowledge and turn into internal “LIMS Admins”.

Iterate Your Implementation: Given the extensive configurability of SM, users often don’t know exactly what is possible or how SM works, so it’s wise to implement SM in stages, with the first iteration being the minimum viable solution to go into production with. Be reasonable and don’t try to achieve everything on the first project iteration. After users get to experience the first version, they can suggest changes and adjustments that they want to see for the next iteration. This iterative approach both shortens the time it takes for internal staff to start using the system and avoids frustrating expectations early in the project.

Iterating your implementation also makes any future upgrades/updates necessitated by a changing environment (regulations, data integrity, new users, etc.) easier due to:

  • Already have internal SMEs to help define a wish list and possible project pat
  • Validation of core functions is already completed

When Appropriate, Use Virtual fields (SM 10 and later versions) Instead of Actually Creating Fields in the Database: Virtual fields are not stored in a database and can include any calculation allowed by .NET code – text aggregation, sum of amounts, reporting fields, timeline planning for samples, etc. In addition to allowing much more flexibility, virtual fields avoid creating unnecessary database overhead.

Create Good Project Documentation: For regulatory and future maintenance requirements, the owners of the SM system need to document all the relevant changes to the system after the project ends – database fields created, code created or modified, integrations and interfaces, workflows configured, etc. Working with a quality external informatics consultant makes this easy, as they will provide the documentation for you. Documentation provided by Astrix on SM projects includes:

  • Project Plan – responsibilities, communication plan, work schedule, etc.
  • Requirements Traceability Matrix – requirements description, categorization (standard/configuration/customization), design ideas, prioritization.
  • Functional/Design Specification – relevant technical changes to the system and/or system architecture.
  • Testing Documentation – IQ/OQ/PQ scripts or protocols for validation (required for regulated laboratories). Note that whether the laboratory is in a regulated environment or not, Astrix always does system validation.

The Astrix Difference

The Astrix Team contains some of the most experienced and knowledgeable SampleManager experts in the world. Our team has proven expertise in project management, implementation, integration, validation and system optimization for SampleManager LIMS™ across all industries. Our accomplished consultants also have a wealth of experience across various organization types, helping to ensure that business-specific needs, along with industry and regulatory requirements, are taken into consideration on your project.

As your laboratory needs evolve due to regulatory or business changes, it is often necessary to begin to utilize new features of SM that have not been previously used, or upgrade to a new version that has the functionality to fulfill your changing requirements. Whether you need to implement SampleManager LIMS™ as a new system, optimize or adjust your current implementation, or upgrade to a new version, Astrix can help ensure that any new configuration or customization of SM is accomplished in the most efficient, cost-effective and timely way that satisfies your present and future requirements.

Let us help you with:

  • Strategic planning to make sure that your implementation/upgrade project satisfies production, operational and financial goals.
  • SampleManager LIMS™ configuration or customization
  • Instrument integration with SampleManager LIMS™
  • Computer system (e.g., laboratory, business and manufacturing system) integration with SampleManager LIMS™
  • Data migration from legacy systems to SampleManager LIMS™
  • SampleManager LIMS™ training for key personnel
  • SampleManager LIMS™ validation services
  • Scientific and Technical Staffing Services to backfill laboratory staff so that your SM project does not disrupt operations.

If you would like to learn more about these services, please feel free to contact us for a no obligation consultation using the link below:

Conclusion
From smaller individual lab deployments through global multi-site implementations, SampleManager LIMS™ has the ability to meet your laboratory needs in a single application. While the potential for this system to help increase productivity and innovation in your laboratory environment is great, it is important to work with a quality laboratory informatics consultant who has the necessary experience with SampleManager in order to realize its full potential.

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SampleManager LIMS Best Practices – Criteria Builder https://astrixinc.com/blog/samplesmanager/samplemanager-lims-best-practices-criteria-builder/ Thu, 01 Mar 2018 01:16:37 +0000 http://astrixinc.com/?p=2098 Thermo Fisher Scientific’s SampleManager LIMS™ is a fully integrated laboratory platform encompassing […]

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Thermo Fisher Scientific’s SampleManager LIMS™ is a fully integrated laboratory platform encompassing laboratory information management (LIMS), scientific data management (SDMS) and lab execution (LES). The feature-rich design of SampleManager platform, which includes the SampleManager Criteria Builder, provides the tools necessary for organizations to create a connected, global knowledge base that can be shared across the organization to drive innovation. Laboratories in many different industries rely on SampleManager LIMS™ to help realize the full potential of their laboratory data.

SampleManager offers many features that help scientists sort and view data more efficiently. In this article, we will discuss the use of the SampleManager Criteria Builder feature that allows team members to quickly access relevant data for viewing or developing reports.

SampleManager Criteria Builder

In our recent blog on Personal Folders, we discussed how to build criteria in SampleManager Personal Folders to improve your ability to find and view data efficiently. This feature works well when a user wants to sort and filter data to show a specific personlized view. When an organization needs to create a quick report or a certain view of a table for more than one person, however, Criteria Builder can be used instead. This window has different names in SampleManager depending on where it is used, but it is exactly the same when building criteria in a folder, cabinet, or from scratch.

There are two ways to open the Criteria Builder:

  • In the Navigator, go to the System Folders > Criteria Use the Right Mouse Button (RMB) menu to select “Add Criteria”
  • Use the RMB menu on any folder or cabinet in the Navigator and select “Modify.” Then open the ‘Data Source’ tab

Figure 1: The criteria folder in the System Folders section

The window looks the same regardless of where you open it from. The only difference is, when you are creating or modifying criteria in the ‘Criteria’ folder, you get the same ‘General’ tab that is found in all .Net forms in SampleManager.

Figure 2: The General tab when creating new criteria.

When creating a new criteria, the ‘ID’, ‘Table Name’, and ‘Name’ fields  must be entered. If the ‘Public Criteria’ box is checked, it will be available to all users. A ‘Group ID’ can be used if the criteria will apply to views used by only one group. However, this is not recommended because it can lead to the same criteria being built multiple times. For the rest of this article, we will show the ‘Data Source’ tab for modifying folders instead of the ‘Criteria’ tab.

Building Criteria

To build criteria:

  • Click on the little green ‘Add’ (+) button.
  • Select the criteria from the list of <Entity> Fields.
  • Select the operator to use in the Operator column (=, >,<, >=, <=,or LIKE).
  • Enter the value for the field.
  • Use the AND, OR, and parenthesis ( ) operators to link fields together. These operators are found at the bottom of the drop down list when you click inside a ‘Criteria field’ box.

To see more than one field selection, use the AND operator. This would be utilized when you want to find all samples authorized by two Authorisers, for example.

Figure 3: Example of using the AND operator.

On the other hand, if you want to find all samples that are Completed, you would use the OR operator, as both statuses “Completed” and “Inspection” mean that the samples have been completed in SampleManager.

Figure 4: Example of using the OR operator

To group items together, use the parenthesis. If you wanted to see samples logged in during the past 30 days and were authorized by either authoriser, for example, you would build the criteria as seen below:

Figure 5: Example of how to use parenthesis

Import

If you want to create a new criteria based on a previously build critera, use the ‘Import’ button at the top of the window. The list shows all criteria from the Critera system folder filtered for the specified table or folder being modified. In this example, we are working with the Sample table, so the list shows only what is available for the Sample table.

Figure 6: Example list of criteria that can be imported from the Criteria folder

Display

If you have a long list of criteria that can’t be seen in the window, use the ‘Display’ button. This shows a smaller list of all criteria. It can be a useful tool to spot errors or missing information.

Figure 7: Example of the Display window.

Variables

Variables can also be used as values for any criteria field.  To add a variable, click on the ‘Variables’ tab. Right click in the blank space and select “Add New.” Select the type of variable you want to use to open the window. The three types of variables are Environment, Prompt, and Parameter.

Environment variables are best used for getting the most up to date information – for example, if you wanted to see samples logged in on the current date. This cannot be done using the list of fields as criteria, because the date and time are fixed for all entries in the sample table.  Instead, use the Environment variable ‘TODAY.’ This will select all entries between 12:00 am and 11:59 pm.

Figure 8: The Variable creation window

What if you wanted to see all samples in a certain status?  You could create a folder with sub-folders for each status, or you can use a Prompt type variable.  To create a prompt variable:

  • Create a new variable called Status.
  • Select the ‘$Status’ library entry and click OK.
  • Add the variable as the value for the Status field.

Figure 9: Selecting a library value.

The prompt window will appear before the folder opens to allow a user to select the status. The folder will then show the filtered results.

Figure 10: Example of a prompt box.

Another way to create a prompt is to check the ‘Allow User Prompts’ button. For this example we want to see samples from a selected sampling point.

  • Create a Prompt type variable and add a name.

Figure11: Creating a Prompt variable.

  • Click the OK button to close the window.
  • Check the Allow User Prompts box.
  • In the ‘Form’ field, select “‘Criteria User Prompt Template”
  • In the ‘Task’ field, select “GenericUserPromptTask”

Figure 12: Example of the Allow User Prompts option.

The prompt list is generated based on the criteria field the prompt is assigned to.

SampleManager has a large list of forms and tasks that can be used with variables. Custom forms and tasks can be created using either VGL or C# .Net forms.

A Parameter type variable is most useful for setting up folders with specific information that cannotbe changed by the user. For example, parameter type variables are used to create cabinets to filter out data for a specific bulding, lab, or business group.

To create a parameter type variable, add a new variable and select the ‘Parameter’ type. The default value must contain the exact value input of the field you want to filter on. Unfortunately, there isn’t a drop down list to select from, so you need to know what the field value is before creating your prompt. In this example, we want to know which operators are assigned to the Chemistry lab.

Figure 13: Creating a parameter type variable.

Figure 14: Folder with a parameter type variable assigned.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored the SampleManager Criteria Builder and we have seen how to create criteria to view information in the explorer. Criteria saved in the Criteria folder can be used to display information in the explorer, as well as many other places in SampleManager (when creating labels and reports, for example). Custom variables can be created and added to criteria using VGL and C# .Net forms.

The Astrix Team contains some of the most experienced and knowledgeable SampleManager experts in the world. Astrix provides an array of value-added professional services for SampleManager including implementation, training, upgrade and managed services.  We can help you discover where and how to use criteria to make your SampleManager data more intuitive and easier to find. If you would like to explore some of the ways you could utilize Criteria Builder, or any of the other features that are available in SampleManager, do not hesitate to contact us for a no obligations consultation.

Astrix  is a full service informatics consulting and staffing firm that has been serving the scientific community since 1995. We specialize in laboratory informatics strategic planning, vendor selection, development, implementation, integration, managed services and scientific staffing. Astrix professionals have the skills and expertise necessary to architect, implement, integrate and support best in class solutions for your organization’s laboratory environment.

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