Submitting a sample - 2.3 Using lab2lab client software to request sample analyses

lab2lab Client has two pages: Registration and Vials. The Registration page is shown below. At the bottom of the page is the Register button which only becomes enabled when valid data has been supplied in all the required fields. 

Select the Registration tab in the Client software to register your sample vial. 

1. With the cursor in the Vial Barcode field, use the PC's barcode reader to scan your vial's barcode. If it scans successfully, the barcode will appear in the field, the background color will change from pink to white and the cursor will move to the next field. The barcode will be included in the results of the analysis when they are returned to you. 
   If you cannot scan a vial's barcode successfully, pipette the sample into another vial and try again.
2. Type in your Sample Reference or ELN reference in the Sample Reference field, to identify your experiment. If you have entered a correctly formatted reference, the background color will change from pink to white. You cannot send a vial for analysis until this field and the Vial Barcode field backgrounds are white, indicating that the sample data is correct. The format of the ELN / Sample reference will be pre-set for your system. It may vary from the images shown in this manual.
   If you have not entered text in the correct format for your laboratory, the Register button will not become enabled. 
3. Select the priority level for your sample. Normal priority samples will be processed as soon as possible, in the order in which they were requested, which is the default option. Low priority samples will only be processed when there are no Normal priority vials waiting in the system. Overnight samples will only be run during a defined period outside of normal working hours, and only after all low priority samples are run. Low or overnight priority are appropriate for selecting long duration analytical methods.
4. Choose whether your vial should be sent to waste after all analytical methods are completed, or held in a Buffer. If vials are held in a Buffer, you will be able to send them for further analysis based on your initial results, or to retrieve the sample e.g. for analyses using instruments or methods not available through lab2lab. Buffer space is limited, so samples will not be kept indefinitely: your administrator can tell you how long vials will be retained.
5. Use the optional Comment field for any additional information which needs to be passed to the analytical instruments and which appears in the analytical results.  

This will be included in the results from the analysis.  

2.3.1 Selecting analytical methods

The Vial Registration tab shows which analytical instruments are available through the lab2lab system, and which test methods can be selected for each instrument type. The Manual Proc. (Process) tab may have additional analytical methods which can be accessed via lab2lab but are not run on the standard instruments. The tabs will differ according to the specific instruments available through each lab2lab system. 

1. Select the instrument type tab: it will show all the possible analytical methods which could be run by an instrument connected to the system. The choice of instrument and method types depends on what instruments the lab2lab system has connected to it. You do not need to identify a specific instrument to run your sample. 
2. Select the method or methods which you want for your sample by clicking on them. Selected methods will be highlighted. The number of methods selected for each instrument type is shown at the top of the tab. 
   If the methods you select have user defined parameters, type them in the Methods form, or use the dropdown lists to select values. These parameters are passed to the instrument when the analysis is started. Some methods may require you to specify parameters before you can register your vial, others may be optional. 
   Select the Screens button at the bottom right to run a standard set of predefined analyses on that instrument. 
   You cannot define the order in which your analyses will run, so you may wish to just select one or two methods initially and review the data from those before specifying further analyses.
3. If you have just one sample, click Register when you have specified all the analytical methods which you want run on your sample. The form will close, the vial will be registered and lab2lab is then ready for you to load that sample vial using a Sender.
   Do not click it yet if you want to add more than one sample for analysis. 
   If the Register button is not enabled, you have not completed filling in the vial registration form.
4. If you have multiple vials which will each require different analyses, select the Clear button at the top left of the form before you click Register for your first vial. This will clear all your data from the previous vial, leaving the empty form open for your next. You can register as many vials as you wish before loading the vials via a Sender. 

If you have multiple vials which will each require identical or very similar analyses, tick the Registering Multiple Samples box at the top right of the form before you click Register for your first vial. This will retain your method selections and other data; only the vial barcode and last section of the ELN reference are cleared. Read the barcodes of subsequent vials, add their sample references and any other changes to the data before registering each one in turn. This makes subsequent vial registration much simpler. 

2.3.2 Correcting a mistake in vial registration

If you have made a mistake when completing your vial registration, you can use the Clear button to remove your data and reset all values to defaults, to start again. 

If you realize you have made a mistake after you registered the sample, you can edit and correct your data before you submit the actual vial. You can alter any data field except the vial barcode.  

 

Submitting a sample - 2.4 Using the sender >>>