Sample Tracking Ideas or Programs

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Sloppy Joe Active Contributor Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 20	Sample Tracking Ideas or Programs 09/03/2008 12:10 PM
	I am looking for ideas or known (easy to use) programs for tracking samples of a finished product that is sent into our lab for testing. The samples can be sent in for various reasons which require a number of different tests. I'm looking for a way to easily log, document test progress and track each sample through the process until completion. I'm sure there are some very high tech programs that cost lots of money (such as LIMS), but I am looking for something fairly simple and easy to use. I'd appreciate any thoughts or idea. Thanks!
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	Pathfinder Tags: lab labatory Program sample samples testing tracking

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NotUrOrdinaryJoe Guru Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 1639 Good Answers: 73	#1 Re: Sample Tracking ideas or programs 09/03/2008 12:39 PM
	From one Joe to another.... If you could be a little more specific, you might not get such a generalized answer. But, there is always MS Excel to get you started. Once you have defined what categories you really need or want to track, you could then transfer the data into MS Access and take advantage of the database tools in it. Excel makes a good scratchpad for working with new "fields" or columns of information that you think of later.... __________________ A great troubleshooting tip...."When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Kilgore Trout Power-User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 440 Good Answers: 7	#2 Re: Sample Tracking ideas or programs 09/03/2008 2:22 PM
	I use MS Excel for everything. __________________ Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand --Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
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Laughing Jaguar Guru Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 927 Good Answers: 56	#3 Re: Sample Tracking Ideas or Programs 09/04/2008 10:26 AM
	Bar Code technology has gotten very sophisticated of late. Combined with a handheld scanner and the appropriate software, you can automate this process quite a bit without being burdened by a dense learning curve or a high costs. L.J. __________________ "Both the revolutionary and the creative individual are perpetual juveniles. The revolutionary does not grow up because he cannot grow, while the creative individual cannot grow up because he keeps growing." Eric Hoffer
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EnviroMan Guru Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Gone to Alabama with my banjo on my knee... Posts: 5595 Good Answers: 20	#4 Re: Sample Tracking Ideas or Programs 09/04/2008 11:09 AM
	Two dimensional bar coding can contain a couple of orders of magnitude more info than a standard bar code, you might look into that. It's not prohibitively expensive. __________________ Veni, vidi, video - I came, I saw, I got it on film.
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Paddler Power-User Join Date: May 2007 Location: Sweet home Alabama Posts: 144 Good Answers: 7	#5 Re: Sample Tracking Ideas or Programs 09/04/2008 2:07 PM
	The name of these commercial programs is LIMS or Lab information Management Systems. Many were available and are now it seams they are gobbling each other up Lab-works, LIMS are two I have used. Most are set up to communicate with statical software (NWA, Minitab, Stastica, matlab and the like). Your application may drive what type fits best. To evaluate what is best be prepared to understand your application, what it is and what it is not. For example: 1. Is chain of custody an important to you for legal, regulatory reasons? ( drug tests, DNA testing, EPA tests) 2. Do you do many replicates, duplicates, spikes and blanks of standards, and calibrations? (Air monitoring and EPA methods) 3. Do you want to use a lodged in sample to generate the lab test to run standards to use and prepare the form to input the data? 4. Do you have instrumentation that you want to send the results directly to the LIMS system without manual entry? 5. Do you plan to manage specifications (internal, customer and manufacturing) in the lims system? 6. Do you do high powered statical studies as drug industry requires? 7. Do you want the LIMS system to E mail stakeholders upset conditions? I have loged in, but it says I am not, Paddler
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Anonymous Poster	#6 Re: Sample Tracking Ideas or Programs 09/04/2008 10:49 PM
	im looking at Timesheet Xpress v9.3.0 to do this job as we need the data as well for the goverrnment grants
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Anonymous Poster (1); EnviroMan (1); Kilgore Trout (1); Laughing Jaguar (1); NotUrOrdinaryJoe (1); Paddler (1)

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