Though Bika's native Zope object database, the ZODB, proved itself to be robust and secure - NATO won't be using without reason, keeping LIMS data in a 'tabular' database has always been desirable for lab managers to run their own queries

Such a SQL back-end has now been developed by Bika developers list subscriber John Yeko and a test instance set-up for public review at http://bikasql.bikalabs.com/test using MySQL. John initially tested with Oracle and the code also includes migration scripts to convert existing ZODB Bika LIMS data!

John works in the IS department of a leading company that develops plant extracts, natural flavours and colours, and began to investigate open-source alternatives where they make business sense. He is evaluating Inkosi Bika in their Quality and R&D labs. The lab's Intranet also uses Plone

Their more important evaluation criteria are

ERP interfacing

External queries and shared data base

In-house IS support

In order to meet the first two requirements, the LIMS must have Oracle database support. Having limited in-house Plone knowledge, the addition of external database to Bika LIMS was a good way for John and his team to learn Plone while at the same time creating a product that would meet their other requirements

John motivates releasing their work: "I believe that appropriate Open Source solutions play an important role in my ability to support my company.  I also believe that I should be an active participant in these communities to ensure their continued success and future product growth.  It is in support of these beliefs that I contribute my efforts"

At Bika Lab Systems, John's contribution came out of the blue - all contributions of this magnitude has so far been done in-house and sponsored by fee paying clients - and it strengthens our believe in POS, professional Open Source, that sees community enthusiasts, clients and professional developers all working towards their own goals but benefiting other participants

A huge thank you John!

----------8<---------------------------------

To access the on-line demonstration installation, and contribute to testing, please request lab manager credentials here

After successful testing, the software will be bundled and made available from SourceForge with the existing Bika downloads. If you want an early trial version for your own installation, please download from http://bika.sourceforge.net/downloads/index.htm#sql