Document Actions

3.3. Analysis Services

Up one level

Next: Analysis Profiles

Previous: Laboratory Information

Jump to:

Setting up analysis services - the 'tests' offered by the lab to its clients - their descriptions and parameters

All the analytical services offered by your lab are added and listed here and editable to lab managers

Analysis services

The list also summarises some of the main parameters configured for existing Analysis Services

Click on [add new analysis service] to add a new service, or click on the title of an existing service to edit it. If you want to delete one, check the box opposite its title and press [delete] at the bottom of the page

The [duplicate] button will copy a selected Analysis Service to a new one containing all the parameters of the original which can then be edited and save time

A page for the selected or new Analysis Service opens to be completed or edited. Fields indicated by a red square are compulsory

General

setup analysis services a

The analysis service Description may be used to capture information visible to clients. Typically this is a description of the analysis method and its results interpretation, assisting clients in deciding which analyses to request. Analysis services throughout the system are hyper-linked to pop-ups for clients to look up this information

Instructions are similarly available to lab staff and should contain technical information to guide them through the analysis

Methods and Instruments

Next select the instrument and method to be used for this Analysis Service from the options on the drop-down menus. These are populated from lists maintained elsewhere in the LIMS setup, see Methods and Instruments

Department and Category

The Analysis Service needs to be allocated to a department and catecory, both are compulsory, and restricted from options on drop-down menus maintained elsewhere in the LIMS setup, see Lab Departments and Analysis Categories

Department managers responsible for results are included on results publications including their contact details - to provide a short cut for clients having queries. Therefore every analysis service needs to be assigned to a department. The departments are entered in the Lab departments section of the set-up and presented as selection options on a drop down menu here

In a multi disciplinary lab, data presentation can become quite fuzzy with irrelevant data clogging up views and forms to users really interested in their own category analyses only, e.g. environmental and metallurgical analyses. The LIMS allows for differentiation and grouping of these to clarify cluttered screens through listing analyses in collapsible sections

Accreditation

Accredited marks the analysis service as having been accredited as described under the accreditation section. Accredited analyses are indicated as such throughout the system

Keyword Identification

The Instrument Import Keyword is the name of the analysis in the .csv file of results imported from lab instruments and is used to match results with analyses. This name must be spelled exactly the same here and as column header in the .csvs used for imports

The same principle is used for bulk Analysis Requests where Clients submit .csv files created in spreadsheet programs containing Sample IDs and the the Analyses requested for them. These Analyses are identified by its Analysis keywords maintained here

Reporting

The lab might offer some results percentages for Samples before and after drying, say for animal feeds analysis. The LIMS needs to know this so as to enforce the % moisture analysis for these samples. If you want to report the results for the Analysis Service being configured here as both 'as is' and dried', check its Report as dry matter check box

You also have the option to enforce, permit or disallow file attachments, such as microscope images, for the Analysis' result. Pick the corresponding Attachments option

Unit must be completed with the unit of measurement for the analysis as it will be reported

For analyses requiring titration, the Titration Volume Unit, typically ml, needs to be provided as it appears on the analysis request once the titration volume has been captured

Precision is used to configure the number of decimals to be used in reporting the results for this Analysis Service

Duplicate Variation is a quality control measure indicating the maximum percentage difference allowed between results for this particular analysis of duplicate samples on the same worksheet. If the difference is bigger than the percentage specified here, the results will be highlighted on the worksheet and the worksheet rejection workflow entered

Price

Two prices can be kept on record for the analysis service, typically a cheaper price for bulk buyers, called 'corporate' in the example above. Prices may be overwritten by lab managers on individual ARs, or a 'membership' discount applied per individual clients

The VAT % defaults to the system default but may be edited

Results Options

Some Analyses requiring text input as results is best limited to a number of known possible outcomes to prevent typos and irrelevant input skewing reporting. The known outcomes van be preconfigured here and only these allowed when results are capture. These will be offered as options on a drop-down menu on the data capturing screens

Note that only three positions are offered on this configuration screen. Should you require more, save the form with three positions completed - push the [save] button at the bottom of the page - and return to the form when more positions will be opened up. Repeat until completed

Results Calculations

The Calculation Type drop down menu is used to select the calculation type associated with the analysis. These are defined in the Calculation Types section of the system set-up and typically includes a range of weight and titration calculations. With these selected, the system will automatically add any extra fields such as titration factors required for the calculations on data capturing screens
The calculations are discussed in more detail in the Calculation Types setup section

Please ignore the Dependant Analyses section if your version of Bika still shows it

Turn around time

Maximum Hours Allowed is the time limit specified for this test to be concluded. When an analysis request exceeds this time limit, it is displayed in the late analyses pop-up. Bika's Working Hours Calendar is used for these calculations to exclude non-working hours and holidays

Uncertainties

The intercept table of Uncertainties is used to determine the measure of uncertainty for the analysis. These uncertainty values are shown throughout the system as +/- value, after the result

Using the example above, a result of 15 units will be reported as 15 +/- 0.75 units

Done?

bika 2 save cancel button

Press [save] to submit your edits, [cancel] if you don't want to