Maintaining Sample Portions

• Maintaining Sample Portions
  • Overview
  • Prerequisites
  • Process
    • Maintaining Sample Portions
    • Upon Maintaining Sample Portions
  • Creating Sample Portions
    • Creating Additional Sample Portions for a Sample
    • Creating Laboratory Sample Portions
      • Examples:
        • Upon Creating Sample Portions
      • Reviewing Audit Details for a Portion

Overview

A sample portion is a portion of a single sample, so is scoped by its associated job and sample, and could be:

• A field sample comprising one container of material, taken by the client and sent to the laboratory for analysis, so deemed an as-registered sample portion.

• A field sample comprising multiple containers of material, taken by the client and sent to the laboratory for analysis, so deemed as-registered sample portions.

• A split of a prepared field sample, split off during sample preparation at the laboratory facility (for example, a split or riffled), so deemed a laboratory portion, used by the laboratory to take their portions for analysis.

• A split of a prepared sample, split off during analytical preparation (for example, a fusion bead or reagent test tube), so deemed a laboratory portion, used by laboratory technicians and instruments to determine an analytical result.

Sample tracking is the action of tracking sample portions by location, container and sample handling:

• As sample portions move between locations, changes in tracking details can be recorded and audited.

• When samples are due for return or disposal, searches can be done to locate the portions.

Automatic updates can be applied to located portions.

Prerequisites

This process presumes that the system is configured for portion tracking by sample. Refer to Configuring Preferences for Portion Tracking.

Sample portion tracking is by sample where the JOB_LEVEL_TRACKING application preference is not defined, or it is defined and is cleared).

Sample portion tracking is available only for jobs that have a Job Type of Production or Internal.

Where sample portion tracking is by sample, then job-level tracking details cannot be entered.

Process

This process only applied where portions are tracked at sample level, and not at job level.

Whilst as-registered sample portions can be created at registration, if system configuration allows it, the CCPRTN—Portion application allows for the creation and maintenance of both as-registered and laboratory sample portions.

A sample portion has:

• A portion code—'001', onwards, to indicate the unique portion within the sample.
• A portion type—An as-registered sample portion originates from a client. A laboratory sample portion originates from the laboratory during sample preparation or analytical preparation, as per QC requirements associated with the sample's schemes.
• Associated schemes—If the portion is a laboratory portion, these are the schemes associated with it.
• Location—The location of the portion, the date-time at which the portion was moved to the location, and the user who moved the portion to the location.
• Single capacity container type—The type of single-capacity container that holds the single portion.
• Sample handling—The sample handling action being applied to the portion, the date-time at which the action was applied to the portion, the user who initiated the action, and the date-time at which the action is to expire.
• Multiple capacity container type—The type of multiple-capacity container that holds the containerised portion, along with other containerised portion.

Maintaining Sample Portions

As samples portions move between locations, the single-capacity container type, location and sample handling details are updated and audited. When samples are due for a particular sample handling action, for example, return or disposal, portions can be searched, and their details updated accordingly.

Sample tracking updates are applied either manually for selected sample portions or automatically as sample portions are returned from a search. A scanner can be used to search for sample portions.

Sample portion details can be updated by copying data from a scanner or by loading a file.

A portion's identifier, used when entering Bar Code search criteria, comprises [JobName][SampleSeparator][SampleName][PortionSeparator][PortionCode]. For example, if jobs registered in March had the naming convention of LAB1_JUNE_Snn_nnn, to find all sample potions for those jobs and to containerise them all, enter the Bar Code search criteria as LAB1_JUNE% and perform the search.

Portions associated with samples within cancelled jobs are excluded by default in search results, but are included where the Include Cancelled Job is selected in the search criteria. Refer to the Cancelling Jobs for limitations placed on cancelled jobs and samples.

Where a custom attribute of type string, integer, decimal, boolean, list, date, time, time-stamp and text-area, are added as a search criteria via personalisation, the custom attribute can be used to filter sample portions returned from the search. Also, custom attributes can be added as a column to the search results grid.

Sample portions returned from a search can be exported to a report. Reports can show which sample portions are close to their sample handling due date, for example, a sample portion in a storage shed that has a scheduled discard after a certain amount of time). Refer to Generating Grid Reports. Available report templates are defined in the SEARCH_REPORT_CCPRTN application preference.

Maintain sample portions

Upon Maintaining Sample Portions

• Any attempt to clear the sample portion's Location Code, Sample Handling Code or Single-capacity Container Type Code raises an error, or is ignored during a bulk update.

• If a portion's Location Code is updated, then the portion's Sample Handling Code defaults to the location's Default Sample Handling Code, upon which, the location's sample preparation action determines whether the related sample scheme's Workflow Status remains unchanged or is set to Not Started, Started or Completed.

  However, where a portion is associated with a sample in a cancelled job, when the portion's Location Code is updated that could potentially mark a sample preparation scheme's Workflow Status as Not Started, Started or Completed, then NO changes are made to the associated sample scheme, sample, job scheme or job's Workflow Status.

• When a portion's Sample Handling Code is updated, then the sample handling's Duration determines the portion's sample handling Due On date-time, the sample handling's Set portion Is Active flag sets the portion's Is Active flag accordingly, and the portion's Started By and Started On are set to the current user and laboratory date-time, respectively.

  Note: Where an update to a sample portion via the user interface or update service does not result in the portion's Sample Handling Code being updated, then any changes to Started By are rejected.

• The event is audited. Refer to Reviewing Operational Data Audits.

• Conditions for Updating Sample Preparation Scheme Workflow Status upon the assigning of a Location to a Portion

• Conditions for Updating Sample Handling Action upon assigning a Location to a Portion

• Conditions for Updating Portion Activity Status upon assigning a Sample Handling to a Portion

• Conditions for Calculating Expiry and Warning Dates

• Conditions for Auto-calculation of Ready Dates

Creating Sample Portions

A portion's Portion Code is generated as a running sequence of three digits, '0' padded (that is, 001), within the sample name.

Sample portions originating from a client have a Portion Type of As Registered (enumeration 0).

Sample portions created for analysis within the laboratory have a Portion Type of Laboratory (enumeration 1).

Where the SAM_TRACK_REG_WHEN_JOB_COMPLETE application preference is enabled, then sample portions cannot be created at registration, but can only be created where the job's Workflow Status is Completed, primarily to record where the job's samples are stored.

Where any selected sample portion is associated with a job that has a Workflow Status of Finalised, then sample portions cannot be created.

The SAM_TRACK_REG_LOCATION application preference contains the default location for a sample portion. A location's Default Sample Handling Code controls the default sample handling action that is to occur when a sample portion is assigned to a particular location.

The SAM_TRACK_REG_SINGLE_CONTAINER_TYPE application preference contains the default single-capacity container type code for each sample portion.

For samples that match a given search criteria, the default number of sample portions can be created automatically and assigned a single-capacity container, location, sample handling action and notes.

Automatically create sample portions for samples returned from a search

Creating Additional Sample Portions for a Sample

For selected sample portions returned from a search, additional sample portions can be created for the related sample. During this, where a sample does not have the required minimum number of sample portions, then these sample portions are created also.

Create additional sample portions for a sample

Creating Laboratory Sample Portions

Laboratory sample portions are created for selected samples based on the scheme's Single-capacity Container Type for each associated sample scheme. Where more than one scheme links to the same single-capacity container type, then one set of sample portions are created to cater for all of those schemes.

The number of laboratory sample portions created for a scheme is specified by the container type's Default Number of Containers. Refer to the Effect of Scheme Scope upon a Laboratory Sample Portion.

Laboratory sample portions are only created for samples that have a Primary Analytical Type of Unknown.

Create the required laboratory sample portions for a job and optional sample

Examples:

Given the following container types exist:

Container Type Code	Capacity Type	Default Number of Containers
TESTTUBE	SINGLE	1
TRAY1	TRAY	10
BOX	MULTIPLE	25
TRAY2	TRAY	15

and a job contains samples that are registered for a schemes linked to a specific container type, as follows:

Sample Name	Scheme Code	Container Type Code
Sample1	AAS1	TESTTUBE
	AAS2	TRAY1
	AAS3	TESTTUBE
	AAS4	BOX
	AAS5	BOX
	AAS6	TRAY1
	XRF1	BOX
Sample2	AAS1	TESTTUBE
	AAS2	TRAY1
	AAS3	TESTTUBE
	AAS6	TRAY1
	XRF1	BOX

When laboratory portions are updated, then the outcome is:

Sample Name	Portion Type	Portion Code	Scheme Code list
Sample1	Laboratory	001	AAS1,AAS3
	Laboratory	002	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	...	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	011	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	012	AAS4,AAS5,XRF1
	Laboratory	...	AAS4,AAS5,XRF1
	Laboratory	036	AAS4,AAS5,XRF1
Sample2	Laboratory	001	AAS1,AAS3
	Laboratory	002	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	...	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	011	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	012	XRF1
	Laboratory	...	XRF1
	Laboratory	036	XRF1

Scenario 1: A sample is added to the job

Sample Name	Scheme Code	Container Type Code
Sample3	AAS1	TESTTUBE
	AAS2	TRAY1
	AAS3	TESTTUBE
	AAS6	TRAY1
	XRF1	BOX

When the Update Laboratory Portions flow is selected, then the outcome is:

Sample Name	Portion Type	Portion Code	Scheme Code list
Sample3	Laboratory	001	AAS1,AAS3
	Laboratory	002	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	...	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	011	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	012	XRF1
	Laboratory	...	XRF1
	Laboratory	036	XRF1

Scenario 2: A Sample is deleted from the Job

All sample portions are deleted also.

Scenario 3: Scheme AAS8 is added to Sample2

Sample Name	Scheme Code	Container Type Code
Sample2	AAS1	TESTTUBE
	AAS2	TRAY1
	AAS3	TESTTUBE
	AAS6	TRAY1
	XRF1	BOX
	AAS8	TRAY1

When the Update Laboratory Portions flow is selected, then the outcome is:

Sample Name	Portion Type	Portion Code	Scheme Code list
Sample2	Laboratory	001	AAS1,AAS3
	Laboratory	002	AAS2,AAS6,AAS8
	Laboratory	...	AAS2,AAS6,AAS8
	Laboratory	011	AAS2,AAS6,AAS8
	Laboratory	012	XRF1
	Laboratory	...	XRF1
	Laboratory	036	XRF1

Scenario 4: Scheme AAS9 is added to Sample2

Sample Name	Scheme Code	Container Type Code
Sample2	AAS1	TESTTUBE
	AAS2	TRAY1
	AAS3	TESTTUBE
	AAS6	TRAY1
	XRF1	BOX
	AAS9	TRAY2

When the Update Laboratory Portions flow is selected, then the outcome is:

Sample Name	Portion Type	Portion Code	Scheme Code list
Sample2	Laboratory	001	AAS1,AAS3
	Laboratory	002	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	...	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	011	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	012	XRF1
	Laboratory	...	XRF1
	Laboratory	036	XRF1
	Laboratory	037	AAS9
	Laboratory	...	AAS9
	Laboratory	052	AAS9

Scenario 5: Scheme AAS3 is deleted from Sample2

Sample Name	Scheme Code	Container Type Code
Sample2	AAS1	TESTTUBE
	AAS2	TRAY1
	AAS3	TESTTUBE
	AAS6	TRAY1
	XRF1	BOX
	AAS9	TRAY2

When the Update Laboratory Portions flow is selected, then the outcome is:

Sample Name	Portion Type	Portion Code	Scheme Code list
Sample2	Laboratory	001	AAS1
	Laboratory	002	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	...	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	011	AAS2,AAS6
	Laboratory	012	XRF1
	Laboratory	...	XRF1
	Laboratory	036	XRF1
	Laboratory	037	AAS9
	Laboratory	...	AAS9
	Laboratory	052	AAS9

Upon Creating Sample Portions

• If a portion's Location Code is set, then the portion's Sample Handling Code defaults to the location's Default Sample Handling Code, upon which, the location's sample preparation action determines whether the related sample scheme's Workflow Status remains unchanged or is set to Not Started, Started or Completed.

• When a portion's Sample Handling Code is updated, then the sample handling's Duration determines the portion's sample handling Due On date-time, the sample handling's Set portion Is Active flag sets the portion's Is Active flag accordingly, and the portion's Started By and Started On are set to the current user and laboratory date-time, respectively.

• The event is audited. Refer to Reviewing Operational Data Audits.

• Conditions for Updating Sample Preparation Scheme Workflow Status upon the assigning of a Location to a Portion

• Conditions for Updating Sample Handling Action upon assigning a Location to a Portion

• Conditions for Updating Portion Activity Status upon assigning a Sample Handling to a Portion

• Conditions for Calculating Expiry and Warning Dates

• Conditions for Auto-calculation of Ready Dates

Reviewing Audit Details for a Portion

Sample portions can have their audit details viewed.

Review audit details for a sample portion