Maintaining Job Paperwork and Labels

Overview

Job paperwork and labels are the documents needed to facilitate the analysis and efficient management of jobs in the laboratory. Job paperwork includes worksheets, sample preparation sheets, job sheets. Labels are typically printed onto a label printer or barcode printer and applied to containers that hold samples of the job, to allow for sample portion tracking through the receipt, storage, handling, preparation and analysis phases.

Job paperwork and labels can be configured and generated immediately after registration or later on in the job's life-cycle, for example, during job receipt, and are used to facilitate the flow of the samples through analysis, and efficient management of jobs in the laboratory.

The supported report engines are Crystal Reports and Chunk Text reports. Mechanisms are available that allow result sets to be processed and manipulated at various points along the reporting process using scripts. This facilitates the inclusion of additional logic and utilisation of external services and report engines.

Job Paperwork and Labels Scope

Job paperwork and labels are scoped by their parent job. A job can contain multiple job paperwork and labels. Each job paperwork and labels configuration can contain separate tests to generate paperwork and labels for different components of the job.

Process

Note: This option is not available if the job is a schedule or draft job.

Paperwork and Label Requirements for a Job

Paperwork items and labels items are maintained for a job in the job's Paperwork and Labels tab. These items are either created manually, or automatically upon job creation, as per the AUTO_PAPERWORK_TEMPLATES application preference setting.

The paperwork and labels Name and Description allows for further identification of the target report.

Creation of the Associated Report Request

A job's paperwork and labels is configured as a report request by the system.

If the report request associated with a paperwork or labels configuration does not exist, then it is created.

  • A report request with a Report Type of Labels is created for the job if one does not exist already, and a report request report is created for each job labels item,
  • A report request with a Report Type of Paperwork is created for the job if one does not exist already, and a report request report is created for each job paperwork item.
  • The report request report's Report Template Code, File Syntax Code and Language are inherited from the report template linked from the job labels item's Report Template Code.

  • The report request sample scheme analyte's Is Reportable defaults to the scheme version analyte's Include on Worksheet.

  • If at least one report request sample scheme analyte's Is Reportable is true, then the report request sample scheme's Is Reportable is selected, and cleared otherwise.

  • If at least one report request sample scheme's Is Reportable is true, then the report request scheme's Is Reportable is selected, and cleared otherwise.

  • If at least one report request sample scheme analyte's Is Reportable is true, then the report request scheme analyte's Is Reportable is selected, otherwise it is cleared.

  • The report request report's Reportable, Report Template Code, Report Template Name, Output Format, Report Name, Report Description, File Name, Filename Syntax Code and Language default to the job paperwork/label's Reportable, Report Template Code, Report Template Name, Output Format, Name, Description, File Name, File Syntax Code and Language, respectively.

  • Note: If the file name is not unique, that is, a file already exists in the report repository with the same name (check this by Maintaining Reports in the Report Repository), then there can be issues downloading the file that you think you have created.

  • The report request report's Email defaults to cleared. Print Copies defaults to 0. Copy to Folder defaults to cleared.

  • Further to this, when a report request report is linked to a report template automatically, or when it is updated manually, then upon submit:

    • Where the report template's Device Code is defined, then the report request report's Printer is set to the device in the PAPERWORK_DEFAULT_DEVICE or LABEL_DEFAULT_DEVICE application preference setting, respectively.
    • Where the report template's Device Code is empty and the setting in this preference contains a device code, then the report request report's Printer is set to the device in the PAPERWORK_DEFAULT_DEVICE or LABEL_DEFAULT_DEVICE application preference setting, respectively.
    • Where both the report template's Device Code and the setting in the related preference is empty or the preference is not found, then the report request report's Printer is left empty.

    • When a report request report is updated manually and the report template is not changed, then clearing of the report request report's Printer leaves it empty upon submit.

A job paperwork or labels configuration's Report Template Code must be defined as it is passed to the associated report request report and used to generate the report. When one is selected, the report template's Output Format displays.

Report Templates

The configuration of report templates for paperwork and labels must take into consideration the mandatory fields required for templates. These are:

  • Report Template Code—The unique code to be applied to the new paperwork template.
  • Type—The type of report template. For certificate reports, it must be a report template with a Type of 02—Paperwork.
  • File—The source file for the reporting template. This needs to be uploaded, and the record change submitted.
  • Report Engine—The report engine that is used to generate the report.
  • Default Output Format—The file format of the generated report (text, PDF and so on), and is dependent upon the selected report engine.
  • Output File Name or Output File Name Syntax—One or both of these properties should be set for reporting. Refer to Maintaining Syntaxes.
  • A report template must be active for it to be selected for use.

Note: Paperwork reports can also report analytical results if required, but these are processed in a manner which means that unvalidated results can be included. This means that these reports, if featuring results, should not be distributed to clients.

Refer to Maintaining Report Templates.

Reportability

To include a sample in a paperwork or labels report request, the sample's IsGeneratePaperwork must be selected.

To include a sample scheme analyte in a paperwork or labels report request, the sample scheme analyte's IncludeOnWorksheet must be selected. This flag is inherited from the scheme version analyte's IncludeOnWorksheet.

File Name or File Syntax Code

A job paperwork or labels configuration's File Name or File Name Syntax Code defines the explicit name, or syntax used to generate the name, of the output file. These details are passed to the report request when it is created from the job paperwork or labels configuration. A default suffix is only applied to those reports where no extension is specified by the report request.

If the file name is not unique, that is, a file already exists in the report repository with the same name (check this by Maintaining Reports in the Report Repository), then there can be issues downloading the file that you think you have created.

Report Generation on the System Batch Queue

To generate paperwork and labels the job paperwork and labels generation batch job is placed on the system batch queue.

  • A CCBPGEN system batch job is created for each report request associated with the job's paperwork and labels configuration. Refer how to Set the BATCH_QUEUE_TASK_PRIORITY Preference.

  • Execution of a CCBPGEN system batch job is subject to queue limits to ensure that excessive tasks for the same job type are not created within a fixed time period, but are ignored, thereby protecting the system batch processor from overload. Refer to Configuring the System Batch Queue for protecting the system batch queue from excessive requests.

  • The system batch job history and the execution steps are visible for an historical system batch job in the History tab for the report request. Refer to Maintaining Schedules and Batch Job Executions.

The paperwork or labels documents are generated from the associated report requests:

  • The template is read to determine the required core result sets.
  • If the template is a ZIP file that contains a DSC (direct source connection) file, then the DSC locates the additional data source/s and creates extra result sets from there.
  • Both the core and DSC-based result sets are populated.
  • Both the core and DSC-based result sets are packaged up and sent to the report engine along with the template, and the format required for the output.
  • The report engine extracts text from multi-lingual fields in the required language(see Report Language below).
  • The report engine rounds numeric final values to produce formatted final values in the result sets. The USE_CORRECTED_LOWER_DET_LIMIT and USE_CORRECTED_UPPER_DET_LIMIT application preferences are used by the rounding algorithm. Refer to the Rounding and Formatting Results and Calculating Uncertainty appendix.
  • The report engine returns the output file.
  • Report distribution takes place, if specified.

  • During this report generation process:

  • If the REPORT_SCRIPT application preference exists and is linked to a report script code then at each hook point in the report generation process, the related event in the script is run.
  • If the template is linked to a report script code then at each hook point in the report generation process, the related event in the script is run.
  • The system batch queue is used to perform the processing, including the distribution. The result of the batch job execution can be seen on the History tab of the CCRPTR—Report Request application.

  • On each paperwork and label report request report, the Last File Name is updated.

The report generation event is audited, with the audit record's Field set to 'Report Filename' and the From Description set to the output filename.. Refer to Reviewing Operational Data Audits.

Maintain job paperwork or labels

Considerations of Job Status

Paperwork and label documents are generated without checking the job's Completed Date, Workflow Status or Validated Date.

Report Code and Number

Each generated report is given a code and number that are generated from syntaxes: Configure a Syntax to Generate Report Codes, and Configure a Syntax to Generate Report Numbers.

Population of the Reportable Result Set

The report engine extracts text from multi-lingual fields in the language defined by the report request report's Language.

If the template is a ZIP file that contains a DSC (direct source connection) file, then the DSC locates the additional data source/s and creates extra result sets from there.

Both the core and DSC-based result sets are populated.

Both the core and DSC-based result sets are packaged up and sent to the report engine along with the template, and the format required for the output.

The report engine extracts text from multi-lingual fields in the language defined by the DEFAULT_REPORT_LANGUAGE preference.

Refer to Technical Documentation—Job Reports for information on populating reportable result sets and views.

Report Language

A report paperwork or labels configuration's Language defines the language in which text is pulled out of they system for the report.

When paperwork or label report requests are created, the report is assigned to use the system language denoted by the DEFAULT_REPORT_LANGUAGE application preference. If required, the language assigned to the report request's report can be updated before the reports are generated.

Refer to Activating System Languages to configure system languages for reporting.

Where the language assigned to the report request's report is no longer active, the default system language, as configured by the browser, is used, rather than the language selected in the report request.