Configuring Preferences for Portion Tracking

• Configuring Preferences for Portion Tracking
  • Level of Portion Tracking
  • Default Locations
  • Default Container Types
  • Default Sample Handling Actions
  • Sample Portion Identifiers for Portion Tracking by Sample
  • Dependencies for Configuring Preferences for Portion Tracking

Preferences for portion tracking include those that control the level of sample portion tracking, the default container types in which sample portions are placed, the default locations where sample portions are moved to or stored at, and the default sample handling actions that are applied to sample portions.

Level of Portion Tracking

A laboratory is configured to track portions at one of the following levels:

• Job—Some laboratories only need to track the job's sample portions as a whole. In this case, the system is configured to track sample portions by job, and sample portions are not created at the sample level. For job-level tracking, the location, multi-capacity container type and sample handling details are maintained for the job.

• Sample—Some laboratories have the need to track sample portions at the sample level. Sample portions sent by the client to the laboratory for analysis are recorded and tracked. Sample portions created during sample preparation and analytical preparation are created based on scheme requirements and tracked. Both types of sample portions, the 'As Registered' and 'Laboratory', are associated with a single-capacity container type, location and sample handling action. After analysis, sample portions that still remain proceed to the sample store.

When the JOB_LEVEL_TRACKING application preference is checked, then sample portion tracking is by job, and when cleared, then sample portion tracking is by sample.

Where portion tracking is by sample, the SAM_TRACK_REG_AT_SAMPLE_REG application preference controls whether the Portions tab is visible in the CCSAMP—Sample application and whether sample portions are created when a sample group is added to a job. Some laboratories only want sample portion creation upon job completion for the primary purpose of recording where the job's samples are stored.

Where portion tracking is by sample, the SAM_TRACK_REG_WHEN_JOB_COMPLETE application preference controls whether it is possible to create sample portions only when the job's Workflow Status is Completed. If this is enabled, then it is not possible to create sample portions as a sample group is added to a job.

Where portion tracking is by sample, if sample portions are created when a sample group is added to a job, then the SAM_TRACK_REG_NUMBER_OF_CONTAINERS application preference controls the default number of containers, and hence sample portions, that are to be created for each sample. The number of containers is visible and updatable on the Primary Details tab of the CCSAMP—Sample application.

Default Locations

The SAM_TRACK_REG_LOCATION application preference contains the default location for a job's sample portions when tracking sample portions by job, and the default location for each sample portion when tracking portions by sample.

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. Set up the initial location using Maintaining Locations and then set the preference.

Default Container Types

Where tracking sample portions by job, SAM_TRACK_REG_MULTI_CONTAINER_TYPE application preference contains the default multi-capacity container type code used for containerisation of a job's sample portions. Set up the initial container type using the Maintaining Multi-capacity Container Types and then set the preference.

Where tracking sample portions by sample, SAM_TRACK_REG_SINGLE_CONTAINER_TYPE application preference contains the default single-capacity container type code for each sample portion. Set up the initial container type using the Maintaining Single-capacity Container Types for As Received Portions and then set the preference.

Where tracking sample portions by sample, as schemes are configured later on, refer to Maintaining Schemes to link a scheme to a single-capacity container type. This allows for the creation of laboratory sample portions based upon a sample's schemes. These types of sample portions are created based upon the Default Number of Containers associated with the scheme's container type.

Default Sample Handling Actions

Locations are configured to default sample handling actions, such that, the sample handling action is applied to any sample portion when it is assigned to a given location. As locations are configured later on, refer to Maintaining Sample Handling Actionses to set up sample handling actions and then assign them to locations.

Sample Portion Identifiers for Portion Tracking by Sample

A portion's identifier comprises [JobName][SampleSeparator][SampleName][PortionSeparator][PortionCode] as a single string, and is used as the portion's bar code.

From a bar code, the system determines the Job Name, Sample Name and Portion Code as follows:

• The sample separator is the character stored in the SAMPLE_SEPARATOR application preference.
• The portion separator is the character stored in the PORTION_SEPARATOR application preference.
• The Job Name or Sample Name may contain a character that is the same as the sample separator or the portion separator since decoding is from the right-hand end of the string, backwards.
• The sample separator and the portion separator may be the same character.
• If no sample separator is found in the string, then any existence of the portion separator character is treated as part of the Job Name.

Examples where the sample separator is '.' and the portion separator is '.':

Bar Code string	Job Name	Sample Name	Portion Code
BNE-00002341	BNE-00002341	Null	Null
BNE-00002341.0231	BNE-00002341	BNE-00002341.0231	Null
BNE-00002341.0231.2	BNE-00002341	BNE-00002341.0231	002
BNE.00002341.0231.203	BNE.00002341	BNE.00002341.0231	203

Examples where SampleSeparator="." and PortionSeparator="-"

Bar Code string	Job Name	Sample Name	Portion Code
BNE-00002341	BNE-00002341	Null	Null
BNE-00002341.0231	BNE-00002341	BNE-00002341.0231	Null
BNE-00002341.0231.2	BNE-00002341.0231	BNE-00002341.0231.2	Null
BNE-00002341.0231.203-2	BNE-00002341.0231	BNE-00002341.0231.203	002

Dependencies for Configuring Preferences for Portion Tracking

The CCPREF—Preference application is used to specify preferences pertaining to sample portion tracking.