Maintaining Locations

• Maintaining Locations
  • Location Scope
  • Properties of a Location
  • Use of Locations

A location is a site in the laboratory where samples, materials and equipment are stored.

Locations are structured in a hierarchy, and are specifically nominated as places where samples are stored, to assist with sample tracking.

Location Scope

Locations are created with lab-scope. A laboratory can contain multiple locations.

A location can be scoped by a parent location which is used to create a hierarchy for storage management. If sample portions are required to be stored only in the lowest location, then the parent locations should be marked inactive, so that they are not used.

Properties of a Location

A location can have:

• An access category—Used to scope the location access.
• A condition category—Used to scope the location condition.
• A default sample handling—A location can be linked to a sample handling so that when the location is assigned to a portion, then the sample handling is assigned to the portion also.
• Sample prep action—A location can be linked to a sample preparation action so that when the location is assigned to a portion, then the sample schemes associated with the portion, for sample preparation schemes only, have their workflow status set according to the sample preparation action:
  • No Sample Prep Marking—No change in the sample scheme's workflow status.
  • Mark Sample Prep Started if null—If the sample scheme's workflow status is not started, then it is set to started.
  • Mark Sample Prep Completed if null—If the sample scheme's workflow status is not completed, then it is set to completed.
• A flag to indicate whether it is active for portion storage—A location can be used for portion storage or used to denote other areas within the laboratory. Sample portions are associated only with locations that are active for portion storage.

Use of Locations

Locations are used for sample tracking. A portion is linked to a location for portion management.

When a sample portion is assigned to a location, the current sample handling action is set to the default sample handling action for the location (for example, when the portion's location is set to 'SHED1' then the portion's sample handling is set to 'STORE_90').

The SAM_TRACK_REG_LOCATION application preference allows for a default location to be assigned to As Received portions when they are created for a sample during registration.