Users, roles and clients — OnConfig
Can a supervisor create new users and clients?
It depends on the role, not the job title. Users and clients are created in OnConfig by an account whose role allows it, normally the administrator. Marking a person as supervisor adds them to supervisor lists; what they can do is set by their role.
How is an account created for a new technician?
The administrator adds the person in OnConfig with a unique user ID, name, password and role, for example Technician. The password is stored encoded, and the technician logs in to OnLAB with the permissions of that role.
Does the role have to match my job title?
No. A role is a set of permissions by application and task. The standard roles are Administrator, Manager, Supervisor, Technician and Client, and an installation can add its own, such as Chemist.
How does a client see only its own results in LabData?
The client gets its own login with the Client role, and that login is assigned to its client record. In LabData the account then sees the jobs of that client only, not those of other clients.
How do I change my password?
From the login window of any OnLIMS application, with the current password, the new one and its confirmation. If a password is forgotten, the LIMS administrator resets it.
What are client categories for?
They group clients and jobs into areas or subgroups. Those groups are used to filter work and to produce statistics, and each job records its category.
Jobs, templates and statistics — OnLAB
What is the difference between a batch job and a routine?
A batch job groups a submitted set of samples, each with its own identifier, and their requested tests. A routine is created once for recurring samples distinguished by date and time, and keeps collecting results.
Is a batch job created from a template?
Yes. A new batch job can start from a template, which brings in the client details, samples and tests, so the analyst only adjusts what changes. Templates are kept in their own list for review and editing.
How do I change a template when a new analysis is added?
Edit the template’s tests and save it, or create a new revision under a distinct name, for example “Routine metals rev 02”. The earlier template stays in the template list.
Can I create a template from a job I already made?
Yes. Any saved job can become a named template. The template opens for editing, so the client, samples and tests can be adjusted before it is saved.
What does the job colour in the browser mean?
For batch jobs, red means there are still pending samples and green means the work is complete, so a red job can already contain results. Routines show light blue when they hold samples or data, and blank when empty.
I created a job and it is not in the list. Why?
The browser shows the jobs that match its current filters, such as date range, client and job number. Refreshing the list or widening the filters brings the new job into view.
How do I see only this month’s jobs?
Set the browser’s date selection to the current month. The job list, and the statistics built from it, then cover only those jobs.
How do I see how many analyses are pending and published this month?
OnLAB’s monthly statistics report shows, for the selected period, the sample count, published analyses, pending analyses and total analyses.
Can I set a turnaround time in hours for a client?
Yes. Each job carries a turnaround target, and the turnaround report compares target hours with actual hours by job, sample and test, with an on-time status.
What goes in the job header?
The client, a description, a reference such as the submittal or order number, the turnaround target, the category, and notes for any additional information the laboratory needs.
What happens when a sample identifier is not yet recognized?
OnLAB checks each sample identifier at registration. When the identifier is recognized, the sample changes from unregistered to a registered sample of the job, and the job is saved with it.
When is a result published?
When an authorized user publishes it after review, either in OnLAB or while exporting the worksheet with Export and Publish. Exporting without publishing places the results in the job, still unpublished.
Worksheets — OnWSH
What do I enter when a test does not apply to a sample?
Three dashes (---). The cell is marked as not applicable and does not count as pending.
Do analysts have to type every sample number?
No. The worksheet fills consecutive sample numbers on its own — Sample 1, Sample 2 and so on — and copies a value such as a volume to every selected sample in one step.
How do I record where a sample is in the process, such as weighing or the oven?
Select the samples in the worksheet and move them to a location, for example the AAS room. The movement is saved in the sample’s history in OnLAB with the location, user, date and time. The administrator sets up the locations.
If we add or replace a balance, what has to be set up?
The balance is connected to a serial (RS232) port of the workstation and registered as an instrument, and an authorized user sets which instrument the workstation reads. OnWSH then writes each weight straight into the selected worksheet cell.
Can the worksheet save itself if someone leaves it open?
Yes. The administrator can set automatic saving of modified worksheets at an interval in minutes for users with that permission. During online instrument reading, the worksheet can also save after a set number of readings.
Client results — LabData
What do the asterisks the client sees instead of a result mean?
That the result is not yet published. LabData shows asterisks for any unlocked result, including an empty one: a published 10.00 is visible, while an unpublished 20.00 appears as asterisks.
Audit — OnConfig and OnLAB
Where can I see who made each change?
OnConfig keeps a read-only audit log of system actions with user, module and time; nobody can edit or delete its entries, not even an administrator. Each OnLAB job also has its own audit, which can be filtered and exported to Excel.
Related reading
How an OnLIMS start-up and training work · QA/QC management · Technical specifications