On this page: Architecture · Modules · OnQMS modules · OnSight · Licensing · Deployment · Jobs and exports · Instrument interfaces · Calculation engine · Security and compliance · Sizing and network · FAQ · Check your instruments
System architecture and platform
Deployment model
| Architecture | Client-server; applications run from a shared folder with workstation prerequisites |
| Workstation install | Applications run from a shared folder through a Windows shortcut. Workstations require compatible ODBC drivers, .NET runtimes, supplied dependencies and permissions for the installed release. |
| Network protocol | TCP/IP over LAN or WAN |
| Server environment | Windows Server: on-premises, virtualised or private cloud, including the customer's own Azure |
| Remote access | Citrix Virtual Apps and Microsoft RDS, set up against the installed release, drivers and instrument connections of each deployment |
Database tier
| Engine | Microsoft SQL Server. Version, edition, compatibility level, capacity and authentication are agreed with the customer’s SQL administrator for the installed release. |
| Connectivity | ODBC for native modules; .NET SQL Server data layer for managed modules |
| Data integrity | SQL Server stores jobs, samples, worksheets and QC records, with stored procedures and views doing part of the data processing. Recovery model, backups and restore tests are managed by the SQL administrator. |
| Audit trail | Application events and result-change auditing: recorded result changes include previous value, new value, user and time, reviewed per job in the OnLAB Audit Viewer and exportable to Excel. |
| Multi-database | Native applications can select among the configured database connections. |
Execution engine
| Core runtime | Native C++ core with a C#/.NET application layer (DevExpress) |
| Processing model | Multi-threaded, deterministic execution |
| Calculations | Result and @ calculation columns are calculated on the worksheet; calculated cells retain their formulas and recalculate when a reading changes. |
Modules
The desktop modules use Microsoft SQL Server and shared application files, with the prerequisites of each installed module. Management modules are licensed per site with unlimited users; instrument modules are licensed per connected instrument, and manual entry is included in the site licence.
| OnLAB | Register batch or routine jobs, samples, tests and units; review result states and range flags, publish results, preview certificates and export published values to CSV or Excel. |
| OnWSH | Electronic worksheet with sample and QC rows, preparation values, instrument working readings and result formulas. File imports place each reading in the row of its sample and the column of its element and unit. |
| OnQC | Reference-material records and Shewhart, X-Control and CUSUM charts. At result locking, OnWSH checks standards, blanks and duplicates against their record limits and opens the Control Chart for any value outside them; the analyst cancels and repeats, or accepts with a written note. OnLQC adds duplicate precision and range controls. |
| LabData | Client application for following samples, viewing published results and preparing analysis requests. Visible clients and tests follow each account’s access; values not yet released stay masked. |
| OnConfig | Application settings, users, roles, clients, instruments, reference data and audit/error logs, with roles from Administrator to Client and a permission matrix for actions such as publishing results. |
| OnQMS | Accreditation evidence for two standards: ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratories and ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection bodies, each with its own clause-by-clause cockpit and drill-down to the real records. Proficiency-testing control charts, daily quality control, method validation, sampling plans, environmental logs, sieve and screen checks, competence, calibration, risks, retention and disposition, internal audits and CAPA. Ten accreditation packs citing the local guideline by version, and an optional local AI assistant whose data never leaves your network. Fully bilingual EN/ES — see the full module catalogue |
| OnSight | Laboratory dashboard for the lab’s TVs and supervisors’ monitors: open work per group, turnaround against target, shift output, exceptions, Levey-Jennings and SPC control charts with Westgard rules, and plant routines. Read-only and served to any browser on the lab network — see OnSight requirements |
OnQMS module catalogue
OnQMS ships as one application with a pack per standard: ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratories and ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection bodies. A site accredited for only one of them sees only that menu — a body that does only inspection has no method validation or proficiency testing, and its analytical group becomes Sampling. A laboratory that also inspects gets both clause trees over one shared core: documents, competence, equipment, internal audits, management review, nonconformities and the audit trail are the same records serving both standards.
The full catalogue, in menu order — 54 modules across 10 workflow groups:
| Home | Dashboard · OnQMS Map · Test Readiness (laboratories only) · ISO 17025 Coverage · ISO 17020 Coverage (both standards) · Alerts & Due Dates |
| Accreditation | Accreditation Scope · Accreditation Status |
| Document Control | Documents · Records Retention · Records Disposition |
| Personnel & Competence | Training Records · Compliance Radar · Owners by Test · Personnel Competence |
| Equipment & Suppliers | Equipment Calibration · Instrument Lookup · Equipment by Test · Suppliers · Environmental Conditions · Sieves and Screen Checks · Intermediate Checks |
| Methods & Analytical Quality | Method Validation (laboratories only) · Quality Control (laboratories only) · Annual PT Programme (laboratories only) · Proficiency Testing (PT) (laboratories only) · PT control chart (z-scores) (laboratories only) · Sampling Plans |
| Inspection (ISO/IEC 17020) | ISO 17020 Coverage (both standards) · Requests (inspection bodies only) · Inspections (inspection bodies only) · Scheduling (inspection bodies only) · Inspection Clients (inspection bodies only) · Inspection Schemes (inspection bodies only) · Inspector Monitoring (inspection bodies only) · Inspector Workload (inspection bodies only) · Appeals (inspection bodies only) |
| Improvement & Governance | Non-Conformances / CAPA · Complaints · Risks & Opportunities · Impartiality & Confidentiality · Impartiality Matrix · Internal Audits · Management Review · System Log (audit trail) |
| Reports | Readiness Summary (PDF) · Quality Reports |
| Configuration | OnQMS Settings · Laboratory Sites · AI Settings (Assistant) · Email notices · Roles & Permissions · Setup & Onboarding · Setup Manual |
Cross-cutting, on every module: role-based permissions, an append-only system log, electronic signatures, per-site scoping, e-mail notices for due dates, PDF reports, and a fully bilingual English/Spanish interface.
Instrument interfaces (Level 0)
Physical connectivity
| Serial | RS-232 and RS-485, directly or through hardware converters and Moxa device servers |
| Network | TCP/IP and UDP sockets |
| File-based | Watched folders (polling) for CSV, TXT, XML and proprietary instrument export formats |
| Coverage | 150+ instruments from about 40 brands in the connection catalogue. Each connection is set up for the specific model and checked against an export with known values. |
| Bidirectional operation | Supported on many instruments: OnLIMS writes a text file with the sample IDs for the run — and, where the instrument needs it, the sample weights, as with ICP — the instrument software reads it, and OnLIMS then captures the instrument's own output file. Which instruments accept a sequence file depends on their control software — send us your instrument list and we will confirm yours |
What we can connect
Instrument connection work starts with the model, communication settings and an unmodified export containing known values. OnLIMS support supplies or validates the reader, and sample identities, columns, units and saved readings are checked together with the laboratory before routine use.
| Already integrated | 150+ instruments from about 40 brands, connected by serial, network or file import |
| Instrument classes in production | Atomic absorption, ICP-OES and ICP-MS, XRF and XRD, carbon/sulfur and mercury analysers, titrators, UV-Vis, fire assay balances with auto-tare, and analytical balances |
| Examples of makes in service | Agilent, Shimadzu, Thermo, PerkinElmer, Spectro, Malvern Panalytical, Bruker, Rigaku, LECO, Mettler Toledo, Sartorius and Ohaus, among others — the list is not a limit |
| Not on the list? | Send us your instrument list and we will tell you what we read today and what would need a parser |
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OnSight requirements
OnSight does not run from the shared folder like the desktop applications: it runs as a Windows service on a laboratory server and serves its screens over the internal network, reading the same OnLIMS database with its own read-only account. What OnSight shows →
| Server | Windows x64 on the laboratory network — the OnLIMS server or a mini PC next to the TV. One signed installer, running as a Windows service under its own service account |
| Database access | A read-only SQL account on the OnLIMS database (script provided); on top of it, an in-application filter refuses any statement that is not a read. Optional encrypted (TLS) connection to SQL Server |
| Network | One free TCP port on the server (8080 by default) reachable from the TVs and PCs; optional HTTPS. No Internet connection required |
| Screens | Any TV or PC with a Chromium-based browser (Chrome 80 or later, Edge), 1080p or 4K. No login on the TVs, no limit on screens or viewers |
| Editing | The existing OnLIMS supervisor login |
| Data rule | Only published results count: a sample is done when all its results are published, at the time of the last one |
Licensing model
| Management applications | OnLAB, LabData and OnConfig are licensed per site, with no restriction on the number of users |
| Instrument applications | OnWSH and OnQC are licensed per instrument, whatever the instrument is. A laboratory with two balances, one LECO and two AA needs five OnWSH licences; if the LECO is later replaced by an XRF it is still five. Chemists may run OnWSH and OnQC on any machine in the laboratory without additional licences |
| Support and maintenance | The first year after installation is included. After that, an annual agreement at 18% of the total licence cost covers software updates, instrument drivers and parsers, and small fixes. Enhancements are quoted before any work starts |
Deployment footprint
The shared application folder holds applications and supplied components. Administrators manage Windows share and filesystem permissions and include database backups, external report/parser resources and workstation dependencies in the recovery plan.
| Bin (read/execute) | Applications, DLLs and INI files |
Help | Help files and general documentation |
Inst | Instrument data: drivers and instrument files |
RepoForm | Configuration scripts for Certificate of Analysis forms |
Sql | Optional backup destination; the SQL administrator schedules and verifies backups under the recovery plan. |
Sent | Default LIMS export folder |
Temp | Temporary data written by the applications |
Job types and exports
| Batch jobs | A fixed number of samples, the usual shape of a geology job with drill core |
| Routine jobs | A routine is created once and continues collecting samples through OnWSH. By default each sample is identified by routine name, date and time. Minimum, maximum and standard deviation are set per test in OnLAB. |
| Sample login | Create samples in OnLAB or load job samples into an OnWSH template; each worksheet row keeps its Sample ID and job link and is matched to the instrument’s sample identifier on import. |
| Export formats | OnLAB Job Export: CSV, XLSX and XLS, with values only for published results. OnWSH also exports worksheet CSV and saves/loads worksheet XML. Custom integration scope is agreed with the laboratory. |
| Labels and certificates | Labels print from OnWSH, OnLAB and LabData; label layout and Certificate of Analysis formats are configured through INI files |
Data processing and calculation engine
| Engine | Worksheet formulas calculate result and @ calculation columns. Excel is needed only where the laboratory’s reporting workflow uses it. |
| Formulas | User-configurable algebraic equations referencing sample, dilution, moisture, tare, gross and CRM values |
| Unit conversion | Defined by the template formula with its source and destination units; for example, mg/kg to % divides by 10000. |
| Detection limits | Each result column carries a detection limit: a calculated value below it is shown as the limit while the calculated value is retained (with a 0.10 limit, 0.05 is shown as 0.10). Lower and upper limits provide range flags. |
| Significant figures | Per-column Format: decimal places, significant figures or rules by range. The worksheet saves the rounded value. |
| Dilution factors | The worksheet formula combines reading, volume, dilution and sample weight: 25 mg/L, 50 mL, dilution 1 and 1.0000 g give 0.125% Cu. A dilution can also be applied when a reading is selected. |
Security, access control and compliance
| Authentication | Separate Windows file access, SQL Server authentication (Windows integrated or SQL login), and a registered OnLIMS application user with the configured login policy. |
| Authorisation | Role-based access control with fine-grained permissions: read-only, result entry, worksheet creation, QC validation, final release |
| Result lifecycle | Worksheet results are locked, the worksheet is approved (read-only) and exported to OnLAB. Publishing and unpublishing require permissions and passwords, and result changes are recorded in the audit. |
| ISO/IEC 17025 | Built-in controls that support ISO/IEC 17025 workflows: document control, traceability, reagent tracking, instrument calibration schedules and audit logging. Accreditation is granted to the laboratory, not to the software |
| 21 CFR Part 11 | Controls that support Part 11 workflows: user-attributable electronic sign-off, system logs and audit records. Part 11 compliance is assessed on the validated system as deployed, not on the software alone |
Sizing, network and environment
| Database growth | Sizing reference: about 0.5 MB per 1,000 results, including audit data, measured across databases with 13 and 14 years of history and 26 and 187 results per sample. |
| Growth per year | Depends on how many results the laboratory produces, not on how many samples it receives. Measured: 1.5 GB per year in a laboratory producing about 3.2 million results a year, and 4.1 GB per year in one producing about 7.3 million |
| Transaction log | Size separately from the data file according to the recovery model, workload and backup schedule. |
| Latency — direct client | Under 10 ms recommended |
| Latency — remote | Planning reference: approximately 150 ms through Citrix or Microsoft RDS |
| Bandwidth | Low footprint during active sessions thanks to optimised SQL execution |
| Instrument workstations | One PC per connected instrument, each with an available COM port for serial instruments |
Frequently asked questions
Which versions of Microsoft SQL Server does OnLIMS support?
OnLIMS runs on Microsoft SQL Server. The version, edition and compatibility level for the installed release are agreed with your SQL administrator, together with capacity, authentication and the ODBC driver.
Does OnLIMS need to be installed on each workstation?
Applications run from a shared folder through a Windows shortcut. Each workstation needs the required ODBC driver, runtimes, dependencies and permissions for its installed modules.
How much database storage does a laboratory need?
About 0.5 MB per 1,000 results including audit data. Measured examples: 1.5 GB per year in a laboratory producing about 3.2 million results a year, and 4.1 GB per year in one producing about 7.3 million. The transaction log is sized separately for the recovery model, workload and backup schedule.
How much network latency does OnLIMS tolerate?
Under 10 ms is recommended for a direct client, and the planning reference is approximately 150 ms through Citrix or Microsoft RDS.
How does OnLIMS connect to laboratory instruments?
Through serial (RS-232/RS-485) or network connections and instrument file readers, across 150+ instruments in the connection catalogue. Each reading is imported into the OnWSH worksheet with its sample, element and unit, and reviewed before the results are calculated.