// ARCHITECTURE
Deterministic & Auditable
Industrial Framework
OnLIMS is engineered for the rugged realities of high-throughput industrial laboratories: a proven native client-server core, a complete audit trail, and zero-install deployment that runs on-premise, against a cloud database, or under Citrix/RDS.
Scalable Laboratory Architecture
We leverage enterprise-standard frameworks to ensure high-volume data processing and seamless integration across the entire mining value chain.
Native C++ Core + .NET Layer
A decades-proven native C++ engine with a modern C#/.NET (DevExpress) interface, loaded in-process with no COM registration — stability plus a modern UI.
Microsoft SQL Server
The industrial standard for secure relational data — a single source of truth with full audit trail and traceability. Run one or multiple databases, on-premise or cloud-hosted.
Zero-Footprint Deployment
Eliminate IT maintenance overhead. Executables run from a shared folder via a single shortcut — zero local installs, no registry entries, updates by replacing files on the server. Runs natively under Citrix and Microsoft RDS for remote, low-bandwidth sites.
// Enterprise Integration & Industrial Data Flow
Connectivity
Level 0 Integration
We connect directly to the heart of the lab. No manual data transfer, no human error.
Hardware Interfaces
Direct serial (RS232) capture plus configurable parsing of instrument export files (CSV/TXT/XML, regex): 150+ instruments integrated over RS232 and 25+ via file import — AAS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, XRF, LECO C/S, titrators and analytical balances.
Native Mathematical Engine
Eliminates Excel entirely. The system applies formatting, enforces detection limits, and calculates chemical formulas natively in the background.
Live Statistical Graphing
The background analytics engine automatically graphs recent measurements with Shewhart, X-Control, CUSUM and Thompson-Howarth control charts, plus duplicate range/precision plots, for real-time QA/QC monitoring.
Control & Compliance
The Building Blocks of ISO 17025
Traceability isn't a feature you bolt on — it's built into the data model. These controls give labs the evidence base auditors expect.
Field-Level Audit Trail
Every data change is recorded with old value, new value, user and timestamp — alongside system and login audit logs.
Role-Based Access + AD SSO
Administrator, Manager, Supervisor, Technician and Client roles, per application and task, with Active Directory single sign-on.
Locked Result Lifecycle
Results follow Pending → Ready → Approved → Published; on publish they're locked under supervisor control, and any later change is audited.
Multi-Database, Your Way
Connect to multiple databases selected at login, with per-user access per database — on-premise, cloud-hosted, or virtualized.
Local AI, Your Hardware
The optional OnQMS assistant is bring-your-own-model and runs against a local LLM on your own server — every answer cites the clause it draws from, and nothing leaves the network.
Compliance Mapping
Mapped to ISO/IEC 17025
OnLIMS is designed to make the data-related requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 straightforward to meet — and to demonstrate to an auditor.
| Requirement (theme) | OnLIMS capability |
|---|---|
| 7.5 Technical records | OnWSH worksheet templates capture each method's columns, formulas and QC parameters; raw instrument output is captured automatically. |
| 6.4 Equipment | Native instrument integration (serial RS232 and file parsers, 150+ instruments) keeps calibration data and raw outputs traceable to their source instrument. |
| 7.7 Ensuring validity of results | Real-time QA/QC — Shewhart, X-Control, CUSUM and Thompson-Howarth charts with CRM, blank and duplicate checks; out-of-limit results are flagged before approval and require a justification note. |
| 7.11 Control of data & information management | Microsoft SQL Server over ODBC, role-based access, Active Directory SSO, encrypted credentials and multi-database isolation. |
| 8.4 Control of records | State machine (Pending → Ready → Approved → Published), a password-sealed lock on publish, and a multi-level audit log storing original value, new value, user and timestamp. |
OnLIMS provides the data-integrity controls; accreditation is granted to the laboratory. For the management-system side of the standard, OnQMS keeps that evidence mapped clause by clause.
Ready for industrial-grade reliability?
Join the labs that trust OnLIMS for their mission-critical data infrastructure.
Architecture
Frequently Asked Questions
Architecture, instrument integration, deployment and how the standards map.
What is OnLIMS built on?
A client-server architecture with a native C++ core and a modern C#/.NET layer using DevExpress, over a Microsoft SQL Server backend via ODBC. It includes a field-level audit trail that records old value, new value, user and timestamp, role-based access control and Active Directory single sign-on.
How does OnLIMS connect to analytical instruments?
Directly. More than 150 instruments are integrated over serial (RS232), plus 25 or more through configurable file-based parsers reading CSV, TXT or XML with regular expressions — AAS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, XRF, LECO carbon/sulfur and mercury analysers, titrators, UV-Vis and analytical balances from Mettler Toledo, Sartorius, Ohaus and others. A new instrument is added by configuration, not by recompiling.
Where can OnLIMS be deployed?
On-premises, against a cloud-hosted SQL Server, or under Citrix and Microsoft RDS. That range is deliberate: mine-site, smelter and plant laboratories keep data sovereignty and stay operational over low-bandwidth links.
Is OnLIMS certified to ISO/IEC 17025?
No software can be, and any vendor claiming otherwise is describing something else. Accreditation is granted to the laboratory, not to a product. What OnLIMS provides are the data-integrity controls that support ISO/IEC 17025 and 21 CFR Part 11 workflows: an enforced lifecycle, results locked on publication, a complete audit trail and role-based access.
What stops a published result from being altered?
The lifecycle is enforced — Pending, Ready, Approved, Published. On publication, results are password-sealed under supervisor control, and every subsequent change is captured in the audit trail with its author and timestamp.