Element LIMS Self-guided Demonstration

For cannabis testing laboratories.

Element LIMS interface has six primary sections:
Navigation bar – top gray bar with drop-down menus.
Workflow Toolbar – gray bar with icons (under Navigation bar).
Main Taskbar – dark blue bar at top of screen with icons.
Workspace Taskbar – light blue bar with icons.
Main Panel – blue panel on the left side of the screen.
Main workspace – main area in the middle of the screen

Active Windows
Each time you select an item on the Guide or scroll, you will make the Guide the active window. You will need to click on the Element LIMS application to activate that window, and can then enter data and view icon names (hover).

To exit demo:
To exit the demo, close (x) the blue bar at the top center of your screen (labeled “ElementLIMSdemo.promium.com). Do not close or resize the Guide or Application.

A Work Order is a group of samples that arrived at the same time from a given Client via a Chain of Custody (COC) or manifest.

  1. To create a Work Order, select the “Work Order” icon (the first icon on the left) from the gray workflow toolbar, or select “Work Orders” from the Sample Control drop-down menu in the navigation bar. Note that all required fields are marked with an asterisk.
  2. Select the “Add” icon (+) in the main task bar (dark blue bar) of the newly opened dialog.
  3. Select “Local Farm” from the Client drop-down list. Note that the “Compliance Testing” Project will automatically be selected, and the client’s license number is held in the “Project Number” field.
  4. Select “Save” but do not close the dialog. A unique work order number for this client project is automatically assigned in the main panel. Take note of this work order number as it is specific to your demonstration session.

Note: Samples can also be logged in using a variety of other approaches.

Once a work order is created, the samples may now be logged in under that work order.

  1. Select “Samples” on the main panel (on left) for the work order you created or select “Samples” from the Sample Control drop-down in the navigation bar.
  2. In the new window that opens, select the “Add” icon in the main taskbar and select “Project Sample” from the drop-down.
  3. Double-click the sample named “Cannabinoids Analysis Sample” that appears in the Samples table, or right-click and choose “Include Selection.” This will populate sample template information set up for this project.
  4. Update the Sample Name field to “Blue Dream.”
  5. You can view “Analyses” and “Containers” on the main panel (left side of screen) which have been populated based on the sample template set up for this project sample. Additional analyses and containers may be added at this time if needed.
  6. Select the “Save” icon in the main taskbar to save the sample addition. Review sampling info from the “Field Data” section and the “Client Batch Information” in the main workspace.
  7. Select the “Copy” icon in the main taskbar and choose “Multiple Samples” from the drop-down that appears.
  8. Enter the sample name “Blue Dream 02” in the Sample Name field. Enter a quantity of “5” in the Sample Count field, check the Auto-Increment check box, click the “Add” button, then the save icon in the Advanced Copy dialog.
  9. Select “Ok” to the pop-up stating that the save was successful. Close the Advance Copy dialog to continue. You can view each sample by selecting the appropriate sample number in the “Active Samples” drop-down on the main panel (left side of screen).

Note: Prior to closing the window, you can preview and print copies of the work order and sample labels by selecting the printer icon.

Once samples have been added to a work order, they can be added to a Batch. A Batch is an umbrella of information for a given preparation method. There may be many analyses defined for the same batch, as long as the preparation is the same. Create a new batch, or copy a previous batch with similar preparation criteria, to create a new unique identifier.

  1. Select the “Batches” icon from the workflow toolbar or select “Batches” from the Laboratory drop-down menu in the navigation bar.
  2. Select the “Add” icon in the main taskbar.
  3. Select “SOP200- Cannabinoids Sample Preparation” from the Preparation Method drop-down list. “Usable Marijuana” should be selected in the Batch Matrix drop-down list.
  4. Select “Analyses” on the Batch main panel, then select the “Add Analysis” icon from the workspace taskbar. Choose to add by “Preparation” from the drop-down list.
  5. Double-click “Cannabinoids Analysis” from the Analyses in preparation dialog, or right-click and select “Include Selection.” Close the Analyses in preparation dialog to continue.
  6. Select “Samples” from the Batch main panel and select the “Add Sample” icon from the workspace taskbar. Choose “Client Sample (by container)” from the drop-down to open a table of available samples to add to the batch.
  7. Highlight all the samples by selecting the box to the left of the first entry, holding the shift key and selecting the box to the left of the last row. Right-click and select “Include Selection” to include them in the batch. Close the Valid Sample Containers dialog to continue. Required QC samples are automatically added to the bench sheet once client samples have been added. Default QC samples are defined during the analysis setup.
  8. To assign a standard ID to the Blank Spike (LCS) QC sample, select the “BS1,” select the More Functions icon and “Add Spikes” or right-click and select “Add Spikes” from the More functions drop-down.
  9. Double-click on the “Cannabinoids LCS Mix” in the table of All Spike mixes to choose it. Select “Done,” then close the All Spike table.
  10. To associate the Duplicate QC Sample with a source sample, select the “DUP1,” select the More icon and “Add Source” or right-click and select “Add Source” from the More functions drop-down list. Double-click on the first sample in the table to choose it.
  11. Select the “Save” icon in the main taskbar but do not close the Batch dialog.

Take note of the Batch number highlighted in the Batch field. This will be your batch for this demonstration session.

Once the bench sheets are created and tests are performed, data is entered and results can be reviewed for general analysis and/or approval. For this demonstration, you will enter the data manually. Once your system is implemented, the Element DataTool functionality provides automated import of data directly from instrument data files.

  1. ON the Batch dialog, select “Data Entry” from the main panel (on the left).
  2. Select the “Create” icon from the main taskbar (first icon on the blue bar) to create a unique line item in the database for each sample analyte in the batch. Enter the following results in the “Result” column for each applicable sample.
    – Select all the Result cells for LabNumber -01 to -06, by selecting the first Result cell, hold the shift key, and then selecting the last cell in the Result column for all the analytes. Then select the Fill icon or right-click on the selection, and select Fill. Enter a result value of 100 and then “Done.”
    – Next, follow the same process for each QC sample, by selecting the first Result cells for LabNumber-BLK and filling with the quantity of 0. Then do the same for LabNumber-BS1 with a value of 25. And for DUP1 with a value of 100.
  3. Select “Save” and then select the “Data Review” button on the Data Post Results screen that opens. You can now view final results (FResult), Recovery (BS1 Recovery), and the RPD (DUP1 relative percent difference) columns in the Data Review workspace.
  4. Update Batch status from Batched to Reviewed by selecting the “Edit” icon, then highlighting the entire “Status” column (by selecting the header), and selecting the “Status Update” icon on the workspace taskbar.
  5. Select “Save” to save the status update then select “Ok” on the “Data Post Results” screen that opens.

Results are now reportable. Data Reports, Packages, EDDs and Invoices are pre-generated via Work Order status advancement. Work Order level Delivery Options enable automatic generation of deliverable formats as the sample data becomes reportable.  For this demonstration, manual creation of deliverables is used.

  1. Select the “Approval and Delivery” icon from the workflow toolbar or select “Approval and Delivery” from the Deliverables drop-down menu in the navigation bar.
  2. The Work Order created in the demo should automatically be selected in the main panel. If not, select the checkbox for this Work Order. Highlight the two deliverables that are presented by holding the control key and selecting each.
  3. Select the “Create Report” icon on the workspace taskbar. A green progress bar will display at the bottom of your screen until report generation is complete.
  4. Scroll to “File Name” and select the link to view the PDF file for each deliverable type. Close the PDF.
  5. Select all deliverables then select the “Update Deliverable Status” icon on the workspace taskbar.  Update status to Approved, enter the password “Elementdemo,” then select Done. Select “Yes” to add approved deliverables to the Email Queue, then “Ok.” This step automates delivery to client contacts.

Control Charts may be generated manually or automatically. Saved queries may be built and used for analyses, analytes, analysts or extraction technicians’ ongoing DOCs.

  1. Select the “Control Chart” icon from the workflow toolbar or select “Control Charts” from the QA drop-down menu in the navigation bar.
  2. From the “Saved Query” drop-down on the main panel, choose “Cannabinoids QC Results” and select the “Refresh” icon on the main taskbar.
  3. Select “THCA” from the Analyte drop-down list and “BS%R” from the Chart Type list to see all Blank Spike (LCS) recoveries plotted against the QC acceptance limits for the THCA analyte, as well as statistical evaluation of the data points.
  4. By right-clicking on the chart and selecting “View Chart Data” from the More functions drop-down, the data points used to create the chart may be viewed. Control Chart graphs may also be printed or saved as an image, and data may also be printed or exported to Excel using the More functions drop-down.
  5. Select “Options” and “Rules” from the main panel to view criteria that may be applied. Select “Notifications” to view configuration for automated distribution. Control Charts may be automatically delivered to users by selecting an interval and adding the desired user contact.

Element LIMS provides a variety of operational reporting tools including the ability to run daily work lists, report on outstanding projects, review turn-around-time charts, and assess quality control charts.

Since we just entered a small amount of data, we can’t view these reports in this demo but when we follow up with a live demonstration, each of these reports can be reviewed.

    Did the demonstration give you a good overview of Element LIMS functionality?

    Did the demonstration help you with your LIMS decision?

    WHAT’S NEXT?

    You have now had a chance to see a high-level overview of Element LIMS and interact with the functionality.

    The next step is for us to organize a live demonstration specifically for your laboratory and show you the full scope of system capabilities.