Links for LIMS

CSols Links for LIMS at work in the clinical lab

Links for LIMS™ Laboratory Information System Software from CSols

Links for LIMS™ is a complete software package for integrating instruments or analysers of any type, to any LIMS. Links for LIMS is in use in all types of laboratories, including those in the clinical, forensic, environmental, food, materials, oil & gas, government and chemical sectors. Key capbilities include

  • Easy to install and configure without coding
    A large library of off the shelf instrument driver modules, Links for LIMS is easy to install and configure.
  • Integrated user inteface
    Users have full control over operation with clear visability of sample data required for instument setup and for results review and control of the workflow. No blind uploads, results are checked locally for quality reducing the risk of releasing incorrect results.
  • On stop shop
    With its ‘one stop’ operation Links for LIMS users typically make significant time savings when carrying out their instrument workflow compared manual transcriptions, manual file processing as they can dispense with third party handling with tools like Excel, Python, scripting etc.
  • Integrated calculations
    Links for LIMS already deals with dilutions, weight handling, duplicates and factors to cover injection adjusments and recoveries, and can be easily configured to add more calculations or logic functions.
  • Flagging & AQC checks
    During result processing, Links for LIMS captures all the relevant data (not limited to concentration data) and automtically performs a configurable range of limit checks including detection and AQC limit checks.
  • Any instrument
    Links for LIMS can work with instruments and analysers of all types from balances and simple UV spectrometers, to high value Mass Spectrometers and liquid handling robots.
  • One shot instruments
    With balances or simple ‘single sample one shot’ instrument, Links for LIMS ofter uses capture drivers matched to the comunication protocols and cabling used.
  • Any or no LIMS
    Links for LIMS can work with any LIMS or if you don’t have a LIMS, with Excel. Communication options includes, simple or secure file transfer (ftp, sftp), direct query (SQL), ASTM 1394 and Web services.

Challenges that Links for LIMS Eliminates 

Laboratories benefit from the automation and precision that instrument or analyser based techniques provided. However, in order for a laboratory to maximise its (often considerable) investment in those instruments, the workflow bottleneck ‘leading to and from’ the instrument is often reducing the overall productivity and quality that can acheived. The challenges that Links for LIMS can address are as follows :

  • Laboratory Information Management system/LIMS access

Every LIMS system has a different design and infrastruture, and is often targetted at specific end use, e.g. in the analytical, clinical, forensic, or chemical market. So access to it and the data it contains is not always straightforward. Links for LIMS has many existing ‘off the shelf’ LIMS’ drivers. These are designed either for a specifc LIMS system, to use  standard protocols, for a specific Application Programming Interface (API), standard data transfer process or for web services (cloud based). As a consequence, by deploying one of our drivers would allow the laboratory to very quickly use Links for LIMS to both receive and send from and to the Laboratory Information Management system.

  • Connectivity to instruments/analyser data

If an instrument offers access to sample sequence files and to its results files, and the files are in text or a common readable format, that is going to be easy to deal with. However where the instrument doesn’t have its own PC based application or the only files are in proprietary format only, then more ingenuity is required. In the case of an instrument with integrated serial/USB or ethernet ports, a Links for LIMS data capture driver is needed and/or sometimes a special cable for effective communication. Where the files are not easily readable, a specifc Links for LIMS file conversion driver can be prepared.

  • Matching Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and workflow

Once data flow is established, users will want the software to make the adminstration process of dealing with analysis as simple as possible. Often the workflows that are being used are unique to each laboratory. This may relate to nomenclature, to the volume and types of samples analysed, to the layout of run sequences, positons of QCs or treatment of dilutions, whether duplicates are run or reportable results with calculations are dealt with. This is the point where the Links for LIMS application is able to be quickly configured to very closely match existing workflows. This is the area in which the major productivity and quality benefits of the software can be realised, as well as ensuring user’s ‘day to day’ interaction is improved.

Links for LIMS Functionality 

Furthermore, CSols Links for LIMS manipulates data files enabling analysts to carry out their tasks efficiently and compliantly. Many actions are automated and keyboard and mouse interaction is kept to a bare minimum; consequently there are no laborious manual data transfers that could lead to transcription errors. The spreadsheet style view of the data allows the analyst to quickly assess the quality of the data from an instrument run and identify any issues that require investigation prior to submission. Results are NOT sent to the LIMS system without the authority of the analyst.

Features & Benefits 

•  Time saving for all users e.g. for an ICP-MS 70% savings
•  Easy to use – looks the same on all instrument types
•  By linking instruments and LIMS, it can work across the whole laboratory
•  Data presented in an easy to interpret format
•  Bidirectional connection – Extracts sample data from the LIMS & sends instrument data to the LIMS
•  Removes ALL transcription errors from data transfer
•  Ensures SOP compliance in relation to data handling
•  QC checking and other quality checks before reporting
•  Automating calculations (including unit conversions, blank or drift corrections)
•  Configured to meet lab requirements for decimal places or significant figures
•  Quality Control: QC results checked against target values and flagged

Further Information

Click here  to read more or for further information or a demonstration of Links for LIMS, please contact CSols via our enquiry page, email us at sales@csols.com or contact us as below.

We look forward to showing you how Links for LIMS can improve your efficiency, reduce results and processing time in your laboratory and meet traceability requirements or regulatory external assessments.

CSols Ltd.
The Heath, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 4QX, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1928 513535 5   Fax: +44 (0) 7006 061106
Web: www.csols.com
email: sales@csols.com