LIMSzine
The following case study highlights how Morton International's Electronic
Materials division optimized their LIMS query and report functions.
Getting data from an instrument and into a database environment is becoming
routine; with SQL-based [Structured Query Language] products, incompatibility
is no longer an issue. Now the focus is on sophisticated query and report
functions which extract data out of the database for review and analysis
in a variety of report formats. At the same time, organizations are demanding
easier-to-use, no-programming software. These parallel needs are driving
the development of new database interface tools.
Morton International's Electronic Materials division installed their first
laboratory information management system (LIMS) after extensive analysis
and comparison of vendor offerings. Their goals in going from a manual to
an electronic system were to expedite laboratory data input, handling, and
access. However, they soon developed an appetite for even more comprehensive,
more customized data query and reporting capabilities, and set about exploring
the options available among third party software vendors.
Morton International (Chicago, IL) started mining and selling salt commercially
in 1848, beginning an odyssey toward diversification into the development
and manufacture of a variety of specialty chemicals and related products.
Nowadays, for instance, the company produces the chemicals used to process
printed circuit boards (PCBs) for more than half the world's market. The
Electronic Materials division, in particular, targets PCB-associated markets
with products such as primary imaging photoresists, photoimageable solder
masks, diazo phototools, auxiliary chemicals, and process equipment.
Develop Requirements Based on Needs
Developing such products requires working at ppb levels using state-of-the-art
equipment at all stages of the process. These requirements led Electronic
Materials to select and install Perkin-Elmer Nelson's SQL*LIMS (Norwalk,
CT). SQL*LIMS enables them to address the requirements of three separate
labs: the R&D Lab which designs experiments on formulation and investigates
process improvement; the Analytical Lab which performs analysis for research
and customer service, including investigative analytical work; and the Quality
Lab which oversees incoming, in-process, and final control of materials.
Because the LIMS is used by different labs with different needs, "we
planted the LIMS on a widely-used base that could interface with a statistical
package, molecular modelling, and spreadsheet capabilities," remarks
Phil Lofty, Chief Scientist for Morton's Electronic Materials division.
"It was a key requirement to have a LIMS that we could pile things
on and not fuss with."
The ability to transfer data for use on third party software was very important
to Morton. "We wanted a mainstream database," Lofty states. "We
were particularly interested in Oracle because it was a market leader, it
used SQL, and a wide range of tools could be used with it. We also knew
we wanted to connect disparate equipment, including DEC and IBM, so open
systems and industry standards were also requirements."
Enhance Data Access
Electronic Materials uses SQL*LIMS to call up any of their more than 480
documents at any workstation in two keystrokes. In addition, 95% of their
sample data can be located in less than five minutes. "With the LIMS,
we've got immediate information on procedures and specifications,"
Lofty points out. "In RS1, we can find SPC charts in fours seconds.
All information is handled by computer now, and we're continuously adding
bells and whistles."
Ease of use was and remains a key requirement. "It's an over-used term,
but I like user-friendly software," Lofty emphasizes. "Unless
you have a means of doing it easily, nobody's going to draw hundreds of
charts. Now, with our information in an electronic format, we can examine
what happened, why it happened, and how to fix it. This frees up some of
the high caliber people to do better work."
Continuous Modification
Oracle's SQL Plus and SQL Report Writer software were implemented with the
LIMS, however Lofty found that while those products were powerful, they
were also difficult to use. In addition, he soon realized that "RS1
barely met the threshold of our query needs." When he heard about SQLASSIST
from Software Interfaces (Houston, TX), "I spent five minutes evaluating
the demo disk, then cut a P.O. and ordered it. Still haven't read the manual.
In fact, we didn't even open the book to install it."
A tool for enterprise-wide data access, SQLASSIST allows data to be integrated
between relational database management systems (RDBMS) and statistical software
packages, and facilitates client-server data access and reporting. It can
be layered atop either an Oracle, Informix, Ingres, Sybase or Rdb/VMS database,
and enables users to build SQL queries, view the query results, generate
reports, or convert data to another format for analysis.
"SQLASSIST is almost point and click," declares Lofty. "You
don't have to know joins, table names, etc. You just get the reports. Point
and click is particularly useful when building queries." Electronic
Materials uses the data query and reports functions to track and analyze
such criteria as PCB yields and SPC [Statistical Process Control] results.
"Quality is very important," he continues. "Some boards need
to be able to pass requirements that include temperature tests from -40°C
to +150°C every four seconds for 120 continuous cycles. And we run a
current through the board and expect it to work the entire time."
According to Rahul Mehta, President of Software Interfaces, "raw data
is a non-productive asset unless it is easily accessible and can be turned
into information for decision makers. Specialized data tools allow users
to get data out of the system easily and quickly. Well-designed software
should allow novices to install the product and be running queries and retrieving
the information in minutes, without any prior knowledge of SQL."
One of the biggest problems with using an RDBMS is database access and ease
of use. SQLASSIST addresses this issue with a robust query function that
shields users from SQL syntax and the need to know any details about database
design. "Users need only select items of interest and SQLASSIST builds
the syntactically and symantically correct query," Mehta adds. "Query
output can be viewed before report generation or output conversion to confirm
accuracy. Once the data is extracted, it can be directly converted for use
with Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE, the SAS system, the RS series, and more without
the creation of intermediate files."
Get the Right Tool for the Task
Database tools based on open systems can enhance a LIMS by providing greater
access and the ability to share data with other applications. These tools
can have a huge impact on an organization and fundamentally change the decision-making
process of lab technicians. It is therefore imperative that the tools are
not only easy to install and use for beginning users, but also are comprehensive
enough for power users.
Selecting any software entails a comprehensive evaluation of internal needs
-- of lab users specifically in the case of LIMS -- and of the products
on the market that meet those needs. Some of the key capabilities of query
and reporting tools involve the query model, performance, shielding users
from joins, and different styles of reports. A common reporting requirement
might be to show the lab test ID versus parameters versus compounds. The
important issue for evaluation is not that a tool is able to generate such
a report (almost any tool can) but how easily the report can be produced.
It is also important to understand the limitations of each tool and other
issues such as the amount of programming needed to maintain or fully utilize
the tool.
In retrospect, Lofty sums up months of analysis and implementation with
this pragmatic statement: "Don't get caught up in the cost. First decide
what you need, then decide what software needs to run on the LIMS, then
decide which LIMS to buy. Never look at dollars until the very end."
Implementing their LIMS unleashed a new zest for the advantages of state-of-the-art
technology at Electronic Materials. Installing third-party query and report
software was just the start. "We have a worldwide satellite network
and we're right on the edge of connecting all systems at all sites using
AT&T frame relay units," Lofty enthuses. "This means that
our US chemists can immediately see results from film produced at the Kodama,
Japan site. This means that customer input in Germany can get reviewed in
California where the product is designed."
"We push the edge," Lofty concludes. "We're not nerds but
we want to use our own tools, like Excel, and we don't want it to just tack
on to our LIMS. We want a seamless interface so that anyone using the LIMS
doesn't know where functions begin or leave off." Tools that fit into
this global vision of transparent cross-platform connectivity between business
units will continue to be added as Electronic Materials pursues growing
their LIMS to address today's and tomorrow's needs.
SQLASSIST is a registered trademark of Software Interfaces, Inc.
SQL*LIMS is a registered trademark of Perkin-Elmer Nelson Corporation
RS1 is a registered trademark of BBN Software Products
SQL Plus and SQL Report Writer are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation
Lotus 1-2-3 is a registered trademark of Lotus Development Corporation
Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation
DEC is registered trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation