LIMSzine
The following column highlights the growing impact of the World Wide
Web on the laboratory, particularly on LIMS. The growth of Intranets, the
various possibilities of the Web, and the tools that enhance access are
discussed.
While the Internet grabs the limelight, Intranets are making significant
in-roads into the business arena. Corporate computing is not new. Nor is
the use of networks within the organization. What's happening now is the
increase in the stature of the network as a mission-critical function. Now,
the need to connect the various databases and information resources has
become imperative to corporate productivity. After all, the less time you
spend finding the data you need, and getting it into a format you can use,
the sooner you can accurately analyze the information. What's different
is the opportunity to link all these corporate resources using a simple,
intuitive interface that's even fun to use. That interface is a web browser.
Intranets Growing Rapidly
While the Internet is large and growing larger every day, Intranets are
more pervasive and growing much faster. Intranets latch onto the standards
of the Internet and the World Wide Web to function as internal company web
sites that provide information and email services to employees and selected
customers on a public network in a secure environment.
Intranets utilize the existing network infrastructure. The only specific
requirements are a dedicated server and an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language)
web browser. Then, any PC anywhere can operate as a client to the web server
in a typical client/server relationship. "For the laboratory, this
opens up numerous opportunities to query the LIMS database," explains
Lou Ciabattoni, LIMS Product Manager for Perkin-Elmer Nelson. "You
can log samples, enter results, approve data and execute reports, view standard
operating procedures, and distribute customer-specific data -- all within
a secure database environment without jeopardizing the security and integrity
of the database."
New Web Possibilities
Once in the HTML web environment, LIMS procedures can be executed, commands
can be created for LIMS data, and data documents can be presented on the
client PC. This means that the web browser can be used as the LIMS interface,
enabling the user to access the LIMS by opening the LIMS home page and clicking
on the desired LIMS application link. Such a link could comprise logging
samples by sample type, viewing sample requests, or viewing sample results.
For instance, to log samples, a drop-list can be used to select the sample
type. Once selected, the LIMS database is queried for available types. The
user then enters the sample identification, presses the submit button to
store the sample request, and the sample is logged.
Tools Enhance Access
There are a multitude of tools to enhance this type of web interface to
the LIMS. For example, Oracle Corporation's new Oracle WebServer product
now allows the access of information in any Oracle database by any authorized
person through any industry-standard web browser. "We used this product
to create the SQL*LIMS web interface that was demonstrated at the recent
International LIMS Conference," Ciabattoni states.
In addition, access to lab information can now occur where and when it is
most convenient. The laboratory manager will be able to log on the Internet
to access the corporate Intranet and the lab web site from home, from a
client site, or from any off-site location to review how many samples were
received yesterday, this week, this month, or this year. Other information
such as number of samples for each method performed, total cost broken down
by method, matrix or customer can be obtained. When feedback is required,
the lab manager will be able to find out exactly how the various parts of
the laboratory are functioning and be able to drill down to get information
on why certain samples or groups of samples are problematic. Essentially
it is now no longer necessary to be physically present in the lab for information
access.
"The SQL*LIMS web interface also allows field sampling teams to log
into the Intranet web site from the field and log in field samples collected
just moments before," Ciabattoni adds. "They could also query
the LIMS to get the latest information about the types of samples that need
to be pulled."
Information access can be expedited too. Engineers or other laboratory customers
who utilize the Internet can receive up-to-date result information as soon
as it is available without waiting for a report to be faxed or mailed. Even
historical information is available quickly over the Internet.
In turn, LIMS web interfaces that can execute Oracle stored procedures allow
users to customize laboratory information processing using standard Oracle
tools. These tools are also upgradable and allow the lab to stay current
with the latest technology.
The Distributed Future Awaits
Internets and Intranets are rapidly changing the way information is received,
analyzed, and circulated in the lab. The web interface is just the beginning
of a new generation of tools that will take the lab into new realms of information
access, manipulation and management.