FAQs

Q: Is it possible for LIMS to automatically send an analyte result directly to an email once it is entered? I’ve looked in the LIMS manual and the closest thing I’ve seen is sending a sample summary report by email.

Q: I wanted to inquire about using the barcode system within LIMS. Is there an app we could use for the barcode scanning or do we need to buy a scan gun? The simplest solution is to use a keyboard-wedge style scanner.

Pick lists to select a single sample exist in several LIMS screens including Sample Login and the Results by Analyte and Results by Sample setup screens. These pick lists are designed to provide quick access to recently logged samples.

Q: “What is the character limit of the conclusions field? Can that size be changed to allow for more characters? On a rare report, not all of the conclusions field appears in the Excel report after exporting.”

Q: “We need to have the results on the first page to be in (.xxxx). LIMS only allows up to (.xxx).”

Unlike the System Configuration screen’s settings which are system-wide, the settings on the Workstation Configuration screen apply only to the current LIMS workstation. In an LIMS multi-user installation, it is often desirable to use th...

Recently, a lab manager asked why some of her LIMS workstations showed the sample ID and collected date on the Results by Analyte screen while other workstations showed sample ID and location. The answer lies in the use of the Display fi...

“Could you please tell me why when a spec is listed as 11-11.4 and a result is 11.4, LIMS gives an ‘H’ warning for the result?”

Q: “I would like to generate a work sheet per technician at the end of each day that includes most of the incomplete analyses… The next morning, the technician looks at his list and determines which analyses he wants/needs to do that day...

“If I wanted to add an analysis to all existing projects, how would I do that? Or do I have to go in to each individual one and make changes?”

“How can I graph a single analyte in the LIMS or in Excel?”

“Is it possible to add “internal” analytes to projects that we have to maintain records for (e.g., pH of a sample) but not have it reported during export to Excel?”

“I wanted to use the [‘Final Report – Samples in Rows’ example Excel template] to show multiple samples for a certain project but do not want to show all analytes. You suggested using the single-sample [‘CofA Example – Specific Analytes’...

“I have briefly gone over the document for archiving, but I want to get some clarification on [installing LIMS Archiving]. Does it need to be set up prior to actual use of the LIMS? Or once we need to begin archiving?”

After moving their LIMS installation from an older workstation to a new workstation, a user asked about a difference noticed in the Results by Analyte screen:

“How do I add a new associate as a sampler to the LIMS?”

The Access keyboard shortcut Ctrl-; (semicolon) used to insert the current date does not work properly in some LIMS data entry fields.

LIMS Messaging includes message styles that generate emails with attached files in a number of different formats including Excel and PDF files created from Excel. If you have created your own Excel final report template from one of the L...

Is it possible to rename a database? Would that create any issues with J Street LIMS?

Changing or Disabling High, Low, and BDL Result Formats When formatting results for reports, LIMS will append a space and “H” for high or “L” for low if a result value is above or below the warning limits configured for the analysis. If...

https://nolongerset.com/sql-server-express-backups

In the rare situation when an LIMS back end database has been corrupted by a server or workstation crash, for example, LIMS will issue the startup error message “Unable to open file … or it may not be a valid backend database.” If you su...

LIMS Messaging (Messaging) maintains a connection to the production LimsData database while it is active. Not all backup software can successfully back up files that are open and in use. If you need to close Messaging to ensure proper ba...

Users running LIMS in a multiuser environment may encounter database lock conflict messages. A variety of factors affect the frequency of these messages. When the LIMS database resides on a Novell NetWare server the number of locks per c...

LIMS includes a standard sample query dialog that is used throughout the system wherever samples may be queried. This dialog uses a simple query-by-example interface to locate samples of interest. While this method is both simple and pow...

LIMS assigns costs to a sample’s analyses at the time the sample is completed. Analyses with no assigned costs can result in completed samples with no analysis cost. Use the techniques in this article to locate samples with missing costs.

This information in this article applies to LIMS 4.x.

A runtime error may occur in the results entry screens when importing results from Excel. Note that the error may be limited to a specific workstation in a multi-user installation and will only occur with LIMS version 3.3...

Typical LIMS multi-user installations use traditional client/server architecture. That is, the LIMS front end software is installed locally on each LIMS workstation sharing the back end database from a shared folder on a file server. Thi...

This information in this article applies to LIMS 3.x.

This article describes the procedures required to move LimsData, the LIMS back end database, to a new disk drive and/or folder.

Follow the procedures outlined in this article to create your own version of the LIMS software. Use this development version to create and test new bench sheets, reports, and other customizations.

During system startup the error message “Unable to attach LIMSDATA.MDB or its location may have changed” is displayed if either the location of LIMSDATA has been changed or the file is corrupt. This article describes how to correct the e...

During system startup, LIMS checks the compiled state of the system’s Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) project. The VBA project contains all code modules including code behind forms and reports. When the VBA project is not in a compil...

This article describes the nature of the barcodes used within the LIMS software and how similar barcodes can be generated using other Windows programs.

This article outlines the benefits of incorporating a read-only copy of LIMSDATA in a multiuser environment. Instructions to configure a read-only version are also included.

LIMS’ Text Lists feature offers a convenient method to enter frequently used text in any LIMS text field. This article shows how you can create your own text list of special symbols, such as the degree or micro sign, so that any LIMS use...

To update your LIMS v6 license key follow these steps. Please note that if you have multiple workstations, these steps only need to be completed on one workstation. This will update the database, which will in turn update other workstati...

Q: Main Menu → Setup → Data Entry/Inquiry → Analyses Tab While documenting the Detection Limit is helpful, the Reporting Limit (MRL) is far more critical for our clients. It needs to appear on the final report so customers can easily det...

Q: Main Menu → Samples → Data Entry/Inquiry → Sample Login In addition to the Collected and Received Date/Time fields, we need fields for the Start Date/Time and End Date/Time of the analysis. This is essential for drinking water microor...

Q: Final Report – Chain of Custody Number We also need a field to enter the Chain of Custody (COC) number in the final report. Clients rely on this for tracking and frequently request it. I recall this was discussed previously and a plac...

Q: Final Report – EPA Hazardous Waste Codes EPA Hazardous Waste Codes—specifically the D-codes and F-codes—need to be included in the final report, aligned next to the analyte they’re associated with. For example, Benzene carries both D0...

Check out this article from one of our developers to help troubleshoot SQL Server connection errors: https://nolongerset.com/troubleshooting-sql-server-connections

Users running LIMS in a multiuser environment may encounter database lock conflict messages. This article describes the factors to consider and the multiuser settings affecting lock conflicts.

How to create a .bak backup file of your SQL Server database and compress it into a ZIP file to send to support for review.

The faster Microsoft Access runs, the faster LIMS runs. Follow the tips in this article to improve overall system performance.

There are several keyboard shortcut techniques available when entering dates in LIMS, including the standard Windows cut, copy, and paste commands and Access and LIMS shortcuts.