TO: All xchek* Users FROM: Nevena Novkovic Global Technical Service Manager, Production Animal Services

Transcription

1 One IDEXX Drive, Westbrook, Maine USA Tel: Fax: idexx.com TO: All xchek* Users FROM: Nevena Novkovic Global Technical Service Manager, Production Animal Services RE: xchek* 3.3 New Installation/Upgrade Dear Valued Customer: We are pleased to enclose a CD of your new xchek * 3.3. This new version includes software enhancements and features based upon your feedback. Begin taking advantage of our valuable improvements immediately by using the enclosed CD to perform a new installation or to upgrade your existing version of xchek. Please read the entire installation procedure carefully before proceeding! If you have any questions, please contact IDEXX Technical Services at or in the U.S. and Canada. In all other regions, please contact your sales representative, distributor or technical service representative. Please continue to let us know your thoughts about the xchek software. With your help, we can continue to make xchek the world standard for managing your laboratory data. Sincerely, Nevena Novkovic Global Technical Service Manager, Production Animal Service *xchek is a trademark or a registered trademark of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

2 INTRODUCING xchek * 3.3 featuring Extended Capabilities PDF formats protect your documents from unauthorized access RTF formats flexibility of a word-processing application Additional Reader Interfaces Tecan Sunrise Dynex Opsys MR Anthos 2010 Improved Report Formats Better Organized Easier to Read Faster Printing Added Templates Shared Templates for Swine Assays run SIV, M. hyo, CSFV and swine Salmonella using the same template Predefined Swine Salmonella Assay %OD and S/P calculations available New Utility Johnes Management Report new management report using likelihood ratios Enhanced Export Capacity VisuaLab predefined data export to your LIMS system New Assay The IDEXX HerdChek * Chronic Wasting Disease Antigen Test Kit has been USDA-approved for use in the detection of CWD. *xchek and HerdChek are trademarks or registered trademarks of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

3 New Features of xchek* 3.3 New and improved reports New report formats give you more flexibility. This new version of xchek has two new report formats, PDF (portable document format) and RTF (rich text format). Both of these report formats have capabilities. Adobe PDF files are compact and can be viewed and printed with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software. If you do not currently have this software installed on your computer, go to and download it. When an xchek report is saved as a PDF file, it is protected from unauthorized access or alterations. Saving a report in a rich text format gives you all of the functionality of a word-processing program. Most word-processing programs, such as Microsoft Word, support the RTF format and can open RTF files. The RTF feature for reports replaces the annotations feature in previous xchek versions by letting you make comments and changes. After you have created a report, choose File> Save as RTF or Save as PDF. You can also choose to send either of these file types as an attachment by choosing File> Send as RTF or Send as PDF. The new Johne s disease management tool lets you classify animals using likelihood ratios. The likelihood ratio is a probability that an animal is infected with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, based on the magnitude of its ELISA S/P ratio. The test interpretation using likelihood ratios has been incorporated into the new Johnes Management report. To generate the report choose Reports> Johnes Management Report, select JohnesAb, enter a date range and click OK. Select the case options and graph options for the report and click OK. In addition to the likelihood ratios, you can also display results from culture and PCR testing. To enter these new variables, choose File> Open, select JohnesAb and the case(s), click the Variables button, select Culture and/or PCR and click OK. The culture and/or PCR data can then be manually entered. In the Analyze and Compare Cases reports, there is a new Single Column option that lets you display your data in one column or two columns on the reports. By default, data is displayed in two columns and you can display up to six variables (columns). Select the Single Column option to display up to 14 variables (columns). Template improvements Now you can create one shared template for the swine influenza, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, swine Salmonella and classical swine fever assays. Create a new template by choosing File> Templates> New in any one of these assays. The new template will then appear on the template list of all of these assays. Additional readers Three additional readers can now be used with xchek: Tecan Sunrise, Dynex Opsys MR and Anthos For the Opsys MR, you need to specify the reader filters in the xchek.ini file. New LIMS option You can now choose VisuaLab as a predefined LIMS (laboratory information management system) in xchek. New print preview and printout options When you choose File> Print, you can choose from a variety of report options: Plate, Case, Graph, Statistics Summary and Listing reports. If you choose several of these reports, they are displayed in the print preview one report type at a time. When you close the current report preview, the next report is displayed.

4 xchek* 3.3 Performing a New Installation Follow the steps below if you are installing xchek on your computer for the first time. If you are upgrading from a previous version of xchek, follow the instructions under "Upgrading from a Previous Version of xchek." To install xchek* 3.3: 1. Close all other applications and insert the xchek disc into your CD-ROM drive. 2. Setup will begin automatically. If setup does not begin after 30 seconds, choose Start> Run from the task bar. In the text box, type "D:\setup" (where "D:" is the letter of the drive containing the xchek disc), and then click OK. 3. Follow the screen directions to complete installation. You will be asked for the drive and folder in which to install xchek. The default is C:\xChek. You will also be asked to select a lab configuration (Poultry, Livestock or Both) and a management system (VADDS, VetLIMS, VisuaLab or None). 4. When installation is finished, restart your computer and then double-click the xchek icon on your desktop or choose Start> Programs> xchek> xchek from the task bar. 5. After the xchek program opens, choose File> Reader Setup from the menu bar to open the Reader Setup dialog box. 6. Select your model of reader from the Reader drop-down list, select the COM port that the reader is attached to and then click OK. 7. From the xchek menu bar, choose Options> System Settings to open the System Settings dialog box. 8. The Printing tab allows you to enter your laboratory information so that it prints on the top of your reports. Enter your information into the three Header text boxes and click OK. Upgrading from a Previous Version of xchek* Follow the steps below if you are upgrading from a previous version of xchek. If you are installing xchek on your computer for the first time, follow the instructions under "Performing a New Installation." IMPORTANT: In xchek 3.3, the assays PRVgX and CSFVAb2 have been removed from the predefined IDEXX assay list. Sample data for these assays will not be available after your database is converted. If you want to retain this information, you must either prepare printouts or save the information as a Microsoft Excel file as described below. To save data: 1. Double-click the xchek icon on your desktop or choose Start> Programs> xchek> xchek from the task bar. 2. Choose File> Open from the menu bar to access the Filter Criteria for Open dialog box. 3. In the Quick tab, select the assays listed above (PRVgX and CSFVAb2) and then click the OK button. 4. In the Select Cases for Open dialog box, select all of the cases by clicking the Case #1 column header, and then click OK. 5. Choose File> Save As, enter a file name and click OK.

5 To install xchek* 3.3: 1. Close all other applications and insert the xchek disc into your CD-ROM drive. 2. Setup will begin automatically. If setup does not begin after 30 seconds, choose Start> Run from the task bar. In the text box, type "D:\setup" (where "D:" is the letter of the drive containing the xchek disc), and then click OK. 3. Follow the screen directions to complete installation. You will be asked for the drive and folder in which to install xchek. The default is C:\xChek. You will also be asked to select a lab configuration (Poultry, Livestock or Both) and a management system (VADDS, VetLIMS, VisuaLab or None). 4. The Conversion Required message box appears, indicating that xchek will convert your existing databases. Click the OK button. 5. In the xchek Database Conversion dialog box, choose File> Convert to open the File to Convert dialog box. The default database, xchekdat.mdb, and any other existing databases in the C:\xChek folder will be listed. NOTE: During installation, xchek automatically backs up your default database (xchekdat.mdb) and the previous version s executable files to the C:\xChek\Backup folder. Be sure to back up any oher databases before converting them. 6. Select the C:\xChek\xChekdat.mdb database and click the Open button. 7. If you have created any new assays in xchek, such as swine Salmonella, the User Defined Assays dialog box will appear so that you can convert your user-defined assay (UDA) data into one of the existing xchek assays. Select the UDA that you want to convert and click Change. 8. In the Choose an IDEXX Assay dialog box, select the desired assay from the list and click OK. Repeat this process for each UDA and then click the Done button. NOTE: If your UDA is not a formatted IDEXX assay, leave the designation as None. 9. A message box confirms that the database conversion was completed successfully. Click OK. After installing xchek 3.3 you need to convert all other existing databases by following the steps in "To Convert Databases after Installation." NOTE: Do not convert the xchek.mbd or xchekmod.mdb files. 10. In the xchek Database Conversion dialog box, choose File> Exit. To convert databases after installation: 1. Double-click the C:\xChek folder and right-click the desired database file. 2. Select Copy from the pop-up menu. 3. Right-click the C:\xChek\Backup folder and select Paste from the pop-up menu. Repeat this process for each existing database that you want to convert. 4. From the task bar, choose Start> Programs> xchek> xchek Database Conversion to open the xchek Database Conversion dialog box. 5. Choose File> Convert to open the File to Convert dialog box. The default database, xchekdat.mdb, and any other existing databases in the C:\xChek folder will be listed. 6. Select the desired database file and click the Open button. A message box confirms that the conversion was completed successfully. Click OK. Repeat this process to convert each pre-existing database. NOTE: Do not convert the xchek.mdb or xchekmod.mdb files. 7. If you have created any new assays in xchek, such as swine Salmonella, during the conversion process a dialog box will appear so that you can convert your user-defined assay (UDA) data into one of the existing xchek assays. Select the UDA that you want to convert (e.g., M. hyo) and click Change. 8. Select the formatted assay from the list and click OK. Repeat this process for each UDA. NOTE: If your UDA is not a formatted IDEXX assay, leave the designation as "None." 9. In the xchek Database Conversion dialog box, choose File> Exit.