CASE STUDY MIGRATING FROM SPREADSHEETS TO A LIMS AT THE CITY OF TSHWANE DASPOORT AND RIETVLEI LABORATORIES

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1 CASE STUDY MIGRATING FROM SPREADSHEETS TO A LIMS AT THE CITY OF TSHWANE DASPOORT AND RIETVLEI LABORATORIES Neill Rosenthal Technology Systems Integration (Pty) Ltd Smart IT Solutions For Your Business

2 Overview - Background - Spreadsheet vs database - Criteria for the new system - Technology choices - Benefits of the system - The Rietvlei project - Lessons learnt - What s next?

3 Background City of Tshwane Daspoort laboratory April 2003 Samples from wastewater treatment plants, rivers, etc Lots of data in multiple spreadsheets Increasing volumes Difficult to manage and analyse MS Access system not used Considered a number of off-the-shelf options Commissioned TSI to develop a system

4 Spreadsheet vs Database Spreadsheets start off simple then more complex, more users Warning signs: Large volumes of data Multiple simultaneous users Access control required Audit trail required Multi-user database application? Additional benefits Better reporting - SQL Referential integrity Choice of user interface

5 Criteria for the new system Minimum 10 concurrent users Manual capturing of lab results Importing of data from online analysers Reporting requirements: worksheets, certificate of analysis, productivity, plant performance, etc Access to system functions must be defined by user category Audit trail to track changes made to lab results Automated backup of lab data Cost constraints A number of ready-made solutions had been investigated but were deemed too expensive. Upload of data from lab instruments

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7 Technology Choices Use open source software where possible Positive experience with open source software on other projects Requirement to keep costs down Wide choice of software components Web-based Centralised deployment and updating Easier for remote support Workstation only needs a web browser Remote access by customers and remote offices Java programming language Variety of open source applications, tools and software libraries Availability of skills Linux PostgreSQL Tomcat

8 Open source software Freely available on the Internet, and anyone may use it Users are encouraged to improve upon it Run as collaborative projects Linux operating system - server, desktop, or embedded system A 2008 survey by the Yankee Group shows that Linux servers are amongst the most reliable Apache over 45% of web servers on the Internet Variety of database systems including MySQL, PostgreSQL MaxDB and Firebird Firefox web browser OpenOffice suite Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw & Base

9 Benefits of the System Reliable - LabInfo in daily use at Daspoort for over 5 years Simultaneous browser-based access by multiple users Users have to log in & can do only what their role allows Improved control, approval and auditing of analysis results Reports (PDF, Excel) are easier and quicker to create and distribute Excel used for ad-hoc reporting

10 The Rietvlei project Also using Excel drowning in data! Project started March 2007, system went live in June Integration of lab instruments Aquakem discrete analyser PerkinElmer ICP Teledyne TOC analyser New reporting needs (always!) Data export to ewqms Water Quality (statistical analysis) Excel for manual data input Formulas for calculated results Integration of BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tool) Instrument QC and temperature QC reports

11 Some LabInfo reports

12 Family Album

13 Lessons Learnt Valuable data and business logic in historical spreadsheets Commitment from management & users Importance of power user System becomes business-critical Remote access for support and updates Job tracking system for logging support issues Data backup never too much! Requirements vary!

14 What s next? Continual enhancement Focus on SUPPORTING accreditation requirements Traceability e.g. management of instruments and reagents Quality control e.g. ion balance calculation, QC reports Five years old facelift? Midvaal Water project Enhance LabInfo for commercial activities of the lab

15 Conclusion Information management at these labs has been significantly improved accuracy, reliability, accessibility, security. With the increased focus on data quality from labs, we should see more use of affordable management systems in smaller to medium labs that have traditionally considered LIMS as too complex and expensive.