data handling & laboratory information management systems (lims)

Database handling and interactions with databases is a key area in automation. Often it is easy to generate large amounts of data, but less easy to automate its storage. Overlord3 offers full integration tools to common database formats.

download app note Overlord3™ Databases & LIMS

categories sample tracking design & manufacture system upgrades & enhancements laboratory automation consultancy data handling & lims system integration

There are several key stages (not all of which are used on every system):

• Receive instructions for sample preparation/analysis from external source
• Collect data from the automated system
• Archive all runtime data
• Perform data manipulation or data reduction to get key results
• Report key results to external source
• Data Handling

Often the data from the analysis method (usually a plate reader) is in a format decided by the plate reader manufacturer, and usually contains a large amount of unwanted verbiage. Overlord3 allows the user to call either a Microsoft Visual Basic Script or Microsoft EXCEL, either of which will reduce the information to the required key data points, and restructure the information ready for integration with the next data level.

The external source can be a database of a flat file data repository. Overlord3 can interact with a number of different types of external source.

For data and method input, the Overlord3 suite of products can receive information from a flat data file or database table. For data output, Overlord3 can send information to flat data file or database table.

A flat file is a text file or binary file, although the most common form is a comma separated variable or csv file (each line relates to the information of one sample, multiple information per sample is separated by commas, see below).

aa111111,28,63
aa111112,45,91
..... , ..... , .....
..... , ..... , .....
<sample name>,<data point 1>,<data point 2>

Any database that conforms to the Microsoft ODBC standard can be used for input and output with Overlord3, these include Oracle, SQL and of course Microsoft Access.

contact for more information about using Overlord3 with a database

• Enhanced tools for data exchange with a wide range of sources
• Overlord3 fits in with your system, the system does not need to be re-engineered to work with Overlord3.