LIMS Forum 2014

Als LIMS-Anbieter präsentierten wir unsere innovative Komplettlösung iLIMS zwei Tage lang auf der spezialisierten Veranstaltung für Datenmanagement im Labor. Neben dem allgemein großen Interesse an unserer Software, wurden verschiedene Themen mehrfach von Kunden und Interessenten aufgegriffen. Gern möchten wir diese im Folgenden nochmals kurz zusammenfassen, um zum einen unsere Antworten auf die wiederkehrenden Fragen einem größeren Publikum zugänglich zu machen und zum anderen die Funktionalität von iLIMS auch für weitere Interessenten klar abzugrenzen.

• As a LIMS provider, we presented our innovative complete solution, iLIMS, over two days at this specialized event for data management in laboratories. Alongside the broad overall interest in our software, several topics were raised repeatedly by customers and visitors. We would like to briefly summarize these below — both to make our responses to recurring questions accessible to a broader audience and to clearly outline the functionality of iLIMS for further interested parties.

The greatest interest at the LIMS Forum centered on the configurability and adaptability of the laboratory management system to specific customer requirements:

Thanks to a highly powerful framework, configurability without extensive programming is one of the key strengths of iLIMS. Freely configurable interfaces, access to all fields of the data model, a report designer that does not directly access the database but understands all relationships within the model, custom functions for each field, an integrated workflow engine for freely defining laboratory processes, and even a user-defined language for the iLIMS interface all enable individual customization according to client needs. In addition, scripts can be embedded in the process control to ensure further flexibility.

A particularly interesting and vigorously discussed topic was the functional scope and delimitation of a LIMS. Some participants limited their system requirements to core laboratory processes such as sample management and test report generation, expecting connections to modules such as order management or invoicing to be handled via interfaces to external software. In contrast, a significant number of participants—particularly from contract laboratories—expressed a preference for a complete solution that maps the entire process chain from data acquisition through to invoicing:

Both perspectives are valid, and with iLIMS we can offer a system that meets both sets of requirements. Following the principle “One provider and one software – the complete solution from a single source,” iLIMS maps the entire laboratory process, including upstream order management and downstream invoicing, financial accounting, and cost analysis. This enables a seamless and extremely fast workflow, minimizing resource needs by eliminating redundant data storage and complex interface configuration. Customers from in-house laboratories or contract labs using established ERP systems can integrate iLIMS seamlessly into their existing software landscape via our universal, configurable interface.

A topic recurrently raised in recent times within the laboratory domain is the use and support of mobile and touch-enabled devices. Customers and visitors largely agreed that offering the full LIMS functionality on tablets is unnecessary. Instead, limiting mobile access to specific processes is entirely sufficient:

With iLIMS, we meet the demands of mobility and touch compatibility. Using web-enabled interfaces, even the base module allows access to iLIMS via browser. In cases of intermittent or unstable web connectivity, we recommend working in offline mode — where required data is synchronized beforehand, used and edited offline, and then resynchronized with the live system upon reconnection. In line with customer requirements, we develop dedicated apps for Apple iOS and Android. As these must be developed separately for each platform, we recommend using a unified operating system and mobile devices from a single manufacturer to minimize costs.

Finally, we would like to thank all our guests for their interest and for the positive and constructive feedback, which confirmed that our complete software solution meets the demands of a modern and innovative laboratory management and information system. Your encouragement motivates us to continue driving forward the development of iLIMS. We are already looking forward to the next LIMS Forum in the coming year