Laboratory Information Management System Development

Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) stands for the software and hardware system that is designed to manage the laboratories omni-directionally using the computer network technology, data storage technology and speedy processing technology. The LIMS helps the organizations to achieve the aims of 0. A., management informationalization, and paperless operation. Meanwhile, LIMS plays an essential role in the improvement of efficiency and reduction of costs. Coming with the continuous progress of the scientific research and manufacturing technologies, the requirements on the size of samples, project & cycle of analysis, accuracy of data have been increasingly higher than every before. And the traditional manual management does not fulfill those requirements any more. Therefore, laboratories abroad have dedicated their efforts to the advanced network management and the domestic laboratories have carried out some beneficial trials in this area as well.This dissertation introduced my whole process in the development and implementation of the "Management Information System for the Shandong Provincial Central Laboratory of Analysis and Testing (SDATC)" . The design of the system functions follows the standard of GB/T15481-2000 (idt ISO/IEC 17025) and referring to the LIMS international standards and standards of other international quality management & assurance systems. In order to assure a standard procedure and high efficiency and to provide a standardized and optimized platform, the key elements in the laboratory, i.e. personnel, facilities, instruments, samples, measures of calibration and environment were strictly managed and controlled. For implementation, the distributional structure of Client/Server was used in the Central Laboratory, and the development tool of Power Builder 9. 0 and the database of Microsoft SQL Server 2000 were used on the Windows platform. In the mean time, a customer serving system with the Browser/Server structure was built up to provide the customized visit and interaction to the external users. In this customer serving system, Internet Information Server (IIS) provided by Windows 2000 Server was applied for server platform, dynamic World Wide Web (WWW) application was provided by Active Server Page (ASP), and Microsoft Visual InterDev 6 and Microsoft FrontPage XP were used fordevelopment tool applications. The development languages use JavaScript, HTML and Java. Moreover, the experiences acquired in the process of system implementation, such as the optimization of database, network structure and programs were introduced in this dissertation as well. In additional, to fulfill the management requirements of the SDATC, some data warehouse related designs for effective integration of both internal and external data were provided so as to support the application and decision-making activities of the analysts and the executive level. This function was realized by the application of Crystal Report 9.Now, the above mentioned LIMS has been running in SDATC successfully. With the operation of the LIMS, the quality system and capability of management has been greatly improved. SDATC passed the authentication of the China National Approbate Committee of Laboratories (CNACL) in May, 2004.