Sample Storage Location Management

This article provides an introduction to an option for implementing Sample Storage Location Management through the use of the Relationship Attribute. Although this does not entail a visual representation of the storage locations, it may already help to implement your biobank in Labregister.

Tip: Find more documentation about our inventory management, if you please.

This documentation refers to a simple setup of boxes and the positions in them. Of course, this system can be extended to higher complexity. An import file featuring two sheets has been used during the creation of this article, one listing Box #, Position # (in one column) and another sheet listing Sample #, Description, and Concentration (one column each, last one empty).

1. At first, a Category is created for the samples and another one for our storage locations and the above mentioned lists are imported. To see the correct order of these lists, one may sort them in ascending order by Item ID.

2. To allocate a sample to a storage space, it is recommended to go to the Category with the storage spaces and sort in ascending order by the Item ID first and then in descending order by the Relations column (click twice on the column name). Thus all the occupied storage spaces will show beginning from the top and the order of the free spaces starting with the first box and the first free space are displayed.

3. One can now select the first free storage slot (in the example Box 1, position 3) and add a Child Relationship to this sample.

4. In the sample list, one can now search for the sample and thus be shown a Relationship. Going to the overview of the Item, one can see the Name (column) which relates where the sample is stored.

Note: A Relationship can be removed at any time on both the Parent and Child Item side. Find more information on our Item Relationship management, if you please.