4.5 Samples and Sampling

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  Table of Contents...                            

Sample Matrices

Set of materials from which a sample type can be associated with in order to correctly derive a testing methodology

In Bika Senaite, Sample Types expand on these matrices with a finer granularity

Sample Types / Products

Sample Types differentiate between the types of sample material handled by the lab, often called Products in manufacturing labs, but typically Potable water, Seawater, River water, etc. which all sort under the Sample Matrix Water

  NB Sample IDs are prefixed with its Sample Type acronym, e.g. H2O18-0001 for a water sample.

Check the Sample Type as Hazardous if necessary for it to be labelled and displayed as such

Retention period sets the time before a Sample of this type expires. Bika does not allow expired Samples to be analysed

[Improvement Request. The retention period also depends on Analysis Services, e.g, a Sample can still be used for chemical analysis after it becomes unsuitable for microbiology

Default Container

The default container type for the sample type can also be selected here to assist Samplers

Sample Points

Easy, Title and Description and on its location tab, geographical coordinates for it can be specified. These will later be used to interface results with GIS systems too

Samplers often upload photos and maps here for remote locations not often sampled

Clients have their own Sample Points

Sampling Locations

With the Sampling Locations add-on installed, Sample Points can be grouped together per physical location, e.g. water sampling points in a village

Sample Types per Point

 As an aid for Sample creation, the valid sample types for a sample point can be specified

Often only one Sample Type can be collected at a specific Sample point, water collected from a municipal tap, will always be Potable water. The Sample Type for a Sample Point will autocomplete on the Sample registration form after the Sample Point was selected. If more than one Sample Type is possible at a point, the lookup list will be restricted to only the valid ones

Sample Containers and Preservation

Capture the capacity of the container, volume or weight, as a numerical value and unit separated by a space,

e.g 50 ml, 100 g

If the container is pre-preserved, like many of the vacutainers in health care labs, check the Pre-preserved box and select a preservation for it from those configured on the Preservation page earlier

Sample attributes

More Sample attributes are available and are by default included, e.g. Sampling Deviation, Date Sampled, Sample condition, Environmental conditions, reason for Rejection etc.

Which ones to show on the Sample registration form, is configured on a Form Field Management page that can be reached from the Sample registration page itself, see

Configuring Sample Attributes

Results Interpretation templates

Users may capture results Interpretations for Samples before they are Verified. Often the same or similar texts are used for many Samples, and canned Interpretations can be configured and offered for Selection at runtime. From the Interpretations setup item