qELN: Electronic Laboratory Notebook
Together with qLIMS (quick Laboratory Information Management System), the qELN (quick Electronic Laboratory Notebook) product serves to complete the Cloud Laboratory Platform software product suite. qELN is an experiment and workflow driven software application designed to give laboratory scientists the ultimate platform to electronically document their experiments including relevant scientific content and observations, instrument results, and attachments such as spectra, chromatograms and, if appropriate, chemical structures. Method Execution capability is also provided for QA/QC applications, providing comprehensive LES functionality.
A unique attribute of qELN is the way in which it works seamlessly with qLIMS. This allows any data within qLIMS to be accessible by ELN and vice versa. Integrating ELN and LIMS products from different suppliers has significant practical challenges and limitations, and very often requires the creation of a customized interface to achieve even simple data exchange. The benefit of qELN is the comprehensive interface that exists inherently between the two systems, and the simplicity by which all LIMS data and LIMS functionality can easily be shared and leveraged from within either environment. Examples of items that are easily accessed via the ELN include: Quality Control, SOPs, version controlled test and specification definition, Instrument Management, Document Management, Standards, & Reagents, Analyst Certification, Customer & Supplier Management, Laboratory Management, User Roles, Group Security, and Inventory Management.
The quick Electronic Laboratory Notebook is organized into spreadsheet-like workbooks that can be sub-divided into tabs similar to Microsoft Excel. The layout and organization of each workbook tab is completely configurable.
qELN also provides built-in, out of the box capability to capture data from laboratory instruments. For instruments that use a computerized data system, qELN provides the ability to parse the data contained in reports produced by the data system and to directly enter that data into one or more ELN worksheets that are part of the procedure session. Instruments such as analytical balances, pH meters, and titration instruments may be directly connected using an RS-232 communications link over a network (LAN or WAN). In addition to directly connected instruments and file based instrument data systems, iTalenta also offers advanced integration modules that seamlessly interface to systems like the Waters Empower, Agilient OpenLab, and Thermo Atlas chromatography data systems, providing a functionally rich environment for interacting with the data from these popular products.
For laboratories that work on GMP samples, qELN offers comprehensive LES capability for guided execution of standardized testing methods (STMs). This helps to eliminate or avoid the substantial rework brought about by deviations, and reduces the effort that is typically required for investigation and documentation of the corrective and preventative actions that are taken. Each step of an SOP or STM document can be associated with a particular section or step simply filling in a few fields of information in iTalenta’s Workflow Automation Manager. No customization or coding is necessary to build the steps that comprise a method. Method Templates and Workflow Automation records are version controlled, enabling them to be linked with the appropriate version of the SOP or STM document.
Compliance limits or checks can be associated with any data input in the procedure, allowing checkpoints to be inserted at the conclusion of any step in the method to prevent the method from continuing if there is a significant issue or deviation from procedure.
iTalenta's quick Electronic Laboratory Notebook offers the unique combination of experiment automation and procedure control, making it the ideal laboratory management software solution for both research and quality control settings.
