Keeping records of specimens in software like BSI is only helpful if users can easily locate, track, and work on them. Particularly for facilities that handle large numbers of specimens, finding a particular specimen, set of specimens, or batch can be like finding a needle in a haystack. It is important that tracking software like BSI provides users with simple, intuitive tools for finding data and keeping tabs on their work.
BSI meets this challenge with the Search tool; an easy-to-use tool, available anywhere throughout the system that users may want to find records, narrow down lists and filter results! The tool includes a list of searchable fields that will change depending on where you are accessing it in order to reflect relevant data. For example, Search can be used to filter the records that are displayed on a batch manager. In this case, the fields available in the tool will be those which pertain to the batches and their properties. Once a field is selected, users can identify specific field values to add to the search criteria. For fields that are associated with a code list, the entire set of code list options will appear, and users can select one of more of these values to search on. Alternately, users can manually enter field values. Users can even specify operators, such as ‘less than or equals’, ‘Or’, ‘does not equal’, or ‘like’ to further specify the defined search criteria. With all of these operators, users have a broad range of options at their disposal in order to find the exact records they want.
The Search tool can be used in many points throughout the system; from narrowing down long lists of displayed items like user accounts, batches or studies in managers, to identifying specimens for import into batches, and even creating in-depth reports. The Search tool can help facilitate workflow fluidity by allowing users to modify views so that they see only the work that is important to them, isolate the specimens that need to be processed, and allow managers to obtain an overview of their users, their specimens and their lab’s workflow dynamic.
Over the next couple of weeks we will investigate more deeply some of the most useful and powerful features of the Search tool, and how they can be implemented to make working in BSI quick and efficient. Keep an eye out for next week’s BSI Feature Focus for more on the Search tool!