Batches

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Batch Types

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Add Batches

The Data Entry manager is the most common means of adding new specimen data to BSI. You can access the manager from the BSI client's Managers main menu option. Specimen data is added to the system in "batches". To add or update data for existing vials, create a Modify batch. To create a batch, follow the steps below:

To create an Add batch:

  1. From the Data Entry manager, press the New button.
  2. Select Add as the batch type in the dialog that opens. The New Entry Batch Specification dialog will open.
  3. On this dialog, specify any batch properties details you know about this batch of specimens, such as the study these specimens are included in, or the template which you will view them with.
    • Templates are a time-saving tool which determine the default data fields you will see when first opening your batch to add data. They can also prompt you to assign locations for specimens before the batch can be edited and default some data, such as the Study ID or the Material Type. A default template is set, but your database may have specific templates you can use. Ask your local administrator for more information about these templates.
  4. Save the batch by selecting the Save icon or the option from the File menu. The batch can be re-opened for editing at a later time. Once saved, the batch is assigned a batch ID.
  5. In the Data Entry editor, add vial data to the batch. This can be done manually using the Mass Change and Change Values right mouse button options, by importing vial data, or using the scan to add vials tool. When scanning, the "Scanned" field will automatically be populated with "No", unless the vials have been scanned.
  6. New BSI IDs can be generated with the Assign BSI IDs or the Generate Through feature on the Tools menu.
  7. Use the Reserving Locations wizard to assign virtual locations to the new specimens before creating them.
  8. Select Check Level 1 & 2 Errors to verify that no mistakes were made which would prevent the specimens from being committed to the inventory. Errors will be displayed in the lower left corner of the editor.
  9. Correct any errors and repeat steps 7 & 8. When all of the specimen data has been added to the batch and the batch is free of errors, commit the batch via the Commit Batch icon or the Tools menu option.

Example: Dr. Banner is studying the lasting effects of intense anger on the brain. He needs to store the 400 brain tissue specimens that he received today, 10 each from 40 different subjects. To do this, he creates a Data Entry Add batch then uses the Import Specimens option to enter data from an excel file for the specimens. He uses Mass Change and Change Values to enter data which is not included in the file, such as Date Received. He uses the Assign BSI IDs tool, then the Generate Subject IDs tool to create unique identifying values for each specimen and subject he has entered data for in BSI. After verifying that all his data is correct and assigning locations, Dr. Banner commits his specimens to the BSI database and they are available for processing.

Modify Batches

To add or modify existing specimen data, create a modify batch.  The BSI ID, Sample ID, Sequence Number and Repository fields cannot be edited in a Modify batch.  To change BSI ID, Sample ID, and Sequence Number, create a Change ID batch. In order to change a specimen's repository, complete a transfer task on the Requisitions module tab.

Example: After requesting specimens for processing in a requisition, Dr. Banner notices that several specimens have an incorrect value for the Serotonin levels of the specimens in his Anger study. He creates a modify Data Entry batch by highlighting the specimens with incorrect values in his requisition and selecting Edit Specimens from the right mouse button menu. The highlighted specimens are populated in the new Modify batch, where Dr. Banner modifies the Serotonin level values for the necessary specimens and commits the batch.  

To create a modify batch:

  1. Press the New button on the Data Entry Manager.
  2. Select Modify as the batch type in the dialog that opens. The New Entry Batch Specification dialog will open.
  3. Specify the batch properties and press OK to continue. The Standard Search dialog will open.
  4. Use the Standard Search dialog to select specimen data to add to the Data Entry Editor or select Cancel on the Search dialog to open the editor with no specimens listed.
  5. Save the batch by selecting the Save icon or the option from the File menu. The batch can be re-opened for editing at a later time. Once saved, the batch is assigned a batch ID.
  6. Edit the specimen data, Import specimen data, or Scan to add specimens.  The Importer must match on a unique identifier (BSI ID or Sample ID and Sequence) during the import because it will search the database for any specimens listed in the import file and add those specimens to the editor. The Scanned field will automatically be populated with "No", unless the specimens have been scanned.
  7. When all of the desired data has been modified and the batch is free of errors, commit the batch.
    • If another user has modified one or more of the included specimens between when your current batch was created and when you commit it, then a level 2 warning will be added to the specimen. The warning will state that the vial was recently modified and asks you to report on the most updated data and revise your values before committing.

Change ID Batches

To change a specimen's BSI ID, Sample ID, or Sequence Number, create a Change ID batch.  Keep in mind that a BSI ID, which is composed of a specimen's Sample ID followed by its Sequence Number, must be unique for each specimen.  If you change a specimen's BSI ID to an existing BSI ID, you will receive errors during the commit process and the commit will fail.

Example: Dr. Banner needs to change the Sample ID of two specimens he committed to the database yesterday. He accidentally assigned a Sample ID of Da005679 to the specimens, which was used by a previously entered sample in his Anger study. He searches for the specimens and uses a Change ID batch to correct his mistake. He then must verify that no sample data was modified for the original specimens assigned to that Sample ID when the new specimens were committed. Dr. Banner can do that by running “Specimen History” standard report displaying specimens with the Sample ID Da005679, which will show details for all modifications made to those specimens with that Sample ID.  

To create a Change ID batch:

  1. Press the New button on the Data Entry Manager.
  2. Select Change ID as the batch type in the dialog that opens. The New Entry Batch Specification dialog will open.
  3. Specify the batch properties and press OK to continue. The Standard Search dialog will open.
  4. Use the Standard Search dialog to select specimen information to add to the Data Entry Editor or select Cancel on the Search dialog to open the editor with no specimens listed.
  5. Save the batch by selecting the Save icon or the option from the File menu. The batch can be re-opened for editing at a later time. Once saved, the batch is assigned a batch ID.
  6. Edit the specimen data, Import specimen data, or scan to add specimens.  The Importer must match on a unique identifier (BSI ID or Sample ID and Sequence) during the import because it will search the database for any specimens listed in the import file and add those specimens to the editor. The Scanned field will automatically be populates with "No", unless the specimens have been scanned.
  7. When all of the desired information has been modified and the batch is free of errors, commit the batch.

Delete Batches

To delete specimens that have never existed and were added to the database accidentally, create a Delete batch.  Delete batches will remove all of a specimen's information, from the pool of editable specimens and therefore delete batches should never be used to remove specimens that have been lost, broken, destroyed or emptied.  If a specimen is lost, broken, destroyed or empty, create a Requisition or a Modify batch to change the specimen's status.  

Specimens which have been removed from the pool of editable specimens in the database via a Data Entry Delete batch can still be historically reported on and the audit trail of changes made to the specimen will be maintained, though the specimen will be permanently removed from the current inventory.

Example: A research aide accidentally entered several specimens which do not exist and Dr. Banner now needs to delete these specimens from the database so he will have an accurate count of his Anger study’s inventory. He uses a Delete batch to remove the specimens from his inventory.

To create a Delete batch:

  1. Press the New button on the Data Entry Manager.
  2. Select Delete as the batch type in the dialog that opens. The New Entry Batch Specification dialog will open.
  3. Specify the batch properties and press OK to continue. The Standard Search dialog will open.
  4. Use the Standard Search dialog to select specimens to add to the Data Entry Editor or select Cancel on the Search dialog to open the editor with no specimens listed. Specimens can then be imported to the editor. Specimens can also be scanned to add to the editor. When scanning, the "Scanned" field will automatically be populated with "No", unless the vials have been scanned.
  5. Save the batch by selecting the Save icon or the option from the File menu. The batch can be re-opened for editing at a later time. Once saved, the batch is assigned a batch ID.
  6. Verify that the Data Entry Editor contains only the specimen(s) that you would like to delete, then Commit the batch.

A warning will appear if the specimen(s) being deleted are linked to a shipment batch. If you continue deleting the specimen(s), the shipment vial’s status will be updated to “In Process”.

Committing Batches

Only batches without errors can be committed. Committing a batch will add or modify data in the database.

To commit an open batch:

  1. Save the batch by selecting the Save icon or the option from the File menu. 
  2. Select Check Level 1 & 2 Errors to verify that no mistakes were made which would prevent the data from being committed to the database. Errors will be displayed in the lower left corner of the editor.
  3. Correct any errors and repeat steps 1-2. When all of the specimen data has been added to the batch and the batch is free of errors, commit the batch via the Commit Batch icon or the Tools menu option.
  4. A confirmation summary dialog will open displaying information about the batch. Select Yes to proceed or No to cancel.

A system preference (commit_from_batch_editor_auto_checks_l2_errors) exists to automatically check for errors before opening the confirmation dialog. This allows the Data Entry batch to remain open for you to review if any errors or warnings are encountered. Contact BSI Technical support to enable this preference for your database.

Batches can also be committed directly from the Data Entry manager. To commit a batch from the Data entry manager:

  1. On the Data Entry Manager, highlight the batch to be committed.
  2. Press the Commit button.  A Committing Data dialog will appear containing information for the batch being committed. For an add batch, this dialog gives users the option to check the Direct Distribution checkbox. Commit a batch
  3. Press OK to commit the batch(es) or Cancel to exit this window without committing the batch(es).

Once a batch is committed, a message will appear on the Messages Module tab confirming that the batch was committed successfully.  While in the committing process, batches have the status of Queued, Running, and finally, Committed.  To monitor batch status, refresh the Data Entry Manager, by either selecting Refresh from the View menu or pressing the F5 key.

Double Keyed Batches

BSI allows users to key the same data in two independent batches, and then compares the batches as they are committed.  A pair of these batches is called a verify pair.  To create a verify pair, create one batch with the Require verification drop down option set to True/Yes in the Batch Properties, and another batch with or without the Require verification set to True/Yes.

To commit a verify pair select both batches in the Data Entry Manager, then click the Commit button.  (To select two batches, click on the first one, then hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on the second.)  The vials in the batches can be entered in different orders, but their data values must agree exactly.  Any differences will be reported as errors, causing the commit to fail.  Correct errors due to discrepancies between a verify pair on the batch that requires verification.  Other types of errors may need to be corrected on both batches.

  • Batches can be compared prior to committing by using the Compare data in editors tool.

  • If location data was added to one batch of a verify pair through the Reserve Locations wizard or the Scan Wizard, the locations assigned can be copied between editors by using the Copy location data between editors tool.

Note: If the batch creator's permission is set to "Force Verification", that batch will always require a double-keying, even if the current batch owner does not have this permission set.

Direct Distribution/Automatically Creating Requisitions

After pressing Commit on an add batch dialog, the Committing Data dialog will open listing the batch properties. The dialog warns that the user is about to commit the batch, permanently changing the database. To continue committing the batch press Ok. Alternately, press Cancel to stop committing the batch.

The dialog includes the Direct Distribution checkbox. If checked when the batch is committed, BSI will automatically create and submit a requisition for all specimens in the batch. The requisition batch ID will be displayed in the Messages tab. Once created, the requisition can be viewed and edited on the Requisitions tab. The Direct Distribution checkbox can be defaulted to True/Yes or False/No via a Data Entry User Preference called Auto Create Requisition.

A system preference may be set to allow Requisition Property Templates to work with direct distribution. When automatically creating a requisition via direct distribution or another means, a dialog will open asking the user to select a property template. After the template is selected, a second dialog will open displaying the template’s displayed properties. After entering any properties and selecting OK, the requisition will be created and can be accessed via the Requisitions manager.

Batch Statuses

Depending on user permissions, batch properties, and the stage of the data entry process they are in, batches are assigned one of the following statuses:

  • Saved, not committed - The batch has not yet been committed or deleted and can be viewed or edited by the current user.

  • Committed - The batch has been committed successfully and specimen data has been added to or modified in the database. The batch can no longer be edited.

  • Deleted - The batch has been deleted and can no longer be edited or committed.

  • Running (being committed) - The batch is currently running through the commit process on the server.  The batch can no longer be edited.

  • Queued (waiting to commit) - The batch has been committed by the owner and is waiting for the commit process to take place on the server.  The batch can no longer be edited.

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