Your complete Document Control System integrated into LabScores

Through customer demand, we see that there is an ever increasing need to install a more elaborate document control system as the amount of electronic data that is generated in a Life Science company is growing rapidly. Megabyte files from a variety of equipment needs to be linked to records in the database. The massive data traffic over your network would eventually slow down the perfomance of your databases. With the incorporation of SuperContainer® from 360Works Inc., this is no longer an issue.

You may store as many files as you want, in any size that you need and you are only limited by the capacity of your hardware. Almost every LabScores database provides the opportunity to link a file to a record. This may be a simple Word or Excel document, but it may also be a movie, an image or any form of electronic data file. A range of image formats will display directly in the SuperContainer (bmp, jpg, gif, png, jpeg2000, raw, pnm, and tiff). When you download an image file it will display at full size in your browser.

Version 2 of SuperContainer is now intergrated (August 2008), allowing drag & drop directly into container fields, and also the option to upload complete folders in one container field.

Each time you upload a file with the SuperContainer, that file is stored on the company server in a filepath that shows both the database and the record ID from where you initiated this action, irrespective of the origin of that file. This means you will automatically build a folder structure on your server that corresponds with your database and which you can include in your server backup routines. This will safeguard you from any data loss on client PC’s and greatly reduces backup maintenance routines.

Data Separation

A significant new feature of version 4 is a basic re-design of the database structure through the implementation of the Data Separation Model (DSM). This separates your data from all logic and user interfaces and allows for a

    • more stable data structure

    • improved performance

    • safer backup strategy

    • better upgrade maintenance

  • safer customization when you develop the CustomViewer within your own company.

Before Version 4, the LabScores databases consisted of 6 files which you could purchase in modules depending on the growth phase and needs of your company. This modular approach remains the same. The Module  files contained not only your actual data, but also all the layouts, scripts and value lists that were needed for the User Interface and to process that data.

  

In Version 4, data and logic are now completely separated using the DSM. The basic databases where the flat data is stored (85 now in the standard solution) are kept in a separate DataMaster file in a secure environment of your server.  Everything else is in the Viewer files which contain no data at all.

DSM minimizes the need to do any data migration, except in hardware emergencies. Improvements to the standard files (i.e. all except the CustomViewer) can be uploaded by LabScores without any downtime to your life databases (remote network access required).

Also development on your CustomViewer, whether it is done by LabScores, your own IT specialists or third party developers, you need only to swap the Viewer file to implement any changes. If some items do not (yet) work properly, you just swap back your previous file and no harm is done to your databases.

For substantial CustomSuite designs, LabScores has partnered with Mindfire Solutions in New Delhi, India. This company has one of the worlds largest groups of FileMaker-certified developers on staff. The cost reduction in development when Mindfire Solutions become involved will be carried over to you (minimum 200 h estimated development time).

For biotech companies with a significant history and who have stacks of data they want to carry over into one corporate-wide solution, this is a very cost efficient way to transfer your historic data and make it more readily available at all levels of your company.

about Mindfire Solutions

Mindfire Solutions is a rapidly growing software company with more than 275 full-time developers that specializes in collaborative software development.  Mindfire Solutions is a certified partner for many of the worlds major software companies, including Microsoft, Apple, FileMaker, IBM, Sun, Macromedia, Palm, etc.  Serving customers worldwide, with engineering centers in New Delhi and Bhubaneswar and business offices in the US, Mindfire's development operations incorporate a wide range of technologies and services including: application co-development, porting and testing for the industry’s business, game, wireless and mobile communities.  Mindfire is ISO 9000 certified.

Both companies are members of the FileMaker Business Alliance.