Sub Aliquot Workflows Pt 2

Introduction – 00:00

Hey guys, welcome to the Freezerworks 2019 Learning Series, your visual guide to our sample management software. Today, we finish up our series on the new Sub-Aliquot Workflow type. Last time I showed you how to configure a Sub-Aliquot Workflow, so let's take that one I created and process it. Again, I'm going to speed through much of the Workflow process to focus on the sub-aliquot side of things, so if you need more assistance with Workflows in general, there's a whole other series on them that you can watch, or you can consult our User's Guide.

Start a Sub-Aliquot Workflow – 00:45

Alright, to process a Sub-Aliquot Workflow, you first need to find the Aliquots you're trying to Sub-Aliquot. This can be done through search tools and the list view, by opening a single sample and highlighting, or through Explore Freezers. Any way you do it, once you select Workflows – Sub-Aliquot, you'll be presented with a list of Sub-Aliquot Workflow formats to choose from. I'll select the one I created last time and click Continue. Here we are on the Process Workflow form. It shares a lot of similarities with the Configure Workflow form, but anything not marked as “Modifiable During Processing” will be locked down at this time. By default, however, both Status dropdowns, the one for the Parent Aliquots and the one for the Sub-Aliquots, are never modifiable at this time. You are allowed to modify both Custodian dropdowns and the # Sub-Aliquots fields, in case you need to create less or more per Parent than the default entry provided).

Completing Tasks – 01:52

Let's start working through the tasks, shall we? As you can see, like any other Workflow, the red asterisks will tell what you still have left to do before you can process. Our first job is on the Update Fields page. As you can see, the Parent and Sub-Aliquot values for each field involved with the Workflow have been separated into two columns. Values that are italicized will not be modifiable at this time. Their values have been pre-determined during configuration. Any values in standard font can be modified, and, most importantly, any cell that is highlighted in red, requires entry. So, I need to enter a Current Amount value for my sub-aliquots.  Double-click the field Current Amount, and you'll notice that the Parent Value box is greyed out, as it has been made non-modifiable during processing. The Sub Value box, on the other hand, is active and ready for entry. When entering values for Sub-Aliquots, remember that you always have the option to Inherit Parent Aliquot Value. This option wouldn't make sense with the current field, though, so let's enter 1 for the Current Amount, which will reduce the Parent's Current Amount automatically per Sub according to its settings. Click Save Entry and the red highlighted cell is no more. You'll also notice that the red asterisk on the Update Fields page button has turned into a green checkmark, to indicate we're done with the page. 

Next, we move onto the Create Transaction page, where you'll see two transaction entry areas: one for the Parent Aliquots, and one for the Sub-Aliquots. The Parents' transaction, however, has been made unmodifiable during processing. So, we just need to fill out the information for the Sub-Aliquot transaction. An activity has already been provided, but Notes haven't been entered yet. They are actually required, which is why the red asterisk is on the page name. Fill out the Notes and we get a green checkmark.

Now we have the Select Exports/Reports page. Nothing really changes here, except, as I said in part 1, if you'd like to have exports or reports run on the sub-aliquots that are created by this workflow, check on the corresponding Sub-Aliquots boxes. There is nothing required of us on this page, however, so we'll move onto to Print Labels.

This page is very similar to the Create Transaction one, as in, there is an entry area for the parent aliquots and one for the sub-aliquots, so different labels can be printed for each group. In this Workflow, the Parent Label is unable to be changed, but I can modify the settings for the Sub-Aliquot labels. This page can actually be left alone until you process the Workflow, as these settings appear once more when printing.

The Set Freezer Position page is going to look a lot different than usual, like this particular workflow, where the Parent Aliquots' tab is unmodifiable. So, when processing, we only see the Sub-Aliquots tab. Our job on this page is to determine where to begin assigning all of the Sub-Aliquots that will be created by the Workflow. It'll be just like assigning anywhere else in the program. And don't worry; the Parent Aliquots are being updated according to the Workflow's configuration. This is also the case with the Shipping Box page, as we made that whole task unmodifiable during processing in part 1.

If you are using Summit or Pinnacle, the Order Tests and Invoicing pages may be in your Workflow. Remember that the Sub-Aliquots have their own set of checkboxes, so you can order different tests or charge different things for the Parents vs. the Subs.

The final task in the Workflow is the QC reconciliation, which is only for the Parent Aliquots, for obvious reasons. When you complete the QC check and get that final green checkmark, you can process the workflow. Enter a run name if necessary. Depending on your Workflow, you'll begin receiving a flurry of dialogs for each report and export, the labels for both the Parents and Subs, and/or the shipping box. Once you get through them all, you'll be returned to wherever you started the workflow. You can then open the parent aliquots to see their sample record, where you can then see the sub-aliquots you created.

Conclusion – 00:00

And that does it for Sub-Aliquot Workflows. Again, we have a whole other series on Workflows in general, so if you need any more help, check those or our User's Guide out. Of course, our Support Staff is always ready to help too. Thanks as always for watching, and we'll see ya next time!