Workflows on the Browser Client: Part 2

Learn how to use additional workflow types on the Freezerworks Browser Client.

Introduction – 00:00

Hi there, welcome to the Freezerworks 2021 Learning Series, your visual guide to our sample management software. Last time, I glowed about the usefulness of workflows in Freezerworks before showing you what processing them on the Web Client is like by running through a Check Out. We also have three other Workflow Types – Check In, Sub-Aliquot, and Shipments – and while processing each of them can be vastly similar to a Check Out, there are a few key differences that we need to go over today. I’ll also give you a quick rundown on how to use the Workflow History tool so you can remotely keep track of any and all Workflows performed in your system. There are a number of things I’ll just be glossing over today, since I covered them in detail in part 1. Be sure to watch it again if you have more questions about the basics of running a workflow.

Check In – 01:00

To start, I’m going to find those Aliquots I checked out last time, because now I want to check them back into a Freezer. I’ll run a search, and here are my checked out Aliquots. Take a look at them for a second and you’ll see that their Freezer fields are all empty except for the last two subdivisions. This is because I selected “Remove from Freezer, but retain Aliquot Position” during my check out workflow. When we check them back in, they will keep their final position values, even if we find a new freezer for them. Let’s highlight them, hover over the Actions menu, and select Check In this time. Pick the desired Check In Workflow template from the list. Remember that if you don’t see the template you need, check your Group Profile. Workflow availability is based on Group membership. The Process Workflow form for a Check In is essentially identical to Check Out. Look for the asterisks to see what tasks are required by the workflow and complete them. You may have one on the Freezer Positions page this time, as I do; let’s go there now.

When we’re checking in Aliquots, this typically means we’re putting them into a Freezer, making this page very important. As you can see, this is where Check Ins differ from Check Outs. First, you must choose what you want to do with the Aliquots and their Freezer Positions. Your options will be as follows: “Assign new freezer positions to all aliquots,” which does exactly what it says, regardless of whether any of the Aliquots already have positions, “Assign new positions only to aliquots without a position,” which will not change any existing positions, “Assign new location retaining position within plate/box,” which you should select if you are checking in Aliquots that were checked out using the option “Remove from Freezer, but retain Aliquot Position,” and “Do not make any changes to the Freezer Position.” This last option will cause the Freezer Assignment Fields to disappear, as they’re no longer necessary. But, if you recall, I’m checking in Aliquots with retained position info, so we need to select that option. Then we assign positions like normal: select a Freezer and Section, and the location fields will appear with the Next Assignable Position automatically entered. If you’d like to edit these fields, click Edit Position. Remember that the last two subdivisions, related to the Aliquots’ actual positions will not be available – these are still retained by each of the aliquots. Also Remember you have access to the standard assignment options, Find empty box and Find adjacent positions. Use them if you need to. The rest of the workflow process should be very familiar; once you’re ready, process the workflow. You’ll get a confirmation just like last time, before being returned to wherever you started the workflow. As you can see, my Aliquots we’re placed into the new freezer, but their final position values remain the same.

Sub-Aliquot – 04:01

Next, let’s imagine we need to spin these Aliquots down to make more, so it’s time to run a Sub-Aliquot Workflow. Highlight the aliquots, click Sub-Aliquot, and pick your template. Sub-Aliquot Workflows can appear pretty complicated, but if you understand check out and check in, this won’t be too difficult. First, your top bar will have more fields. The Parent Status and Custodian fields determine the Status and Custodian for all of the Aliquots you run this workflow on, while the Sub-Aliquot Status and Custodian fields determine the Status and Custodian for all of the Sub-Aliquots created through this Workflow. The # of Sub-Aliquots field determines how many Sub-Aliquots will be created for each Parent record this Workflow is run on. By default, both Status dropdowns are not modifiable at this time, so ensure they’re set properly. You are allowed to modify both Custodian dropdowns and the # Sub-Aliquots field (in case you need to create more or less per Parent than the default entry provided).

From there, we move onto the tasks. The tasks are going to be split between Parent Aliquots and Sub-Aliquots, so you can do different things to each group of records. This will be the theme on every page. For example, the Data Entry page still has a top box for modifiable fields and a bottom box for automatic fields, but they are now further split into Parent and Sub-Aliquot boxes. Some fields are modifiable for the Parents, but not the Subs, and vice-versa. There will also be a new checkbox for Sub-Aliquot fields called Inherit Parent Aliquot data. This will simply copy whatever data exists in that field for the Parent Aliquot to the new sub-aliquots. Note that any changes made by the workflow will not be inherited. Next, we have the Freezer Positions page, which will first look like a Check In workflow, except you also have a tab to control the Sub-Aliquot positions. First, determine what you’d like to do to the Parent Aliquot positions. You’ll have both Check Out and Check In options available, giving you a range of possible actions. If you select anything involving assigning positions, you must then fill out the Freezer fields. The Sub-Aliquots tab will only appear if Freezer Positions must be assigned to the new Sub-Aliquots – there are no other possible actions.

Moving right along, the Email page will look just the same until you go to Attachments. Here, you can decide whether you want to include Exports and Reports for the Parent Aliquots, the Sub-Aliquots, or both. That’s all there is to this page though. For Transactions, we don’t actually get two entry areas like you would assume, because the configuration of this workflow did not leave the Parent Transactions modifiable – just the Sub-Aliquots. This, or the inverse, may be the case for you as you process Sub-Aliquot Workflows, so just be aware. Fill out the sub-aliquot transaction notes, and the required task is complete. Reports and Exports are going to be exactly like the Email’s attachments tab – you just have an extra set of checkboxes for creating Reports and Exports of the Sub-Aliquots, rather than the parents. Just remember you can still control whether the Report and Exports for the Parents are made from the data prior to processing or after processing. With the Shipping Box page, you can decide whether the Shipping Box includes the Parent Aliquots, the Sub-Aliquots, or Both. We’ll go through the rest of this page in just a moment. On the Labels page, there are two entry areas – one for Parents, and one for Subs – so different labels can be printed for each group. If you have Summit or Pinnacle, you may see the Invoicing and Order Tests pages. Both pages are exactly like they were in Check Out, except, once again, you can decide whether to charge services or order tests on the Parents, the Subs, or Both, using the extra set of checkboxes. Finally, we come to the Aliquots page, where a QC Check is required. Obviously, you only need to check the Parent Aliquots you’re running the workflow on, and not the Sub-Aliquots that are being created. Once you finish that and all other required tasks, you can process the workflow. Click through your confirmation, and you should see both the Aliquots you ran the Workflow on, and the new Sub-Aliquots that were generated.

Process Shipment – 08:38

The last workflow type we need to go over is Process Shipment. Let’s say some of these new Sub-Aliquots need to be shipped off to another lab. We’ll highlight them, hover over the Actions menu, and select Process Shipment. Pick the template you’d like, and the process workflow form will appear. Everything about a Shipment workflow is the same as a Check Out, aside from a couple things. First, you will always have at least one required task page called Shipment Info. This is essentially the Shipping File from the Desktop. Enter a name for the Shipment, a date, and Tracking Number (if you have it). The last step to this page is entering the contact info. You can fill it out manually, or click Select Contact and choose an existing Shipping Contact from People added to your database. You are allowed to edit any of the contact info after selection if you need to. Now that we’re finally doing a Shipment workflow, let’s talk about the Shipping Box page. The Shipping Box is a printed visual manifest of the Aliquots you’re shipping, so this page is where you design the structure of it. Determine the field you want displayed on each Aliquot, the number of rows and columns in the box, the direction the vials are placed, how numbering is done, and the page orientation. That’s all there is to a Shipment Workflow, so let’s process it. As you can see, our confirmation includes the Shipping Box we set up, and it will be available for us to download in the Notifications menu. The Shipping File itself is available on both the Web and Desktop Clients.

Workflow History – 10:20

Before we finish up, let’s quickly look at Workflow History. A Workflow History record is what opens when you select a deliverable in the Notifications menu, but you can access every Workflow History record in your database another way. On the Home screen, hover over Search and Report and select View Workflow History. The Workflow History list will be pre-populated with every workflow processed in the last two weeks. To search using a different date range, change the Start Date and End Date fields. As you can see, you can access the history of every workflow ever run in your system. Opening a Workflow History form should look a little familiar. All the information about a workflow is contained in its history record, including all its deliverables, which can be redownloaded or reprinted at any time. You can also pull up the Aliquots that you ran the Workflow on by clicking View Aliquots. Remember earlier when we needed to find the Aliquots I checked out in the last video? We could’ve actually just come to the history record and clicked View Aliquots. That’s how helpful Workflow History can be.

Conclusion – 11:32

And with that, it’s time to end our series on Web Client Workflows. I glossed over plenty of material concerning Workflows, but much of it is covered in part 1 or in the videos it references. Of course, there’s always our User’s Guide and Support staff too. Well, thank you for watching, and see ya next time