Laboratory Information Management Systems

ChemWare :: Support » Training and Consulting

Training and Consulting

Public Training Programs*

Most users fall into three broad categories: “end-users,” “power users,” and “administrators.” For the power users and administrators, ChemWare offers two System Administrator courses and one Advanced Report Writer course. Students receive a certificate after successfully completing the course and a proficiency certification exam. All training includes a formal training manual, with a wealth of practical examples and exercises. End users receive training at the laboratory site, tailored to each department and user role, and is oriented toward the casual user (i.e., not responsible for workflow/business rule configuration or system maintenance/administration).

Training costs are based on the number of student-days for each course (i.e., a 5-day course with two students is 10 student-days of instruction). Special discounts may apply for large groups from the same organization or when a vacancy is available due to an unexpected cancellation immediately prior to the event. Custom training is also available. Speak with your Account Manager for availability, pricing, and registration.

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System Administrator Training Recommendations

System Administrator I Training (3.5 Days)

This introductory course begins with an overview of general HORIZON concepts, including the function and operation of each online transaction from a user’s perspective. The system administrator learns how samples progress from prelogin/login through batching, data entry/capture, review/release, and reporting/invoicing. Students learn how the underlying system parameters control HORIZON’s operation, focusing on key system events, statuses, and scheduling attributes, all of which are highly customizable. The System Administrator I course also addresses the correct approach for testing the parameter settings and releasing new settings from the test system into production. Worksheets are provided to aid in the data collection process used to model test methods and load these parameter values. Upon completion of this course, students are prepared to return to the laboratory and begin gathering workflow information for configuration in LIMS. This 3.5-day training course is offered at ChemWare’s software training facility in Raleigh, NC and as a private training course for groups of three or more.

Advanced System Administrator Training II/III (3+2 Days)

The first three (3) days of Advanced System Administrator Training cover applied topics such as HORIZON database structures and data definitions, advanced Rules Engine configuration, user-definable calculations and custom action triggers (CATS), instrument interfacing, API extensions, financials (pricing, quotations, invoicing), QC charts and statistics, subcontractor test setup, advanced scheduling techniques, and general principles of report development. Two (optional) days are committed to configuration and use of HORIZON Data Management, HORIZON PowerGrid™, Extraction Template Builder, and related SDMS functionality. At the conclusion of Advanced System Administrator training, students will also be qualified to provide LIMS training to new end-users. This 5-day training course is offered both at ChemWare’s software training facility in Raleigh, NC and as a private training course for groups of three or more.

Report Writer Training (4+3 Days)

This course is intended for system administrators and/or power users having a basic familiarity with Microsoft Access, Visual Basic, Crystal Reportsand/or other report writing and data querying tools. Additionally, attendees are expected to have participated in the prerequisite System Administrator Training courses and have a working understanding of the database schema and HORIZON Data Layer. This course focuses as well on the general Web Portal architecture and administration, as well as the various strategies for deploying and managing an enterprise reporting solution. This is a 7 day course; the first 4 days are online training, followed by 3 days of hands-on coursework at ChemWare’s software training facility in Raleigh, NC.

End-User Training Recommendations

End-user training is designed to give laboratory users an in-depth understanding of HORIZON's functionality, navigation, workflow statuses, general configuration options, and reporting capabilities. Each End-User Training session is configured to meet the specific needs of the customer operation. End users are typically segmented by functional area so that the training can be tailored to the topics that are most important to each group, and to the specific workflow within that functional area. End-User Training is conducted on-site at the customer's laboratory facility, and the length of training varies by size and complexity of the operation. For large groups (over 20), ChemWare recommends two trainers in order to provide ample one-on-one instruction.

Custom Training

Training programs are often individualized for staff from large, complex and/or highly specialized operations, or when it makes more sense for the trainer(s) to travel to the customer site than for a large group of customer employees to travel to ChemWare's software training facility. Custom training costs are quoted based on maximum number of students in the course (larger classes may require multiple trainers), duration, and requirements for customized training materials, exercises, and/or documentation (e.g., screen shots and detailed descriptions of customer's site-specific workflow and representative data). Speak with your Account Manager regarding your custom training requirements, facilities setup, and pricing.

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Configuration and Programming/Customization Assistance*

ChemWare's Professional Services Team is staffed with top technologists in the LIMS field, and includes PhD chemists, PMP certified project managers, programmers, and network engineers. PS staff function independently from the core product development team, and average over six (6) years experience implementing HORIZON LIMS in environmental, public health, clinical, manufacturing, and related analytical laboratory settings. For new implementations, the project team organization is comprised of a project sponsor/team lead or senior project manager/business analyst, project manager, 1-2 implementation specialists, and a contracts/administration liaison. Project team leaders from ChemWare always have industry-specific experience. Technical support engineers staff the Help Desk to provide ongoing assistance with routine inquiries from the customer project team.

Requirements Analysis/Site Assessment

A detailed requirements analysis document is typically prepared following a site assessment, early in the project or immediately prior to a major new project phase. If there is already a written specification or statement of work, the requirements analysis will fill in the gaps between what has already been documented and what is observed by ChemWare's project manager/business analyst in the context of the HORIZON technology/configuration.

Configuration Assistance

Professional Services staff are experts at test code and workflow modeling through HORIZON's Rules Engine, and are able to draw upon hundreds of example configurations developed over the years. For new implementations, the project team will usually deliver a representative subset of the test methods necessary to deploy the system.

Installation/Upgrade Assistance

Hardware/server sizing and selection, installation, and related systems engineering services are included with the standard implementation plan. Professional Services staff also have vast experience migrating data from legacy LIMS, if this is included as a project deliverable under the scope of work.

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Gap Analysis/Laboratory Workflow Assessment

ChemWare provides ongoing gap analysis services to assess the current state of our customer’s operation in the context of its existing business processes and workflow, and to compare that assessment to current capabilities/functionality available in HORIZON. A gap analysis includes a detailed onsite review of laboratory operations followed by a written report that includes an assessment of any workflow improvement and automation opportunities. The report also includes a general "impact statement" describing the impact, if any, that might be expected should the laboratory choose to implement new business process and/or replace existing customizations with off the shelf functionality.