Sample management

Dawid Kaczmarek Updated by Dawid Kaczmarek

As a part of the Quality and Sample Management module for D365FO we introduce the functionality of samples management often used in process manufacturing companies. Sample taking and registration can either be part of an automated process that integrates with the normal manufacturing quality control system, or they can be created and handled ad hoc depending on requirements. Several advanced concepts and features are introduced and will be described in the following sections.

Samples are linked to test results, batch attributes and control the automatic release or blocking of inbound (e.g. production/purchase order) batches or license plates. Not only the Batch/LP where samples and quality orders/test are taken from, but also the LPs in a sequence where only some of the LP’s have been tested.

To use the functionality in Quality Sample management is a requirement require that functionality for Advanced Quality Control is activated in the installation.

Access to sample management is in general available from the quality menu.

Figure 43: Samples functionality within the Quality menu
Quality Samples

Path: (Quality\Common) The primary form for working with samples is in the quality area page.

It enables the manual creation or deletion of samples and associated sample types, and samples that have been automatically created from quality associations or registered from other systems (MES) using customized system integration in an implementation project.

When creating samples manually, the needed information and several parameters can be given. The parameters can control:

Create lines from sample typesType: Automatically create lines for sample types, according to setup of ‘Item sample types’ for the item. NOTE: There must be setup Unit conversions between the UoM's used for samples and the UoM's of the product.
PrintLabels: Automatically print sample labels according to the setup of document routing for the work order type ‘Quality control’. Sample labels can be triggered from Menu items using the work creation process: Purchase receiving item/line etc. as well as ‘Start production order’ activity code.
Automatically register samples in labPerform the ‘Register in lab’ function automatically when the sample has been created. This function can trigger adv. Quality order to be created based on setup in the Adv. Quality associations.
Figure 44: Create samples manually

The action pane on the top contains the possible actions, relations, and status changes for a sample. It is important to know that all the advanced functionality related to quality orders and batch/license plates release is triggered, when the sample becomes ‘Registered in lab’. This means that if a quality association is set up to create a quality order for a sample, it is not until registration that this happens.

A quality association creating a sample, can however be set up to perform the ‘Register in lab’ process automatically, when creating the sample. This will remove the requirement for manual ‘Register in lab’ handling, as the sample already has been registered at creation. Whether you use one or the other could e.g. be due to usage of external labs vs. in-house lab facilities.

Figure 45: Samples action pane

The various status codes are:

Embedded Image Embedded Image Figure 46: Samples

Figure 46: Samples

StatusDescription
CreatedSample ID has been created with an item and order reference (Register in lab menu is active) – Storage dimensions are the ones from the reference. Time stamp for ‘Sample taken time’ is performed and can be edited according to the selected setup of ‘Sample taken style’ (see section 4.3.2) ‘Sample taken time’ is crucial to the release sequence of the LP's covered by the sample(s), when using automatic release of LP´s.
Sample takenThis status is used to express that the sample physically has been taken with reference to an on-hand quantity for Batch/LP. No change in the value of the time stamp is made. The 'Register in lab' menu is active.
Arrived in labSample has arrived in the lab. Time stamp for receiving is done. Sample types are moved to Lab warehouse (Register in lab menu is active) Storage dimensions are updated to the one’s setup on the sample parameters or sample types for LABORATORY INVENTORY
Registered in labSample has been registered in lab, evaluated for testing by the quality associations and a quality order has been created. Sample types for stability test are moved to sample warehouse (Register in lab menu is NOT active) Samples that trigger no quality association stay in status ‘Registered in lab’ and can be moved to archive manually if needed, or if this is due to missing setup in quality associations, data can be created and sample re-registered in lab to create the wanted quality order(s)
To archiveAccording to quality associations, the sample shall not be tested at this time, just archived. Sample types are moved to an archive warehouse (Register in lab menu is NOT active)
ArchiveSample has been moved to archive warehouse and archived (Register in lab menu is NOT active) Storage dimensions are updated to the one’s setup on the sample parameters or sample types for ARCHIVE INVENTORY
To disposalSample must be gathered for disposal (A periodic job can update the samples to this status) (Register in lab menu is no longer active)
DisposedSample has been disposed (Register in lab menu is no longer active)

The system allows changing the status of a sample from "To Archive" or "Archive" back to "Created" . Once in the "Created" status, the sample can be re-registered in the laboratory using the "Register in lab" function.

This function is deactivated by default. To allow for user to re-register automatically archived samples go to quality -> Quality Sample Management Parameters -> quality samples and toggle the Manual status changing parameter to “yes”

Triggering the

The system checks whether the sample was previously archived. If it was, the user is prompted to confirm the registration operation before proceeding, a dialog window is displayed, as shown below:

The Sample mask is presented in the pictures below: Figure 47: Samples form

In the upper section (below the action pane), an overview shows the samples identified by a unique ID, the samples are sorted in descending Sample order. It is important to consider A sample as both a physical quantity of a product , that can be used for testing on a quality order and thereby lead to the change of batch or license plate disposition code, as well as a registration of the action of taking sample(s) , as we register the reference type and inventory dimensions and time/date for creation of the sample. The sample itself does not contain any product-specific information (beside Item number), but on the action pane it is possible to create or see related quality orders. Samples do not create transactions in the inventory module.

On the lower section, sample types (or sub-samples) are introduced. Sample types are not directly linked to other parts of the system but serve to track samples or part of samples to various sections of the laboratory. Needed sample types such as Microbiology, Chemical, Stability can be created and connected to an item under Item sample types. This will generate the sub-sample when a sample is taken, showing the quantity needed for specific testing at specific lab sections as well as the sample container used for physical handling and storage of the sample type.

Sample types can also be created manually. In this case the sample type will be given an ID from the number sequence setup for sample types. The sample type ID can however be changed/overwritten manually until the record has been committed, after that no change of ID can be made.

Please be aware that there is no relation between the quantities specified for sub-samples and the quantity on the sample itself.

Samples created from production order form

Path: (Production control/Production orders/All production orders /Tab page View) A menu item button to view existing or create to new sample/sample types has been re-introduced:

Embedded Image Embedded Image Figure 48: Samples from Productions

Figure 48: Samples from Productions

All the known field references are automatically filled in when activating the creation of a new sample, in this case the sample is created when the order is only released, so no location or LP is known, but open fields can be filled in if needed:

Figure 49: Create sample (manually)
View adv. Quality orders created via samples from production order form

Path: (Production control/Production orders/All production orders/Tab page View) A menu item button to view advanced quality orders created via samples that have reference to the current production/batch order is available in the ‘Manage quality’ group on the Views tab page:

Figure 50: Advanced quality orders from samples Figure 51: Advanced quality orders created from production samples

Path: (Quality/periodic/Quality management/

Use the periodic job to find all samples/sample types that have 1 or more attached adv. Quality orders that have been fully updated and update the samples/sample types to status ‘To archive’.

How did we do?

View test results

Batch disposition master

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