To find specific samples and export their information from the inventory, you can use the Advanced Sample Search feature. You may access this feature by navigating to the Advanced Search page under the Inventory tab. By default, the Advanced Search looks for samples in the user's active group. However, you can also use the organization search option to find shared samples across all the groups in the entire organization.
In the Advanced Search, you can structure your query using the following parameters:
- Standard Fields - search for a keyword (returns matches found in the Samples Name, Description and Note fields)
- User - filter the sample search results by selecting one or more active or former lab members
- Storage Date - filters the sample search results by selecting a storage date range
- Expiration Date - filters the sample search results by the sample expiration date
- Location - filters sample search results by selecting a storage unit or specific compartment
- Parent Sample - filters sample search results by selecting a linked parent sample
- Journal Entries - filters sample search results by selecting a journal entry with which samples have been linked
- Sample Type - filters sample search results by selecting a sample type
- Custom Sample Type Fields - filters the search results by setting a search condition for one or more custom fields
You can retrieve a complete list of samples and their information from the system by clicking the Search button without setting any parameters.
To find samples based on information in the sample specification fields, you can add search conditions by Sample Type. Select the relevant sample type(s) and/or field(s) in which you want to search from the checklists and click Add Condition.
In the pop-up window, select the search condition and click Add Condition. Repeat these steps to add additional search criteria to your query.
To utilize the Multiline Search feature, click on the Toggle Multiline Search button. Each line break sets a separate search parameter and it is designed to search for exact sample names. Keep in mind that the multiline search will only identify samples with names that match exactly as they appear in the sample information. It won't be able to locate samples whose names don't match exactly.
After specifying all the search criteria, click on the "Search" button. In the "Advanced Search Results" section, all the samples that match the search criteria will be listed. From here, you can perform various actions on the samples such as archiving or deleting them, moving them to a different location, printing labels for them, or changing the sample owner. You can also export the list of samples to Excel. For reporting purposes, you can save the specified sample criteria and periodically generate reports of the samples that match the criteria. This can be useful, for example, in tracking processed or expired samples.