The A, B and Cs of a New Era in Chromatography CDS

Why shouldn’t chromatography data system (CDS) software be contemporary like the other systems and software that are central to our lives? Workspaces should be customizable and contain all desired relevant analytical information, prompt and accurate instrument diagnostics, instrument status, sample lists—everything you expect from today’s modern technology should guide us to work at peak efficiency. This article discusses the A-B-Cs of the LC 300 SimplicityChrom^TM CDS, an easy-to-navigate next generation CDS designed to enhance laboratory productivity, workflow, and compliance. 

Laboratory managers are always looking for ways to increase the productivity of their labs without sacrificing quality. Using the right analytical instrumentation is an important part of those efforts, but lab productivity isn’t only about hardware specifications. Previously hidden factors that also drive analytical performance and productivity, such as software and CDS, are now at the forefront of the lab experience. It’s time for user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) to drive the digital landscape of the lab. This paradigm shift should be considered when planning for your future analytical instrumentation.

PerkinElmer’s newest CDS was thoughtfully developed to advance productivity to new levels based on what we heard from customers. Novel functions, such as automated processing of large data sets, help manage the intense routine workloads moving through the lab. Highly intuitive tools like graphical maps, flagging visuals, and quick, holistic views of the data embrace the contemporary style that has shaped our digital experience expectations and are forging this new era of chromatography CDS.

When it comes to analytical instrumentation, we often compare specifications amongst systems. However, in the new digital era described here, system specs need to be considered alongside the ability of the CDS to address the challenges that are inherent within workflows. When utilizing SimplicityChrom CDS, the workflow is simply the top layer of navigation. Instead of crowded menus, this CDS facilitates the user’s workflow by progressing logically through the chronology and steps of an analytical cycle. For more simplicity, each workspace holds only the specific tools and information that are relevant to that specific task. The hallmark visual workflow approach of the SimplicityChrom CDS has been developed based on extensive customer interviews and strategy sessions, combined with contemporary UX design and analytical lab logic.

The digital experience of this decade must enable the balance of power, performance, and versatility to meet the lab’s needs today, while future-proofing for tomorrow. To this end, SimplicityChrom was designed and built to not only deliver value though simplicity now, but also provide flexible scalability that we will continuously build on in the future. Looking at dimensions of this digital era informed our development process to include digital software delivery for easy access and updates, as well as to receive real-time notifications and product improvements for the future. These are facets of digital technology that we expect in our personal and business lives, and they are now being addressed for the laboratory setting.

Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical laboratories need easy-to-implement and secure compliance solutions. Integrated security details such as user and role management, review and approve workflows, and digital signatures are widely needed and provided features of most CDSs. However, in SimplicityChrom, these core compliance features are cohesively embedded into the application and full IT domain credential support avoids the burdens of migrating or integrating users and passwords.

Implementing compliance in an analytical workflow has never been so easy. This new CDS enables the user to replicate existing roles and responsibilities and consequently mimic what is already in place in a laboratory team. Specific compliance requirements are associated with each project and, as such, applications with or without compliance can safely coexist in the same laboratory. This process is ideal for labs that may need different compliance features at specific times, such as contract labs. Compliance support, when needed, follows the theme of “Just what you need, when you need it,” thereby simplifying the chromatographic workflow.

Learn more about SimplicityChrom CDS Software or contact us