Well, it's the same, but completely different here. I have to use
a database to keep track of all the flasks in the lab, along with seeds,
seedlings, that sort of thing.

Starting from the bottom up: every batch of media has been
databased, with pull-down tabs and quantity fields for individual
components, as well as the type of container that was filled from that
batch.

Seeds are a big portion of the database; last I checked, we
stocked 450 species, and we're probably closer to 600-700 different
accessions (not individual species, mind you) at this time. All the
applicable information is databased for each accession, and then assigned
an accession number. I had to pay a programmer to do it, but now I can
upload the entire seedlist automatically with a single button click. It's
like magic, but faster.

So, when a cut of seed is sown into a container, that container is
assigned an M-number ("M" for mother flask), so that I know, for example,
M001234 has species 987 sown in it, on such-and-such a date, using X
disinfectant for Y minutes, and subjected to vacuum infiltration, or
ultrasonication, or whatever.

Then when it is replated, it gets an "R" number, so R002345 is
replated from M001234, and that batch of media in that container was made
on such-and-such a date, and I can go look up specifics on that if I want.

And then there's a section for tubes, in terms of quantity made
and quantity shipped/contaminated/destroyed, with a "difference" column so
I can tell how many came in, how many went out, and the difference (i.e.,
what should be on the shelves).

In turn, I have to have a barcode system to keep track of it all.
The mother flasks have a barcode with the M-number, the accession number,
date it was filled, and date seeds were added on it. The R-number labels
have the same data. They're printed using a Datamax M-class barcode
printer, on special labels using thermal transfer ribbon. They'll take
years of sun, as well as exposure to bleach and alcohol and friction, and
remain legible. Tubes get a simpler barcode label using a Dymo 330 label
printer (direct thermal) onto paper; they last about a year before they
start to fade under fluorescent lights. And then I have a third barcode
printer (Datamax E-class) for printing barcode labels for the seed packets
that go out; they have the name and accession number on them, with the
accession number encoded in the barcode.

Containers also get "backed up" using Sakura Ident-I-Pens, which
are paint pens (versus pigments, like Sharpie). They take bleach, alcohol,
and at least 4 years under fluorescent lights without fading; they're
archival quality.

Everything is backed up as hard copy as well as electronic copy,
which gets backed up x3 every time it's used. I think Troy Meyers backs up
every 4 hours; he uses Filemaker, I use Access. His labels for the lab
encode a bit more information on them; I prefer to have access to that
information in the database, rather than on the label. I doubt either of
us is worse for wear in doing so.

Lest anyone think I'm exaggerating or going completely overboard
by using three barcode printers, a dedicated computer, barcode scanner,
and triple secure backup- *maybe*. But I don't think so. I took paper as
far as I could go with it, and decided the longer I waited, the more
painful it would get. The transition was a complete logjam and
excruciatingly detailed in transferring to the database- but I knew the
longer I waited, the worse it would get.

Things are still backlogged, of course, but they're not as bad as
they'd be if I didn't have a database.

The address in the header isn't valud. That's why I don't return
your email.

Cheers,

-AJHicks
Chandler, AZ