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State Materials Office / Administration / Laboratory Information Systems / FAQ Index / General

LIMS General

Q1: I need to send a material sample to the State Materials Office. What is the Lab ID number to submit a LIMS sample. 

A1: The State Materials Office Laboratory ID is DSM001.

Q2: I am currently entering Certifications into LIMS. Some of these are tested at the CL and DL level. Since we scan certifications into Hummingbird with the corresponding number in LIMS do we still have to send a hard copy to the Central Lab?

A2: Yes, when there is a reference to the CL (Cental Lab) in the Sampling, Testing and Reporting Guide (Job Guide Schedule) the certification should be sent to the Central Lab. This same process should be followed for the DL (District lab).

Q3: Why can’t I type in the Unit of Measure? Do I have to select from the dropdown?

A3: This field is used at various stages of LIMS, most common being at the sample log-in stage. The Unit of Measure describes how a specific material is measured; the pull-down menu will ensure that you select a unit of measure that is acceptable to the LIMS application. If you do not see the UNIT of Measure you expect to use, please send a request to fdot.servicedesk@dot.state.fl.us.

Q4: How do you know which TIN is the one you want, when there is more than one person with the same 9 digits? How do you know whether to use the -000 or -001 suffix?

A4: Your District Application Coordinator (DAC) can provide you with the correct number.

Q5: When I use the drop down arrow on some fields, I get a message “Number of Qualified Entries Exceeds 5000, Truncating…”.  When I click the OK button, I get a list in the drop down field, but I can’t find the Project Number or TIN I’m looking for.  Why is that?

A5: Some fields, like Project Id, Sampled by or Performed by have many more than 5,000 possibilities.  LIMS has a limit of returning 5,000 entries.  If the item you are trying to enter is below the 5,000th entry, it will not show up.  LIMS has a filter feature that will help you avoid that.  Use the wild card, which is an asterisk (*) in LIMS to limit the number of returns.  On fields like Project Id and Sampled by or Performed by, you will need to use filtering to ensure that LIMS finds the right data. 

If you are looking for the TIN A12345678-000, entering an “A*” in the Sample by or Performed by field will return all the TINS starting with A.  Entering “A1*” will return all the TINS starting with A1 and so on.  The more characters you use, the finer the filter will be until you receive only a few or even one return.  If your filter is too fine, you may receive a message “No entries Qualify” in the lower left hand corner of the screen. 

If you use a partial entry and forget to add the *, LIMS will not return anything.  Again, you’ll receive the message, “No entries Qualify”.  For example if you type in “A123” with no *, you’re telling LIMS to get all the TINS that equal exactly A123.  There is no such entry and LIMS will tell you that.

Q6: What time will LIMS shut down for the night?

A6: Oracle LIMS database is available from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Q7: Are the test results from an Engineering Analysis Report (EAR) entered into LIMS?

A7: No, the final determination from an EAR is made based on third party test results, not Department test results.  Those samples and test results will not have to be entered into LIMS.