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Modeling Steps (Protocols)

In this section

This section will help you:

  • Know what Standard and Sample Protocols are and when to use them in MES

  • Know how to create new Protocols using:

    • Protocol Details

    • Custom Fields

    • Protocol Actions

Key Terms

Table 18. 

Term

Definition

Protocol (Step)

Defines the data to collect while processing the Batch.

Standard Protocol

Associates process data with the Batch.

Sample Protocol

Creates a child Entity from the Batch (parent).

Var Group (Sub-Step)

Organize custom fields into Sub-Steps in the EBR tab



What are Protocols and when are they used in MES?

Protocols (Steps) define the data to collect while processing the Batch. Contiguous fields assigned to the same Var Group represent a Sub-Step. If the Var Group name includes two colons, contiguous fields with the same Var Group and text after the colons Mix Ingredients::Ingredients will be placed into a Sub-Step Table.

Note

Fields not assigned to a Var Group constitute their own Sub-Step.

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How to create a new Protocol

Go to: Builders (L7|Master)Protocols+ New Protocol

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Protocol Details

  • Use in manufacturing – should be set to “Yes” for Protocols that will be used in MES

  • Version – each time a Protocol has any of its details changed and saved, a new version of the Protocol is created

  • Group Samples – N/A to MES, only one (1) Entity is processed per Batch

  • Instructions – Protocol instructions can be formatted with HTML, and appear at the beginning of the Step in the Batch Record

Note

An HTML guide with links to additional resources can be found here

  • OnRender – custom behavior invoked when the Step renders in a Batch Record

Note

onRender is covered in more detail here and in the section Developing in L7|ESP.

  • Fields – data collected while processing the Batch

  • Protocol Fields – N/A to MES, only one (1) Entity is processed per Batch

  • Flex View Designer and Storage Policy – N/A to MES

  • Actions – behavior that is triggered when a condition is satisfied while processing the Step

Standard Protocols

Standard Protocols have the default field, Complete, displayed as the last field in the Protocol. All fields to the left of Complete are custom fields created to collect process-specific data.

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Sample Protocols

Sample Protocols have two (2) key components:

  1. The Parent-Child Relationship must be defined.

  2. The Entity Type must be selected and represents the child Entity that will be created.

Note

While there are three (3) options, only 1-to-1 is supported in MES.

  • In a 1-to-1 Sample Protocol, each parent creates one (1) child Entity.

In MES, Sample Protocols are used to create an Item from the Batch.

The default fields Parent ID and Note appear at the beginning of every Sample Protocol. L7|ESP sets the Parent ID, User-provided Notes become the description of the newly created Entity.

The custom fields attributed to the newly created Entity will be added to the end of the Protocol.

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Note

The Sample ID Sequence field defines the ID Sequence that will be assigned to the child Entity being created in the Sample Protocol. Once an Item Type has been selected in the Details panel, the Sample ID Sequence field will get updated with the ID Sequence associated with that Item Type.

When an Item is created, the following default fields will appear ahead of the custom fields attributed to the Item:

  • Initial Quantity

  • Lot ID

  • Serial ID

  • Status

  • Vendor

  • Expiration

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Custom Fields

To add a custom field to a Protocol, select the + Add Field button in the top-right corner of the screen.

Over a dozen different field types are available in the Protocol builder.

Note

Link and Container location are not supported in MES.

In the Field Details panel, the Basic Details are generally the same for all field types. These allow you to:

  • Name the field

Note

Display Name vs. ID: Display Name is the name that appears in the user interface (UI). ID is a fixed value used to reference the field. This differentiation ensures stability when changing the name of a resource field.

L7|ESP will set the Display Name as the ID if the User does not define the ID themselves.

  • Add tags

  • Define the field type

  • Assign a default value (dynamic or static value)

  • Add field-level instructions

  • Hide the field if:

    • It should be conditionally visible

  • Make the field read-only if:

    • It has a computed value and should not be editable (data integrity)

  • Make the field required if:

    • A value must be recorded, either as part of the business process or data dependencies in L7|ESP

Note

Exceptions:

  • Approval fields cannot be hidden or made read-only.

  • Instruction fields cannot have a default value because they do not have any data associated with them.

Custom Editor – not supported in MES

Custom Renderer – not supported in MES

Event Handler onChange – custom behavior invoked when a field value is entered or changed

Var Groups – group fields into the same Sub-Step

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The Parameters section changes based on the field type, see the table below for more information:

Table 19. 

Field Type

Parameters

Free-form text entry – enter any character (both text and numbers allowed)

Rich Text is not supported in MES.

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Numbers only allowed - numeric values

When numeric fields are assigned a Spec Type and a Min and/or Max Limit, then they appear on MES's Specifications tab.

To learn more, see Specifications and DEPs

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Picklist – predefined list of options

Static (manual) or dynamic (ESP Expression) list of options.

Single or multi-select (multiple).

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Date/Time

Select a date and/or time in predefined or custom formats.

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Checkbox – boolean true or false

N/A

Attachment – attach a file

Attach one (1) or more files per field.

Restrict by predefined or custom file extensions.

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Barcode – capture data as a barcode (1D, mini data matrix, or QR)

Entity barcode assigns the value as the Entity’s barcode.

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Approval – provide an electronic signature

Only members of the selected Workgroup can approve or confirm the Protocol.

Executed text is displayed in the field once the Batch is approved or confirmed.

Approval – requires a signature before advancing and resets/requires resigning if data is modified

Confirmation – does not require a signature before advancing and does not reset if data is modified

Signature Flows – series of configurable signatures that blend aspects of approval and confirmation

Note

Signature Flows will be covered in a separate session.

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Pipeline Button – execute a Pipeline (computational task)

Select a Pipeline and define its variables.

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Resource link – link to another L7|ESP resource

If the Link Type is Entity Class, Container, Item, or Service Type, a multi-select picklist will appear to restrict to the selected:

  • Entity Types, Container Types, Item Types, or Service Types.

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Link - access a URL inside or outside of L7|ESP.

N/A - Not supported in MES

Inventory item use - consume inventory items.

Record used quantity - if deselected, the field will convert to a multi-select picklist, and only the Item name will be recorded in MES EBR.

Only use items within containers - restrict available inventory to Items stored in a location (e.g., kit); use an ESP Expression to reference a Resource Link field of type Container.

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Instructions – process steps that do not require data entry

N/A

Sample Point - create new Samples during production

Samples registered via the MES EBR Sample Point fields will appear on the MES Sample Plan tab.

To learn more see Sample Plans and DEPs.

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Container location - assign resources to a location.

N/A - Not supported in MES



Protocol Actions

Add an action by navigating to the Actions tab in the Protocol builder and selecting + Add Action.

Note

Actions can be added to both Standard and Sample Protocols.

Each action has a name and description - these fields are used in error reporting and logging, and are useful for documenting the intent of the action.

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The conditions are added to the If section of the action. The actions to perform if the conditions are met are defined in the Then section. L7|ESP offers several out-of-box conditions and actions:

Available Conditions in L7|ESP

Table 20. 

Condition

Definition

All rows completed

The action is triggered if all Entities are completed during the save.

All rows rejected

N/A to MES. Signatures denote approval.

All rows match an expression

The action is triggered if all Entities evaluate True for the supplied Expression.

Any row completed

The action is triggered if any Entity is completed during the save.

Any row rejected

N/A to MES. Signatures denote approval.

Any rows match an expression

The action is triggered if any Entity evaluates True for the supplied Expression.

Entity added to worksheet

N/A to MES. Additional Entities cannot be added to the Batch Record.

Entity removed from worksheet

N/A to MES. This is synonymous with failing the Batch.

Only once

The action is only triggered once for a satisfied condition.



Available Actions in L7|ESP

The available out-of-box actions are listed below. "EE" means the value can contain L7|ESP Expressions. Unless otherwise noted, these Expressions are evaluated in the Protocol Action Expression Context.

Table 21. 

Action

Description

Archive Objects

Archive the matching Entities (e.g., consumed Kits)

Objects are retrieved from Resource Link fields using an Expression, depending on where the field is located. If the field is in a Protocol:

{{ cell('My Resource Link Field') }}

Note

Any resource that can be linked in this field type (Resource Link) can be archived with this action.

Caution

If an Expression is not provided, Entities that match the condition in the Worksheet (including Containers and Items if they are submitted to Experiments) will be archived.

Users must have permission to archive the objects of interest.

Fail Samples

This action should not be used in MES. Batches are failed from the Quality Review tab in the Batch Record.

Create MES Batch

Instantiate a new Batch Record.

Notify Roles

Users in the specified Roles receive an L7|ESP notification.

It accepts the following parameters:

  • Roles - a case-sensitive list of Role names.

    • Control works like tags: type the name and hit enter to confirm.

  • Title - The notification title (EE).

  • Message - The notification message (EE).

Notify Users

The specified Users receive an L7|ESP notification.

It accepts the following parameters:

  • Users - a case-sensitive list of user names.

    • Control works like tags: type the name and hit enter to confirm.

  • Title - The notification title (EE).

  • Message - The notification message (EE).

Notify Workgroups

Users in the specified Workgroups receive an L7|ESP notification.

It accepts the following parameters:

  • Workgroups - a case-sensitive list of workgroup names.

    • Control works like tags: type the name and hit enter to confirm.

  • Title - The notification title (EE).

  • Message - The notification message (EE).

Start Workflow

Launches an Experiment using the specified Workflow for the condition-matching Entities.

It accepts the following parameters:

  • Workflow - Name of the Workflow to start (EE).

  • Project - Name of the Project to put the Experiment in (EE).

  • Experiment Name - Name of the Experiment to create (EE).

  • Tags - list of tags to add to the Experiment.

  • Worksheet Name - Name of the LIMS Worksheet to create (EE). All Entities from the newly-created Experiment will be added to the Worksheet.

    • If this is empty, a Worksheet will not be created.

Start Workflow Chain

Launches an Experiment using the specified Workflow Chain for the condition-matching Entities.

It accepts the following parameters:

  • Workflow Chain - Name of the Workflow Chain to start (EE).

  • Project - Name of the project to put the Experiment in (EE).

  • Experiment Name - Name of the Experiment to create (EE).

  • Tags - list of tags to add to the Experiment.

  • Worksheet Name - Name of the LIMS Worksheet to create (EE). All Entities from the newly-created Experiment will be added to the Worksheet.

    • If this is empty, a Worksheet will not be created.

Start MES Workflow Chain

Instantiate a downstream process against the existing Batch Entity.

Synchronize Field Value To Entity

Copies a value from a protocol field to an Entity custom field for the current Sample Set in the Protocol.

It accepts the following parameters:

  • Source Field - ID of the protocol field to copy the value from.

  • Target Field - ID of the Entity custom field to copy the value to.

Tag Row Samples

Adds the specified tag(s) to the matching Entities. If the Entity is already tagged, no change occurs.

Untag Row Samples

Removes the specified tag(s) from the matching Entities. If the tag is not on the entity, no change occurs.



Note

Developers can create custom Protocol Actions, which is a topic of the Developer MasterClass.

Protocol Action Example

In this Protocol, chocolate chips and oats are being added to the cookie dough. Since diary products and oats are common allergens, it has been requested that tags are appended to each Batch to indicate they contain dairy and oats.

To do so, use a Protocol Action. Here, the Protocol Action will be applied IF Any rows are completed, THEN the tag row samples action will apply a “contains dairy” tag AND a “contains oats” tag.

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