How to Configure a New Test Code in AlinIQ AMS

This guide shows how to create a new test in the AlinIQ AMS Configurator from start to finish:

1. Create the test.
2. Map it to analyzers with the test wizard.
3. Add a dilution factor.
4. Restart the AMS services.
5. Define the turnaround time (TAT).
6. Add the reference range.
7. Restart services again and verify.

The steps were rebuilt from a recorded engineering session. In that session a Vancomycin (VANC) test was set up. Example values from that session are shown only as examples. Use the values from your own test request. Laboratory, analyzer, user and server names change from site to site.

Image links: Each step has the key screenshot from the recording. Screenshots that showed only scrolling, repeated frames, unrelated pop-ups or other tasks were left out.

0. Before you start – collect the test parameters

Get these values from the laboratory or the analyzer vendor before you open the Configurator. In the recording the engineer kept them in a Notepad file:

Screenshot: The Notepad file lists the requested parameters for the new test. The AMS Installer window is open in the background.

⚠️ Not fully recoverable: The Notepad line reads ref range 10 - 2, which looks cut off. In step 7 the engineer typed 10 (lower) and 20 (upper), so the intended range was most likely 10–20. The "Track code?" question is not answered anywhere in the recording.

1. Log in to the AMS Configurator

1. Open Configurator from the desktop of the AMS server or workstation.
2. In the AlinIQ AMS login window, enter your own User and Password, then click OK. Credentials depend on the user and site.
3. Wait for the Loading, please wait… screen to close.

Screenshot: AlinIQ AMS (Abbott) login dialog with User and Password fields and OK/Cancel buttons.

4. The Configurator tree opens. It contains Labs, Laboratory groups, Workstations, Instrumental interfacing, Analyzers, QC, Parameters, Worklists, Codified phrases, Report groups, Events, Ethnicities, Categories, Requesters, Tests, Workflow, TAT, Smart Rules Editor, Task Scheduler and DCW Tools. Double-click Tests.

2. (Optional) Look at an existing similar test as a template

The engineer opened an existing test first to compare its settings. This is recommended but not required.

1. The Test list opens. It has a grid on the left and a Test properties panel on the right.

2. Type in the filter row of the grid (for example in Description or Test code) to find a test from the same analyzer family. The recording used Vitamin B12 (VB12).

3. Select the test and click Wizard. Check the Analyzers/Channels tab to see how download, upload and automation codes are filled for each analyzer.

Screenshot: Wizard of the reference test. The order/track analyzers (TWM_ORD, TWM_TRK) carry the test code. The chemistry analyzers (Alci-1, Alci-2) carry the analyzer assay number as Download/Upload and the test code as Automation.

4. (Optional) Open Analyzers → (your lab) → (analyzer), click Config, and open the Test/Channel association tab to see the analyzer's channel list.

⚠️ Not fully recoverable: The engineer scrolled through the channel list, and later through the General setup tab of the same analyzer. No change was saved in either place that the recording shows. The recording does not show why these screens were checked or what was looked for. It may have been a check that the assay number already exists on the analyzer. Close these dialogs with Cancel unless your site's procedure says otherwise.

3. Create the new test

1. Go back to Tests and click + Add at the bottom right. A new empty row appears in the grid.

2. In the Test properties panel on the right, fill in:

Screenshot: Test properties for the new test: Test code VANC, Mnemonic Vancomycin, External test code VANC, Mask ######.###, Test type Numeric, Send to LIS after validation checked.

3. Click Apply. A warning appears:

Warning! In order to make the changes effective it is necessary to: – Restart Labonline. – Restart the Gateway (Penguin – Service). – Restart the AONService if it is active. – Restart the MAService if it is active. If you want that changes affect old results please stop the service, check Restart and save changes, then restart service.

Click OK. The service restarts are done in Step 6.

4. Filter the grid by <TEST_CODE> to check that the new row exists.

4. Map the test with the Test Configuration Wizard

Select the new test and click Wizard. The <MNEMONIC> test configuration wizard opens. It has four tabs.

4.1 WorkList tab

Tick the worklists the test belongs to. In the recording both IACC – IACC and TWM – TWM were ticked, the same as on the reference test.

4.2 Analyzers/Channels tab

1. Click Next > or the Analyzers/Channels tab.
2. Click in the Analyzer column of an empty row and pick an analyzer from the drop-down. Add one row for each analyzer and interface that will handle the test.

3. Fill each row the same way as the reference test:

Flag, Process duration and QC check (min.) stayed at 0.

Screenshot: Four rows filled: Alci-1 and Alci-2 with 1869/1869 and Automation VANC, TWM_ORD with Download VANC, TWM_TRK with Upload VANC.

4.3 Workflow tab

Click Next >. The Tubes sub-tab lists each laboratory with its tube, e.g. PT_SERUM – Serum. The recording only looked at this tab and changed nothing. Check that the tube is correct for your test.

4.4 Report Groups tab

Click Next >. Each laboratory is given a report group. In the recording this was the default 998 – Generic report group. Click Finish.

💡 After Finish, the engineer opened the wizard of another existing test (DBIL) to compare the Analyzers/Channels layout. This is an optional cross-check:

5. Add the dilution factor

1. With the new test selected in Tests, click Dilution. The Dilution factors window opens. The test is on the left and the dilution grid on the right is empty (No data to display).

2. Click + Add. In Property, enter Dilution factor = <DIL_FACTOR> and Description = <DIL_NAME>.

3. Click Apply. The row (for example 4 | Dil 1) appears in the grid. Click Close.

6. Restart the AMS services so the changes take effect

1. Open AMS Installer and click AMS Services under Tools.

2. The AMS Services window lists every service with Display name, Service name, Status (Started/Stopped) and Startup type.

3. For each service below, select it, click Stop, wait for STOPPED in the log pane, then click Start and wait for STARTED. The recording restarted them in this order: - AMS LdSvc_Sa Service (Omnilab_LdSvcSA_Service) - AMS – LabOnLineLINKService (dmLNKSRVService) - AMS Analyser Manager for each analyzer set up in the wizard (e.g. Omnilab_Analyser_Manager_Alci_1, …_Alci_2, …_TWM_ORD, …_TWM_TRK)

Screenshot: Log pane showing "Service Omnilab_Analyser_Manager_TWM_ORD STOPPED / STARTED" and "…TWM_TRK STOPPED / STARTED". All analyzer manager services show Started.

⚠️ Not fully recoverable: The warning in Step 3 also says to restart AONService / MAService if active. In the recording both (svcAON, svcMA) were already Stopped/Manual, so they were not touched. It also says to restart the Gateway (Penguin – Service). The Gateway Client at the end of the recording shows "Service stop requested / Service stop completed" for Import, Export, Organizer and Dain. The recording does not clearly show the Gateway services being started again. Check the Gateway service status yourself (see Step 9).

7. Define the turnaround time (TAT)

1. In the Configurator tree, double-click TAT. The TAT setup screen shows Defined TATs (Laboratory / Requester type / Material), Associated tests, and the TAT detail panel. Existing tests show values such as Process time 90 / Alarm 15 with Start event Sample generation and End event Result validation.

In the recording the engineer then closed the Configurator (Exit Configurator? → Yes) and logged in again before adding the TAT. That suggests the Configurator needed reopening for the new test to appear in the TAT test list. The recording does not state the reason.

2. In TAT setup, click + Add. The TAT addition window opens with these sections: Labs, Tubes, Tests, Requester types, Material and TAT.

3. In Tests, scroll to the new test and tick it.

4. In the TAT panel, fill in Patient type → Internal:

The External section was left empty in the recording.

⚠️ Not fully recoverable: The TAT values (90/15 Routine, 60/15 Stat) are not in the parameter sheet from Step 0. Their source is not recorded. Use the TAT agreed with your laboratory.

5. Click Apply. If you did not select a lab or material, two warnings appear one after the other. In the recording the engineer clicked Yes to both, which saves the TAT under Undefined lab (NotDef) and material (00): - "Warning, no lab selected. Setting it to Undefined?" → Yes - "Warning, no material selected. Setting it to Undefined?" → Yes

6. The message "Saving completed" appears. Click OK, then Close.

7. Back in TAT setup, check that the new test appears in Associated tests with Type Analytical TAT.

8. Restart the services again in AMS Installer → AMS Services. The recording restarted: - AMS LdSvc_Sa Service (Omnilab_LdSvcSA_Service) - AMS – Sample Manager Service (SVCMainSampleManager). TAT is handled by the Sample Manager.

8. Add the reference range

1. In Tests, select the new test and click Ref. ranges. The window "Reference values for test: <TEST_CODE> with analysis <TEST_CODE>" opens with an empty grid.
2. Click + Add and fill in the property panel on the right: - Ref. range group: Gen (default) - Gender: M/F - From age / To age: -1 / -1 (defaults, meaning all ages) - Normal values → Lower limit = <REF_LOW>, Upper limit = <REF_HIGH>

Warning, Pathology, Acceptability and delta-check limits were left empty in the recording.

Screenshot: Reference values dialog for VANC: Ref. range group Gen, Gender M/F, From/To age -1, Normal Lower limit 10, Upper limit 20.

3. Click Apply, then Exit. The test's Reference intervals sub-grid now shows the range as a coloured bar.

4. Restart AMS – Sample Manager Service (SVCMainSampleManager) again in AMS Services.

9. Final verification

1. Test properties: In Tests, filter by <TEST_CODE> and check that Active and Send to LIS after validation are ticked. Re-open Wizard to check that the WorkList and Analyzers/Channels settings were kept (see the 000755 screenshot in Step 4.1).
2. Sample Manager Client: Open it and check the status bar, which should read "The service is OmnilabSVCSampleManager and running on since ". The Verifier and TAT panes should show new Checking Job… entries.

3. Gateway Client: Check the Service status bar at the bottom for Import, Export, Organizer, Dain, Remote server and Database. If any service is stopped, start it again as your site procedure requires (see the note in Step 6).

4. Send a test order from the LIS (or ask the laboratory to). Check that the order downloads to the analyzer with the assay number, and that the result uploads and passes to the LIS with the correct unit, decimals and reference flag. This end-to-end check is not part of the recording.

Troubleshooting quick reference

What could not be reconstructed from the recording

• Keyboard input was not recorded. The recording has mouse clicks only (361 click events). All typed values in this guide were read from screenshots.
• OCR: Only 71 of the 789 images were OCR-processed. The other 718 were still "Pending". Window titles that the recorder generated automatically are often garbled, for example "Codified results - Norrr Pz" and "Ejfl, AMS - (AMSPRI)", so they were not used. Screen content was read directly from the screenshots instead.
• Reference range text: The parameter sheet says 10 - 2, which looks cut off. The engineer entered 10/20.
• Track code: Shown as an open question ("Track code?") in the parameter sheet. Nothing in the recording answers it.
• TAT values: Where 90/15 and 60/15 came from is not recorded.
• Analyzer Config screens: The Test/Channel association and General setup tabs, including "AWOS ID check", were opened and browsed, but nothing visible was saved there. Why they were opened is not recorded.
• Gateway (Penguin) restart: Stopped Gateway services are visible, but a restart is not clearly shown.
• Not part of this procedure: These screens appear in the recording but belong to other things and were left out: an ESET "license expired" pop-up, an unrelated QCM/Biorad URT dispatcher screen, and Notepad notes about other tests (FSH/LH) that were being requested at the end of the session.