This topic provides the background information on how to use the VWorks Inventory Editor to track labware moving into and out of storage devices, such as the Labware MiniHub.

You must be logged in as an administrator or technician to open the Inventory Editor.

Barcode tracking without an inventory system is limited because the labware locations are stored in memory and are lost when you exit the VWorks software.

The inventory management system allows long-term tracking of microplates because barcode data is permanently stored in a database. This is useful for lab automation systems with devices that store microplates for a long time, such as the Agilent Labware MiniHub.

VWorks Plus only. The Inventory database file (.sql) is a record of interest that is exempt from record state changes. VWorks logs an audit trail for this file.

To use inventory management, you must have established a VWorks connection to the Inventory database. For instructions, see Connecting to the Inventory database.

The long-term storage devices (Labware MiniHub) supported by the VWorks software store labware in cassettes and slots. A cassette is a vertical rack that has many slots, where each slot holds one labware.

The inventory database maintains a list of labware located in long-term labware storage devices. Each labware entry in the database includes the following information:

You use the VWorks Inventory Editor to access the data in the inventory database. In the Inventory Editor, you can:

The list of labware in the database is automatically updated every time the robot moves a labware into or out of a storage device.

With long-term storage devices, typically only a subset of the labware stored in the device is used in one protocol. You can set up two different types of labware subsets, called plate groups and location groups. Which you choose for a particular protocol depends on what you are planning to do.

For more information, see About inventory groups.

The following protocol tasks interact with the inventory database:

For more information about the tasks, see Setting parameters for microplate storage tasks.

You can add labware information into the inventory database using one of the following methods:

For detailed instructions, see Adding labware information in the inventory database.

The following terms are used to describe the movement of labware in the system.

You can back up the inventory database by exporting it to an SQL file. For instructions, see Exporting and importing the inventory data.

To back up VWorks labware definitions, liquid classes, and pipetting techniques in addition to the inventory database, see Backing up and restoring VWorks files. For assistance, contact Agilent Technical Support.