Sample ID Configuration: Increment by Number of Samples Created on Order

Configuring custom ID's in QBench is a valuable tool for any lab as it can provide clarity, increase productivity, and promote workspace organization. That being said, incrementing the Sample ID by the number of Samples created on an Order is not recommended by the developers at QBench due to the possibility of it breaking some of the valuable benefits that custom ID's have to offer.

The main issue with incrementing the Sample ID by the number of samples created on an Order is that it connects the Sample ID to an Order that it is not strictly bound to at all times. If a user was to remove the Sample from an Order, it will still retain the same custom ID generated upon creation, which can cause confusion.

Here is an example case:

Suppose a user has this option selected, and the prefix of the custom ID is the Order ID that the Sample is created on. An example of a Sample ID created on Order 101 would be "101-1". Now suppose the user removes this Sample from Order 101. This Sample's ID will still be "101-1" even though it is no longer associated to Order 101. More so, if the user was to now associate this Sample to a different Order (say Order 108), the Sample will still be ID "101-1" but is oddly associated to Order 108.

When a custom ID is bound to another entity, such as an Order, opportunities for miscommunication can arise causing a loss in productivity due to clarification being required and workspace organization is threatened.

We recommend keeping the standard configuration which keeps the database generated Sample ID in the custom ID, ensuring that it's uniqueness and clarity is guaranteed.