Analyzing GPC/SEC samples can be tricky! You have to consider columns, standards, detectors available, data analysis options, and what that resulting data means, among other things. So, it’s not surprising that data organization is not usually high on someone’s priority list.
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Fortunately, whether your data are stored in a systematic fashion or not matters a lot less with OMNISEC. The advantage of the database employed by OMNISEC is that information can be sorted and extracted easily. All you have to do is use the Advanced data selection grid!
What is OMNISEC’s advanced data selection grid?
The advanced data selection grid is a tool that allows you to choose which injections to view by searching for specified parameters, such as date, sample name, sample type, column set, dn/dc value, etc. It also allows you to group multiple injections together based on any parameters, and to create subgroups within each grouping based on a secondary parameter (and so forth).
How do I use OMNISEC’s advanced data selection grid?
To access the searchable database, click Open data on the left of the main tool bar and then click Advanced, as indicated by the arrow in the image below.
The advanced data selection grid will take a moment to open. Once it does, you will see injections listed vertically with column headings specifying the displayed information.
The columns displayed can be edited by clicking the Column configuration button at the top left, or right clicking on an existing column header, and choosing which parameters you wish to view.
Once you have the columns you wish to work with, you can do a few different things to organize/search through the data.
First, you can order the data by clicking on the column headings to sort on that column and by clicking again to reverse the sort order — sorting is either alphabetical, numeric or boolean, depending on the parameter selected. There is also a down arrow on the right side of each column heading. Clicking on this will display a drop down list of every option in that column, as shown below. This allows you to easily select which one(s) you want to display.
Second, you can group the data by any parameter. To do this, drag the required column header into the area above the columns. The records will now be presented in collapsible groups based on groupings of the chosen parameter of the same value. You can add subgroups to these groupings by dragging a second (or third, etc.) parameter’s column heading to the area above the columns.
Once in the grouping tree you can rearrange the parameters by clicking and dragging to move each parameter as desired.
To remove a parameter from the grouping tree, simply click and drag it back to the column heading (an X will appear to indicate when you can release the mouse button).
Third, and this is my favorite feature of the advanced data selection grid, directly beneath each column heading is a text field in which you can type. As soon as you begin typing, the data begins to filter out entries that do not contain the specified text. In the example below I’m searching for injections of polystyrene 105 kDa, which I name as PS 105k. As I type, you can see the data update to filter out all injections that do not meet the criteria I’ve entered. Pretty powerful!
Why would I use OMNISEC’s advanced data selection grid?
If you’ve ever spent more than one minute searching through various folders on your computer looking for a particular file, then you know how convenient this search tool is. By being able to search according to a number of different parameters, it is easy to identify samples that you ran on the same day, or with the column compartment a specific temperature, or at a certain flow rate, or with one buffer instead of another. And since parameters such as column set and solvent have their own databases, you have the opportunity to add an additional layer of details.
For example, if you name your columns in the database with their serial numbers, then you’ll be able to quickly determine which samples utilized those columns. Same with different buffers and their recipes, or even batches or lot numbers of solvents.
Or maybe you’re simply trying to compare data you collected on the same sample over years of analyses. Typing in the sample name like in the GIF above will instantly pool all of the relevant injections for you.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, I hope this post helps you understand how to use OMNISEC’s advanced data selection grid to organize and search through your collection of data. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us or email me directly at [email protected].
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- Getting OMNISEC ready for analysis
- Three examples of quality GPC/SEC data
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