2.11

How does your system handle year 2000 compliance information?

OpenMETRIC is fully Y2K compliant.  All dates include the full 4-digit year, even though some dates may be displayed and may be entered using just the last two digits.  

2.12

What method is used to track and maintain equipment location?

OpenMETRIC maintains both a “permanent” location and a “servicing” location.  The permanent location typically refers to the location where the equipment is normally located, while the servicing location tracks the item during in-lab servicing.  

Location changes for an item are entered on the Item Master record.  Locations are validated against the Location Master to ensure accuracy and consistency.  Each change to an Item record, including Location, triggers the creation of an Item Master History record, retaining the previous record contents.  These historical records can be searched, retrieved, and reported.  

2.13

Can there be data fields available for client access, read or write? How many?

OpenMETRIC includes over 4000 data fields distributed over 176 tables (files).  All of these fields are available for clients to access, read, and/or write, depending on the security authorization of the user.  

If, however, you mean “user defined” data fields, OpenMETRIC includes 32 user-defined data fields for which the client can specify the name.  These data fields can be accessed, read, and/or written, depending on the security authorization of the user.  

2.14

How does the system accommodate the tracking of vendor services?

OpenMETRIC permits you to specify and maintain a database of vendors.  For each vendor, you can specify what services the vendor is approved to render.  You can also specify when the vendor was audited/assessed, who performed the audit, what type of audit was performed, and when the audit is scheduled to be performed again.  

When an item is serviced by a vendor, whether the item is sent to the vendor or the vendor provides the services on-site, OpenMETRIC tracks the custody transfer to the vendor, the return of custody from the vendor, the vendor’s cal certificate (if applicable), the costs of the service, etc.  

OpenMETRIC includes the tools necessary to plan, perform, record, and analyze vendor services.  

2.15

How does the system accommodate repair actions?

OpenMETRIC includes a Repair subsystem into which repair actions can be recorded.  Labor required for repairs can be entered into the Labor subsystem.  Parts used during repair can be recorded in the Parts subsystem.  Repair charges can be charged using the Charge subsystem.  

2.16

How does the system accommodate Preventative Maintenance management?

OpenMETRIC includes a PM subsystem into which PM actions can be recorded.  Labor required for PM’s can be entered into the Labor subsystem.  Parts used during PM can be recorded in the Parts subsystem.  PM charges can be charged using the Charge subsystem.  

2.17

Is tracking of calibration standards accommodated to include reverse traceability? Describe the calibration standards management system? 

2.18

Can procedures, pictures, graphs, spec sheets, schematics be attached to equipment records?

Yes, virtually anything can be attached to equipment records.  

In addition, documents or files can be attached to numerous other objects throughout OpenMETRIC.  

2.19

How is “as found’ and “as left” measurement data handled?

OpenMETRIC provides several ways to capture and store measurement data.  

OpenMETRIC provides a Datasheet subsystem which permits datasheets to be predefined for the entry of measurement data.  During Calibration, the Readings button will cause a copy of the applicable datasheet to be copied into a holding area.  Data can be entered into the datasheet.  When the calibration is completed and the job is closed, these readings are transferred to the permanent historical record for the calibration.  

OpenMETRIC also provides a flexible user-definable grid into which OOT data can be entered (In actuality, all data could be entered into an OOT grid, but this could be confusing and misleading.)  

Finally, data collected and stored in a file (e.g., via MetCal) can be attached to the calibration for permanent archive and management.  

2.20

Can “Certificates of Calibration” be printed out automatically upon completion of a calibration action?

OpenMETRIC provides a cal cert which can be printed by merely “hitting a button.”  

Many clients have evolved to the stage of maintaining the cal cert electronically so it is not printed automatically at the completion of the cal but can be retrieved at any time when required.  

2.21

Can technicians be assigned to user-defined groups for segregated work schedule, work flow, and work report tracking? How many different work groups can be defined?

OpenMETRIC provides several different mechanisms to plan, schedule, track, and manage workflow.  

For each item, you can specify the Servicing Facility, Cal Lab, and/or Workbench that typically services the item.  

Planner, Recall, Backlog, and Done By reports can all be generated by Cal Lab (as well as by other selection criteria).  

There are an unlimited number (or at least the number is so large as to be effectively unlimited) of Servicing Facilities, Cal Labs, and Work Benches.  

Most clients do not maintain permanent associations between technicians and these work-management organizational units.  The technician responsible for the calibration is assigned prior to or during the calibration.  

2.22

How are unique equipment numbers defined? Can there be different categories of equipment numbers? How many categories?

OpenMETRIC expects every item to have a unique Item Number which can be up to 20 character long and may contain numbers, letters, and certain special characters such as space, dash, slash, etc.  

OpenMETRIC items are assigned to SubCategories, Categories, and Classes in ascending hierarchy.  

Valid Subcategories, Categories, and Classes are all specified on corresponding subsystems from which data is validated and to which default data can be automatically forwarded.  

There is no limit to the number of Subcategories, Categories, or Classes to which items may belong.  

2.23

Can calibration procedure cross-index be defined that tracks equipment model numbers supported by a specific calibration procedure number?

Yes.  On the Procedure tab, the Cals button will display a list of all of the calibrations that used a given procedure.  This Paged List Box (PLB) can be filtered by Item, Manufacturer, Model, Servicing Facility, Cal Lab, and/or Technician.  

2.24

How are calibration recall intervals accommodated? Can they be modified?

OpenMETRIC supports a wide variety of interval adjustment methodologies.  In the Reference table, a client can indicate whether they prefer to use “algorithmic” or “statistical” adjustment.

If the client specifies “algorithmic,” OpenMETRIC permits the specification of pass-fail patterns with adjustment percentages for each pattern.  The patterns can include up to three most recent calibrations.  For each pass-fail pattern a percentage can be specified by which the previous interval will be multiplied to compute the new interval for the item.  

The new computed interval is used to compute the new calibration Due Date for the item.  

The format of the computer-generated calibration sticker is extremely flexible, permitting the inclusion of over 30 separate data elements, including the computed Due Date.  

OpenMETRIC also permits the computed interval and computed Due Date to be overridden, by a user with appropriate access authorization.  If the interval or Due Date are overridden, OpenMETRIC retains the “computed” values and highlights the overridden values for quick identification.  

Even though OpenMETRIC supports extremely flexible algorithmic interval adjustment methodologies, and even though these methodologies are popular with many of our clients, DDS recommends that statistical methodologies be used for interval adjustment.  This recommendation is consistent with the findings of the NCSL Recommended Practice No. 1.  For clients adopting these preferred methodologies, OpenMETRIC provides a seamless interface with IntervalMAX from Integrated Sciences Group.  IntervalMAX is widely regarded as the premier product for interval adjustment.  IntervalMAX is the only product currently available which incorporates the S2 methodology from NCSL RP-1.

2.25

How are “parent” and “child” association of equipment supported?

Several different types of “parent-child” relationships are supported by OpenMETRIC.  

TAGGED COMPONENTS:

If both the parent and the child are “tagged” (that is, they each have an item identification tag and each are identified in the Item Master table), then OpenMETRIC supports the relationship as follows.  

On the Item Master table, there is a radio button to indicate whether or not the item is “a system.”  A “parent” would indicate “yes” to this choice.  Items which are “children” would indicate “no” to this choice.  For each child, the parent is specified in the “Component of” field.  

Parents can be readily displayed using the field finder (yellow binoculars) to the right of the “Component of” field.  This will display a paged list box (PLB) of “Items that are Systems.”  

The components of a system (children of a parent) can be readily displayed by hitting the button upon which the “Component of” label resides.  This will display a paged list box (PLB) of “Items which are Components of xxxxxx”.  

UNTAGGED ACCESSORIES:

If a child is not tagged (that is, the child does NOT have an identification tag and is NOT identified in the Item Master table), OpenMETRIC allows the child to be specified as an Accessory.  

On the Item Master entry for the parent, the Accessory list is accessed by hitting the “Acc” button in the “More…” box at the bottom of the screen.  This brings up a grid into which accessories can be entered.  For each accessory, OpenMETRIC accommodates the Nomenclature, Model/Part number, Serial number, and Quantity.

2.26

How are special flags and alerts accommodated, i.e. Lockout / Tagout notice?

On the Item Master, there is a field which can be entered called “Spcl Hand” (Special Handling).  The values which can entered into this field are defined by the client on the Reference table.  

Any special handling value that is entered on the Item Master table for an item is automatically displayed on both the Tracking and the Calibration screen when a servicing job is opened for the item.

2.27

Can more than one technician document work against an open item?

Yes.  OpenMETRIC requires that a single specific technician be identified as the “Assigned technician” (responsible technician) for the job, but any number of technicians can record labor hours and enter data and information for the job.  The “assigned Tech” is a mandatory entry for a calibration.  

In addition to the “Assigned Tech,” a “Cal Tech” may be specified.  If the “Assigned Tech” is basically a supervisor, the “Cal Tech” might be the intermediate-level tech who actually performs the calibration under the supervision of the “Assigned Tech.”  

Regardless of which tech is specified as the “Assigned” or “Cal” tech, any number of techs may log labor hours against the service.  

2.28

How does the system validate calibration status of standards used?

Once a standard has been selected and its usage date has been specified, the current calibration for the standard is checked to ensure that it has not expired (as of the usage date).  The calibrated date and expiration date are displayed on the subwindow.  OpenMETRIC will not permit expired standards to be specified as standards for a calibration.  (If this occurs, you will need to perform a calibration or an extension on the standard before it can be used as a standard for calibration.)  

2.29

How does the system manage the logging of environmental conditions during calibration actions, i.e. Humidity, Temperature, etc? Does this information automatically transfer into a certification report?

On the Calibration screen, there are data fields in the “Environmental Conditions” box.  These can be entered manually by the technician or they can be automatically extracted from an RS-232 interface to a temperature/humidity sensor.  

OpenMETRIC accommodates “As Used” and “As Tested” conditions.  The “As Used” conditions are defaulted from the Customer record for the Using Customer for the item.  The “As Tested” conditions include temperature, a radio button for “Degrees C” or “Degrees F”, and humidity.  

The environmental conditions are displayed on the canned Certificate included in OpenMETRIC.  They can also be displayed on WonderWriter and other user-generated reports.  

2.30

Can the system provide for the assignment of default calibration intervals to unique types of instruments (same models)?

Yes.

When a Class is defined, default intervals as well as other default information may be specified.  

When a Category (Manufacturer + Model) is defined, the user selects the Class to which the Category belongs from the Field Finder to the right of the Class field.  The user is asked if he wants to bring down the Class defaults (Yes or No).  The user can also hit the button upon which the “class” label resides.  This will cause the user to be asked if he wants to bring down the Class defaults (Yes or No).  Finally, the user can check or uncheck the box to “Enable Class Updates.”  If checked, any future changes to the Class defaults on the Class record to which this Category record belongs, will automatically update the default information on this Category record.  

This same logic and mechanism occurs between Category and Subcategory and finally between Subcategory and Item.  

In this way, individual item intervals can be easily managed by Class, Category, or Subcategory.