Alpha Analytical, Inc. employs state-of-the-art equipment in an effort to reliably and quickly address both the laboratory's and client's needs for tagging, processing, and reporting the multitude of information associated around the daily analytical processes. Our network of computers offers our laboratory immediate access to our informational databases for the complete structure of analytical processes, from sample receipt and login, through extraction and analysis, to report writing and archiving. We employ various full time personnel to ensure that this network remains accessible and contains the most current data available. Our client's needs are addressed through personalized service in formatting custom specifications for analytical, report, and database requirements. We strive to follow the federal Good Automated Laboratory Practices (GALP) guidelines and maintain offsite duplication of our databases and instrument raw data in case of catastrophic events.

Databases occur in various formats and structures. Alpha Analytical, Inc. employs a database structure called Omega (created by The Khemia Company in Colorado) which utilizes Microsoft Access and Visual Basic Five. Through the interconnected tables, queries, forms, and reports, Omega allows for the complete entry and compilation of all aspects of the analytical portions of the laboratory's daily routines. During the sample receipt process, each client's sample set is linked to a workorder number that allows for a systematic tracking of the samples throughout the many separate processes involved in producing the final product. This process can also be used to link a client's sample stream to prior quotation and client provided requirements (SOW - Statement Of Work) to provide consistency in analytical reports. With the electronic processing of the analytical information, additional reprocessing and reporting of previous data at some future date becomes tied directly to any past processes to create a structure of data integrity. Omega continues to be upgraded and refined in an effort to provide our clients with the most secure and reliable results possible.

Many of our clients utilize their data to populate databases for a multitude of end uses. In an effort to help our clients decrease the need for hand entering the hardcopy results received from our facility, we offer a variety of electronic data formats. As there is generally no standard format that will meet all of our client's requirements, we offer a limited ability to structure a specific format for each client. These formats range from a simple text listing of the analytes and their results, through a typical excel format of the full sample and QC data package, to a seven file package of the laboratory NEDTS result tables, or the six file package for California's GeoTracker EDF criteria. These EDD files are generally created and EMailed to our clients several days after the hardcopies of the results have been faxed. This allows for client feedback and corrections prior to the creation of the EDD file(s) and the subsequent population of the client's database.