Last Revised: May 17, 2022
The EHRS Chemical Inventory Team is hard at work, preparing to migrate your lab's inventory records from CISPro Live to the new ChemTracker module in BioRAFT before the end of this year.
Click here for the Chemical Inventory program's main page on the EHRS website.
Here are 5 things you need to know about the transition, which will occur before CISPro is deactivated on December 31st:
1. Why a new inventory system?
This user-friendly system will be quicker and simpler for your entire lab group to search, organize, and update your chemical inventory records. The chemical records are linked to a proprietary database of chemicals, mixtures, and products to ensure the accuracy of names, synonyms, formulas, properties, and hazards. Because it is part of BioRAFT, you won't need a separate log-in to access your inventory; everyone in your lab can log-in to BioRAFT using their Pennkey credentials.
2. When will this happen?
We will be reaching out to your lab's inventory-contact-person before we move your records to the new program. This will occur for all labs sometime before the end of the 2019 calendar year.
3. What do we need to do to prepare for the change?
Most labs don't need to do anything! Some labs may find it helpful to simplify their inventory location names, but we will contact you with instructions if we think your lab should do so. The new system will use the same barcode labels and barcode scanners as the existing program.
4. Will I lose access to any of my inventory information?
Nope! We will move all of your container records to ChemTracker for you, and your CISPro data will still be accessible (view only) during the brief transition. There may be a day or two when you won't be able to edit information for your existing chemical containers (e.g. to mark them as disposed), but you will still be able to add new containers to ChemTracker and search your old records in CISPro during that time.
5. Who should I contact if I have questions or issues with the new program?
Because the ChemTracker interface is highly intuitive, we don't anticipate that many groups will require in-lab training on the new program. We will provide Quick-Start Guides to help you get acquainted with ChemTracker, and we're always happy to answer your questions and hear your feedback! You can get in touch with the chemical inventory team at our group email: cheminv@ehrs.upenn.edu. You can send us your questions and comments by email or request that a team member call you or visit your lab to help.