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Regarding the connection to the institute's finance system: Our PPMS system generates a csv file which is directly read into the finance system, this makes life much easier for the finance people and usually works smoothly. Obviously it needs the user to supply us with the right codes for their grants and someone to check if the info is correct and the grants not yet expired. The user cannot book without this information or when the grant exceed the expiry date. However these dates can change (grants can be extended) and here it would be good if our system directly links to the university grant database and updates this info. The other point is that user information can change, e.g. a master student continues as a PhD student, supervisors change etc., again it would be good to have this info automatically synchronised with the university systems. My only fear is that such a system gets too complicated and fail more often than manually putting in the information, but I am sure this will come one day.
Our PPMS system uses the university authentication system for logins and this works usually smoothly, but sometimes individual users cannot log in because something beyond our control is wrong and we have to wait for IT to fix it. Very rarely (once or twice a year?) the whole authentication shuts down and needs to be restarted by IT, until this is done nobody can use the booking system (microscope can still be used and usage is recorded).
best wishes
Andreas
-----Original Message-----
From: Cammer, Michael <
[hidden email]>
To: CONFOCALMICROSCOPY <
[hidden email]>
Sent: Fri, 28 Sep 2018 19:17
Subject: Re: Monitoring user working hours in microscopy core facility
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The best way, IMHO, would be to have a two part system where the parts talk to each other. Optional 3rd part.
1. Online scheduling system.
2. Each users logs in using their unique ID. This unique ID is served out and allows for file permissions on remote servers etc. Logging is performed via login/logout of computer. (You can set up a script to give you a list of all logouts logins, but even with some programming applied to simplify the list, still requires human intervention.)
3. An additional 3rd part could be login in to the online scheduling system to turn on/off a hardware or software interlock for equipment that is not controlled by computer or doesn’t allow for individual logins.
The goal of the system is to audit all usage and allow for complex reporting (e.g. "How many Diabetes Center users worked after hours on confocals in the last FY?") with no staff time doing tallies, spreadsheets, etc.
The online scheduling system or addl database would compare scheduled times to logins. Also, connect directly to institution's finance system for billing and updating internal accounting numbers. This is an enormous challenge which requires administrative support; routing internal funding is a moving target and shouldn’t be the burden of scientists. But this may be beyond your inquiry.
I like the policy whereby billed time always starts at scheduled time but allows for people to leave early (a minimum billed time, e.g. one hour, could be in the system) or allows people to work past the scheduled time with no need for user to do anything except log out when done.
Happy to talk privately about our experiences attempting to have a sane auditing/billing system, the successes and failures, and issues with implementing.
Best regards-
Michael Cammer, Sr Research Scientist, DART Microscopy Laboratory
NYU Langone Health, 540 First Avenue, SK2 Microscopy Suite, New York, NY 10016
[hidden email] http://nyulmc.org/micros http://microscopynotes.com/
Voice direct only, no text or messages: 1-914-309-3270 and 1-646-501-0567
-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:
[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Hanna Sas Nowosielska
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2018 11:50 AM
To:
[hidden email]
Subject: Monitoring user working hours in microscopy core facility
Dear All,
In our microscopy core facility, we are trying to find a way to monitor
users working ours on our systems. This is particularly important for the
users working outside facility staff working hours. After talking to Zeiss
and Leica service, it seems that setting user accounts on Windows is hard
to do, especially with over 100 users. Thus, I would like to ask you about
your experience. How is this monitored in your core facilities? Is there
any easy way to do it?
Thanks,
Hanna
--
Hanna Sas-Nowosielska
Laboratory of Imaging Tissue Structure and Function
Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology
Warsaw, Poland
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