Dr. Jürgen Klie
Updated article from April 2001
Much more than just saved paper ...E-mail and cloud replace the calibration certificate
That's how it was 20 years ago
As a result of his work, the calibration laboratory sent to its customers for each order a more or less organized paper documentation with the calibration certificates, summaries, performance documents, etc. These documents were filed and kept by the customer, whereby his access to the individual certificates with increasing file size naturally became more and more difficult.
Consequences: Important information, which could be derived from the overall view of the calibration results, remained unused and dust settled on the papers.
Documentation in the calibration laboratory
The large, easily accessible database of a calibration laboratory makes it obvious to evaluate this systematically. This leads to new demands on the software.
Figure 1 : Search and selection routines enable customer-specific access to all stored calibrations within seconds
(Screen cut, reduced in size)
(Screen cut, reduced in size)
Traditional and advanced report functions of a calibration software
The traditional report functions reflect the usual scope of a database, which was tailored to the special requirements, with rational and flexible search, sorting and correction functions, and in particular also a variety of possible views and print formats and functions (eg. WYSIWYG screen display, certificates in single and series, tables in portrait and landscape format and with different contents)
Traditional Report-Funktions
- WYSIWYG screen display
- search
- Sorting
- selection
- Read
- Evaluation / Assessment
- Correction / deletion
- Blocking / release
- display
- preview
- print
Advanced Report-Funktions
- communication
- Language selection
- dimension choice
- Documentation of adjustments
- service billing
- time analysis
- history creation
- dynamization of calibration intervalls
- document security
- interaction with administration
- Evaluations of the behavior of calibration objects
Because they partly substantiate the advantage of the paper-free transfer of calibration results, the advanced report functions are briefly explained:
- Communication
The software has very easy-to-use copy and read functions, which allow the transmission of calibration data and their re-reading, e.g. via USB stick or e-mail attachment support. There is also the possibility of uncoded data output in ASCII / ANSI format. - Language selection
User language and document language can be set separately. The calibration data itself is not language-specific so that any calibration documentation can be viewed and / or printed in all implemented languages. - dimension choice
Length measurements can be output in metric or inch dimensions. With the setting 'Automatic', the output dimension is based on the type of calibration object. - Documentation of adjustments
Creation of additional documentation that describes the adjustment status of the calibration object and states whether calibration object adjustments have been taken in addition to the calibration.. - service billing
Presentation of additional documentation on the calibration services provided, in particular the number of measurements performed on the various objects and measuring methods. - time analysis
Creation of additional documentation representing the time required for the different calibrations and the different types.
- history creation
Client-selective display of all previously stored calibration results for the displayed calibration object. - dynamization of calibration intervalls
Calculation of a dynamized calibration interval for the displayed calibration object on the basis of previous calibration results and their approximation to an application limit (Figure 2). The technology of interval dynamization combines maximum efficiency with increased safety. By choosing the dynamization parameters, the user can influence the results in the direction of maximum safety or the greatest possible cost savings. - document security
Special anti manipulation prevention for DV documents, e.g. creation of protected facsimile signatures and stamps, watermarks, logos, hillshading of printing areas, correction blocks, interference prevention - interaction with administration
Activation of the management program KSVAMP and entry of a test confirmation with determination of the next calibration date and the usability code - Evaluations of the behavior of calibration objects
Long-term studies e.g. regarding the change of calibration results over a long period of time - see: Langzeitverhalten von Lehren (in German)
-
Figure 2 : History creation and interval dynamization are effective tools for cost and safety optimization of a calibration system
(Screen cut, reduced in size)
(Screen cut, reduced in size)
The PMREADER - Concept
According to the task, the customer should be provided with as many of the report functions listed above as possible. But they must not be all ! PMREADER
therefore differs significantly from the standard software KSPUMA. As a general rule, PMREADER
does not have any means of changing the data obtained from the calibration laboratory in any way (Fig. 3).
-
- Reader contains no correction and deletion options
- Lock / unlock is not possible
- The software can not create KSPUMA data
- Adjustment notes can only be read but not created
- Performance billing and time analyzes are not possible
Figure 3 : PMREADER
Screen display of a deviation diagram for a dial gauge
including status display of the characteristic values
(Screen cut, reduced in size)
Screen display of a deviation diagram for a dial gauge
including status display of the characteristic values
(Screen cut, reduced in size)
Dokument Security
With regard to document security, the procedure presented is not fundamentally problem-free: for example, there is a lack of the handwritten signature required for DAkkS calibration certificates (still?). Also, the distinctness between originals and good copies is not guaranteed in principle. However, in order to be commendable and for the safety of the customer and the calibration laboratory, the paperless transfer and report processing of the calibration results must, as far as possible, rule out any kind of manipulation.
With regard to document security, the procedure presented is not fundamentally problem-free: for example, there is a lack of the handwritten signature required for DAkkS calibration certificates (still?). Also, the distinctness between originals and good copies is not guaranteed in principle. However, in order to be commendable and for the safety of the customer and the calibration laboratory, the paperless transfer and report processing of the calibration results must, as far as possible, rule out any kind of manipulation.
The following properties characterize PMREADER :
- No manipulative access to the data
The data format used is encoded, undocumented Delphi files. A manipulative intervention is neither directly nor via common database systems possible. The program itself does not contain any possibilities for changing the calibration data. - Protected facsimile signatures and stamps
The file documents can be provided with facsimile signatures and stamps, which are used in particular for certificate printing. Signatures and stamps are protected against unauthorized use or modification by undocumented access coding.. - interference blocking
PMREADER recognizes the sender of the calibration data and distinguishes it from files created in-house. Therefore, the mixed access to data from different calibration laboratories and own data is easily possible. - watermark
A watermark printed in the background makes it difficult to make copies and changes to the original documents. - Hillshade of print areas
Copiers can often not reproduce finely shaded areas evenly. Hillshades distributed across the print page (e.g., headers, footers, stamps, result areas) thus provide traceability features for copies, mostly distinguish from original.