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Data model: How the master data is connected

Before setting up ConCertainty, it is worth understanding how the central master data interact. This page explains which elements exist, how they depend on each other – and why this structure is designed the way it is.

Overview of the central elements

ConCertainty has four types of master data that build on one another:

Matrix and material A matrix represents a material at its most fundamental analytical level: aluminum is aluminum, regardless of the alloy. Water is water, regardless of whether it is drinking water, process water, or wastewater. The materials within a matrix describe the concrete variants – for metals, alloys (e.g. AlSi10MnMg, S355); for water, subtypes such as drinking water or wastewater; for oils, e.g. hydraulic oil or lubricating oil.

Test method A test method indicates the origin of measured values: it specifies the basis on which the analysis was carried out – a standard (e.g. DIN EN 14726), an in-house laboratory method, or a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). The test method forms the methodological basis of a test profile.

Parameter A parameter is a measured quantity that can be determined during an analysis – for example silicon, copper, fluoride, or pH value. Parameters are independent of matrix and test method and can be used in several test profiles.

Test profile A test profile links a test method to a matrix and determines which parameters can be measured. It is the central unit to which all measurement data and evaluations relate.

Laboratory sample A laboratory sample is the physical sample on which measurements are performed. A material is assigned to it, and thus indirectly a matrix as well.

Dependencies at a glance

flowchart LR
    matrix[Matrix] --> material[Material]
    material --> laborprobe[Laboratory sample]
    pruefverfahren[Test method] --> pruefprofil[Test profile]
    matrix --> pruefprofil
    parameter[Parameter] --> pruefprofil
    pruefprofil --> messreihe[Measurement series]
    messreihe --> messunsicherheit[Measurement uncertainty]

In practice, this means:

  • A test profile can only be created once a test method, a matrix, and at least one parameter are available.
  • A measurement series can only be recorded once a test profile and a matching laboratory sample are available.
  • The measurement uncertainty can only be determined once measurement series are available.

Test profile and test method – the difference

These two terms sound similar but refer to different things:

  • The test method is the method (e.g. DIN EN 14726). It describes how the measurement is performed.
  • The test profile applies this method to a specific matrix and determines which parameters can be measured. Several test profiles can therefore arise from the same test method – for example for different matrices.

What ConCertainty does not check

The substantive suitability of a parameter for a test profile is the professional responsibility of the laboratory. ConCertainty imposes no restrictions here – any parameter that has been created can be assigned to any test profile.

Info

If you would like to begin the setup, follow the recommended order under First steps: Setting up ConCertainty.