Enterprise DNA

Instead of LabKey Sample Manager

Stop renting LabKey Sample Manager. Own your sample storage system.

We build your version around your storage locations and custody rules, bring your agreed LabKey records across and run it for you. Start with the sample register and the physical checks your team needs every week.

LabKey lists Professional at $13,140 a year and Starter at $6,540 a year, each including five users. These are the vendor’s displayed dollar prices. Confirm billing currency when comparing your quote.

Get your version built See it working
  • check_circleYour data in a database you own
  • check_circleOpen source, no lock-in
  • check_circleBuilt and run by Enterprise DNA

Read the annual bill against the weekly work

You are buying a hosted package, plus its plan limits

Separate your storage and custody work from the wider laboratory services in the subscription. Compare the exact scope before replacing it.

database

The storage starting point

Starter lists $6,540 a year for five users, covering freezer mapping, sample traceability and lineage.

assignment

The workflow step up

Professional lists $13,140 a year for five users and adds more data capture and workflow support.

group

More people on the register

LabKey prices additional users on a sliding scale. Ask for the rate that applies to your team.

cloud

Hosting and ongoing service

The subscription bundles cloud hosting, upgrades and support. An owned system still needs someone to operate it.

folder

The move into the platform

Migration support, implementation and training are included in the published package.

verified_user

Optional deployment requirements

On-premise installation, eligible validation services and specialised hosting can add to the price. Compare them separately.

Start with custody and storage

The records behind the freezer door, in your own system

Positions

Keep a borrowed sample’s place reserved

A checkout changes who holds the sample while its home position stays occupied.

  • check Match each sample to a named freezer and box
  • check Reject a second allocation to the same position
  • check Record the borrower and expected return date
  • check Combine overdue returns with overdue inventory reviews

Quantities

Follow what remains after every use

The working record keeps a quantity and its unit. Every change carries an operator label and a reason.

  • check Subtract recorded consumption from the remaining amount
  • check Create an aliquot and reduce the parent quantity together
  • check Record the amount returned and the stated thaw events
  • check Trace an aliquot back to a parent that now has a hold

Checks

Bring the physical check into the weekly review

A missing record stays visible until someone checks the material and records what they found.

  • check Find imported records awaiting reconciliation
  • check List material nearing its recorded expiry date
  • check Review manual storage readings against your local ranges
  • check Combine affected samples, overdue reviews and named owners

Working documents

Prepare the paperwork from the same records

Produce branded working documents for the storekeeper and the person reviewing the inventory.

  • check Print a physical stocktake sheet for each box
  • check Read a sample’s recorded custody changes
  • check Review manual temperature observations for each freezer
  • check Add your own review question across these records without buying another reporting tier

Make it yours

Design your own LabKey Sample Manager replacement

Everything starts from the open-source base. Then it gets your name, the parts you run, your rules and your data from LabKey Sample Manager. Try it here, and we build the real one.

2. What it runs

3. Make it fit

4. Your colour

Your business · your LabKey Sample Manager replacement Your version
YB Your business

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Answered from your own database

Build my version

We build it from the open-source base, bring your LabKey Sample Manager data across and run it for you.

What it looks like

Ask it like you would ask a colleague

Real answers captured from the fictional sample inventory supplied with the free version.

forum

Sample Storage for Claude Code

Connected to your own database

Which samples are still checked out, and when were they due back?

ALG-002

Name
Coastal algae replicate
Borrower
Noah
Return_due
2026-10-25
Days_late
3
Box
BOX-A
Position
2
Held
false

Ask it anything

Ten questions from your storage records

These combine your local review rules, quantities and custody records. Each answer comes from the working records in the free version.

chat_bubble Which overdue returns also need an inventory review?
chat_bubble Which held samples expire within a month?
chat_bubble Which boxes have no spare positions?
chat_bubble Which samples occupy storage with a stale or out-of-range reading?
chat_bubble Which owners have overdue inventory reviews?
chat_bubble Which imported records still need physical reconciliation?
chat_bubble Which samples have three or more recorded thaw events?
chat_bubble Which active samples have no expiry date recorded?
chat_bubble Which aliquots have a parent on hold?
chat_bubble Which borrowers hold the most overdue samples?

Switching

How to switch from LabKey Sample Manager

The move involves exporting a sample register, mapping your fields, importing and checking the records, then reconciling them before you switch systems.

  1. 1

    Export a sample register

    Start with one sample-type grid from LabKey Sample Manager and export it as a CSV. If your account does not offer that export, use the format it allows, usually CSV or Excel, and check with LabKey Sample Manager. Start with one sample type so you can review the fields and record count before deciding what else to bring across.

  2. 2

    Map and test the import

    Map any customised columns to the fields you want to use, then preview the import before loading records. The preview lets you inspect what the system recognises and check the mapping. Imported records retain their source fields, but start unverified, with no invented location or custody history. Treat the preview as a test, not as confirmation that the records are ready to use.

  3. 3

    Review import flags

    Check the preview and import results for records that need attention. Identical rows are skipped, while changed rows stop for reconciliation. Confirm the record counts and compare the retained source fields with your exported grid. The import fixture is synthetic, so do not assume every LabKey export has the same columns. Resolve mapping or record differences before relying on the imported data.

  4. 4

    Run both systems briefly

    Keep LabKey Sample Manager available while you check the imported records against the physical samples and their actual quantities and positions. Records remain unverified until those details are reconciled. For a short period, use both systems to compare the work you rely on and catch anything your import did not cover. Historical custody, storage maps, attachments and wider workflows need separate mapping.

  5. 5

    Switch off LabKey

    Switch off LabKey Sample Manager only after you have completed the reconciliation and agreed that the records and workflows you need are covered. The new base is a database and Claude Code, with no web front end or live LabKey connection. If you still need screens or additional workflows, scope those separately before retiring the old system.

construction

Where the real effort goes

The main work is usually mapping your own fields and storage rules, then deciding which history to bring. A sample register can be imported, but historical custody, storage maps, attachments and wider workflows need separate mapping. You also need to reconcile physical positions and quantities because imported records start unverified. If Enterprise DNA runs the system for you, they do this mapping and migration work with you.

Not ready for a call?

Get your LabKey Sample Manager switch plan by email

We will send you the step-by-step plan for moving your business off LabKey Sample Manager, what the move really involves, and how we would do it for you.

One email with your plan. No spam, and you can unsubscribe any time.

Three ways to own it

Do it yourself, have it customised, or have it run for you

Open source

Do it yourself

Free, MIT licence

  1. 1 Clone the repo and run npm install, then npm run demo
  2. 2 Open it in Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Cursor
  3. 3 Preview your LabKey CSV import and reconcile it with the physical inventory
  4. 4 Set up your own database, backups and access controls
Get it on GitHub

Built around your business

We customise it

One setup fee, then a retainer

  • check Your sample types, fields and custody rules
  • check Your LabKey export mapped and checked with your team
  • check A web front end or a different stack where wanted
  • check Your storage paperwork and review process
Get your version built

Omni by Enterprise DNA

We run it for you

One setup fee, then a retainer

  • check Installation, agreed migration and team handover
  • check The connections and access controls your team needs
  • check Backups, maintenance and support for the agreed system
  • check Run inside Omni by Enterprise DNA with the rest of your business
Book a discovery call

Questions

Instead of LabKey Sample Manager, answered

Is the free version the whole LabKey platform? expand_more

It is a storage and custody desk for nonclinical research material. It covers positions, quantities, returns, holds, lineage and inventory reviews. We scope notebooks, instrument connections, historical migration and any additional screens in your custom version. The base is not a validated clinical or regulatory system.

What happens to our existing sample records? expand_more

Export one sample-type list as CSV and do a test import first. The free version retains the source fields and recognises repeat rows. Records remain unverified until their quantities and positions are reconciled. Historical custody, storage maps, attachments and wider workflows need separate mapping. We agree that migration with you before the move.

Does the Professional price include everything? expand_more

LabKey lists $13,140 annually for five users, with hosting, migration support, implementation, training and ongoing support. More users and optional services change the quote. Its page displays dollar prices without naming a currency code. Confirm the currency and scope against your invoice. Our work is priced as a setup fee followed by a retainer.

Can it watch the freezers or certify our samples? expand_more

The free version records manual observations and flags missing, stale or out-of-range readings against local rules. It does not monitor equipment, sound alarms or certify material. We scope monitoring connections separately. Clinical use, human specimens and regulated release are outside this base.

Can our whole team use it with a screen? expand_more

We build your version with the access controls, shared database and screens your team needs. The free version produces read-only views and documents. Your version can add a freezer map, scanning or other agreed workflows, with the operating and recovery arrangements designed for your team.

Bring the annual bill and a sample register

Spend 30 minutes with Sam. We look at what you pay LabKey for, how your team handles samples and which records must come across. You leave with a clear scope for a system built around your storage work.

Book a discovery call Get the free version

Sample Storage for Claude Code is free and open source, published by Enterprise DNA.

Done paying for LabKey Sample Manager?

Get your version built