Extract Standards

Use the Geochem Import > Standards > Extract Standards menu option (CHSTND GX) to extract standards from a new laboratory database and add the standards to the end of a standards database.

Extract Standards dialog options

Assays database

Assay database that contains standards to be extracted

Script Parameter: CHIMERA.ASSAY

Standards directory

Specify a directory location to locate/ create the standards databases. If left blank, the standards databases will be located either in the GEOSOFT directory or the local directory.

Script Parameter: CHIMERA.STANDARDS_DIRECTORY

Application Notes

Standard samples are taken from a prepared company standard, which has a known concentration of various elements and compounds of interest. Each company standard must have a standard ID or name (such as "A123-5") that will be used to reference the standard. The standards are given a sample number and added at random to every batch of survey samples that are sent to a lab for assay. The lab performing the assay should have no idea which samples in a batch are standards. The name of the standard should be recorded in a "Standard" channel of the field database. When the field database is merged with the assay database, the standards can be identified by the entry in the standard channel, which will be blank for survey assays and will contain the standard ID for standard samples.

This GX will go through a lab assay database (after merging with the field database) and extract all standard samples. The "Standard" must be blank for all samples in an assay batch that are not standards. For each standard sample in the assay database, the sample assay results will be removed and added to the end of a standards database. The results of each standard ID are stored in a separate database, which will have the name of the standard. For example, standards "A123-5" will be stored in database "A123-5.gdb". The standards database may be located either in the specified standards directory, the GEOSOFT directory or the local directory.

If a standards database does not exist, one will be created in the standards directory (if specified), or in the local directory. It is important to verify that all lab standard Ids in the lab assay database are correct before running this GX, otherwise new databases will be created for improperly named ID’s. If this happens, you should discard changes to the lab database and any opened standards databases, correct the standard ID in the lab assay database, and run this GX again.

When adding the standards to the standards database, any standards that already exist for the batch being processed will be replaced.

In addition to the assay results, the batch name, Lab ID, sample number, assay order and assay weight are entered in separate channels of the standard database. A column "Seq", for sequence, will indicate the sequence of this set of standards in the standards database.

Standards are always added to the end of the standards database. This allows a standards database to accumulate standard results over time.

After extracting standards, the Standards database or databases are opened and you can use the spreadsheet tools to view the standard results. The CHSTNREP GX can be used to graphically summarise standard results.

With the Standards Report as the active map, and the View of interest selected in the Map Manager Tool, use the Shadow Cursor Tool from the toolbar to dynamically link to samples in the Standards database. Alternatively, click a sample in the database to see the corresponding point in the report.