Requests Overview
The Benchling Request application is used to seamlessly manage almost any type of assay or task request between organizational teams or users. The application establishes a formal request system, streamlines and standardizes the request fulfillment process, and is fully integrated with ELN, Registry and Workflows.
Requests Stakeholders
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Requestor: The user making the request
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Fulfiller: The user fulfilling the request (i.e., who the request is assigned to)
Examples of Common Requests
Assay requests
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Scientist A wants to perform an assay on a registered cell line
Production / Process requests:
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Scientist B wants the Viral Production Core to produce a viral vector with specific properties
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Scientist C wants the DNA Core to sequence a registered plasmid
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Scientist D wants the Protein Sciences team to purify a protein
Components of a Request
A Request is currently composed of four main parts:
1) Default Request Fields
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Project Name: When a request is made, it will be associated with a project. This project is where this request will inherit its permissions
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"Assigned to": Requestors can assign a request to another Benchling user or team, who will receive an email. This means you do not need to create an "assigned to" field during Request schema configuration.
2) Configurable Request Fields
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Similar to Registry fields, there are multiple types of fields that can be configured on a Request, including dropdowns.
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Avoid using entity links in Request fields for samples, instead use a Sample Table
3) Tasks
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A configurable action within the request that can be assigned to samples
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Can only have tasks if there is a Sample Table in the Request
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Can also have fields within tasks
4) Sample Table
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If registered entities or containers are included in request, they can be added to the sample table at the bottom of the request. Usually these are samples that will be produced or otherwise used in the execution of the request
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Tasks added to the request can be assigned to samples via check boxes
You can also configure Request Templates to define default values for new requests.