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Contract Researchers
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Many university, government and private researchers conduct research
studies for agricultural crop protection companies on a contract basis.
The crop protection companies sometimes purchase GDM software for a
contract researcher.
GDM classifies these purchases as Cooperator
licenses, and the purchase cost of the software is frequently a portion
of the grant-in-aid. A Cooperator license is the property of the
Cooperator.
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ARM Company Customizations
Many of GDM's corporate clients use customized ARM study definitions
and validation lists. Several clients (BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow
AgroSciences, Monsanto, Syngenta, Valent, etc.) sometimes also provide
their customized study definitions to independent contract researchers.
This approach ensures uniformity and enhanced data management. The
customizations may include forced program options or settings that you
probably do not want carried over to your standard use of the ARM
program.
Since independent contract researchers many times conduct research
studies for move than one company, GDM has a customized install for
company customizations.
- First install the latest ARM 7 maintenance update CD.
- Next use the Company ARM Cooperator CD.
Each company’s customizations are stored separately, so multiple
companies’ customizations can reside on one ARM 7 program. ARM
automatically keeps separate settings for each customization, and refers
to each as a “Settings profile”.
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Installation Directions
Because independent contract researchers many times conduct research
studies for more than one sponsor, GDM has created special customized
installations for company customizations to isolate each customization.
The basic installation steps are:
- First, install the latest ARM 7 maintenance update CD.
- Next, install the Company ARM Cooperator customization CD.
The customizations for each company are stored in separate ARM study
definition directories, so multiple companies customizations can be used
with one ARM 7 program installation.
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Opening Studies Without Customized Company Files
Several research sponsors do not distribute their ARM customizations
outside of their company. However, a contract researcher may
occasionally receive a study created with customized study definitions
that ARM cannot open because the study definitions are not available in
standard ARM installations. You then receive a message "Study Definition
X-xxxxxx.def not in current definition directory.
If you attempt to open an ARM study created with customized study
definitions, and the company customized study definitions are not
available for the active ARM program, ARM displays a message "Study
Definition X-XXXXXX.def not in current definition directory. Select the
directory containing the definition next." When you click the OK button
displayed in the message window, you are taken to the File Open window
where you may then select the directory containing the missing study
definition. Click "causes" for additional information on this topic.
We suggest that you first contact the company representative who sent
the ARM study, and ask whether you are supposed to use their customized
study definitions. If not, then open the study into the standard GDM
study definitions such as G-All7 or G-Seed7. Please ensure you are using
the most recent ARM maintenance update, since many times the most recent
update includes changes to improve compatibility when opening studies
into a GDM study definition.
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Instructions for Importing .EDP or .EDE Files Using Standard GDM
Study Definitions
This is the method to follow when a company representative sends a
protocol .EDP or trial .EDE. The following instructions assume you have
updated to the latest ARM version. If not, then please update before
continuing with the import.
- Save the ARM protocol .EDP or .EDE file(s) into an ARM data
directory, such as My Documents\ARM Data. Note the file names, since
you will import them by file name in ARM.
- Start ARM, then select File - Import - EDE.
- Skip to step 3 if the files are included in the list of
"Available Files" on the left of the ARM Select Batch dialog.
Otherwise, change the drive (if needed) and directory on the right
side of the ARM Select Batch dialog to the same directory where .EDP
or .EDE file attachments were saved in step 1 above.
- Highlight an .EDE or .EDP file(s) to be imported then click the
Add button. Repeat this step for every file to be imported.
Click the OK button once all the files are included in the "Selected
Files" list on the ARM Select Batch dialog to begin the Import
process.
- Select the NO button when asked whether to "Import into
XXXXXXXX.DEF and XXXXXXXX.FRM (where the XXXXXX equals the name of
the company customized file) named in EDE file?"
- When asked to "Enter name of protocol/trial file to create", you
can assign the file name for the first ARM protocol or trial, and
also the assign the directory to store each protocol or trial that
is created.
- When asked to "Select study definition to use", you can identify
the ARM study definition (DEF) file to use. For example, select
G-All7.def for a crop protection study or a study where products are
applied as a treatment factor, and select G-Seed7 for a seed variety
testing study.
- When importing a trial .EDE file you are also asked to "Select
site description format to use". Select the site description format
(.FRM) name that matches the study definition name selected in
previous step. You are not asked this question when importing a
protocol .EDP file.
- ARM next imports each .EDP or .EDE file that was listed in
the ARM Select Batch dialog.
- Click the Save button to save the study that ARM creates from
the last EDP or EDE that was imported.
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Last Updated
January 03, 2008 |
