Getting Started with Lab Integrations
There are a couple different ways you will be in a position to add or update a Lab's data.
• About once a year (during the off-season) we like to conduct a Lab Contact Campaign where we email blast the labs to request updated spec info
• We are also regularly prompted to conduct Routine Maintenance via tickets, email, or facebook messages from users and/or labs.
But the process is usually the same for both, outlined below are the procedures for each scenario.
______
First Steps
Lab Integrations Docs
Here is a link to the shared Google Drive Folder where most Lab Integration resources can be found. Take time to familiarize with the docs in here.
At the very least you want to make sure you have the album.csv and Lab Instructions.pdf files downloaded to your computer, for a smoother workflow.
• album.csv . Open in Google Sheet > File > Download > Comma-Separated Values
• Lab Instructions.pdf > right click > Download
• Lab Email > Edit > Select all > Edit > Copy > Paste into a Draft email that you can use as reference
______
Lab Contact Campaign
When it's time to conduct the Lab Contact Campaign, start by reading over the Staff Instructions for an overview of what to expect. It is quite a large task and doesn't need to be rushed.
For each lab, we:
- Download their csv from CCPRO
- Open an email
- Attach their album.csv and Lab Instructions.pdf files to it
- Copy the appropriate text from the Lab Email doc and Paste
- Review the verbiage and make sure it applies.
______
Routine Maintenance
Whether it's a New Lab or an Existing Lab, changes made should first be done on the Command Center (CC) TEST server.
New Labs
- Open an email
- Attach album.csv and Lab Instructions.pdf files to it
- Copy the appropriate text from the Lab Email doc and Paste
- Review the verbiage and make sure it applies.
Existing Labs
- Download their csv from CCPRO
- Open an email
- Attach album.csv and Lab Instructions.pdf files to it
- Copy the appropriate text from the Lab Email doc and Paste
- Review the verbiage and make sure it applies.
______
Next Steps
When you hear back from a lab, they will usually have a follow up questions, if they do, add them to the Lab FAQ's doc so we can compile a list over time.
If the lab provides you with a csv of their updated specs. Review the Getting to Know the CSV article if you are unfamiliar with the next steps.
Then head to Lab Data Integrations.