Comparison of Modern Chromatographic Data Systems

The range of application for modern CDS runs today from single workplaces of separated analytical systems to global network solutions, where laboratories of different countries and continents collaborate in the same infrastructure. It can be assumed that no other area in the analytical laboratory has changed to such a significant extent as the management of laboratory data. This chapter presents the development and differences of these systems and tries to give a look-out to the next development steps and trends for the future. 

The triumphal procession of CDS started 30 years ago with the enhancements of the integrator. Based on contemporary computer platforms, such as digital VAX, a DEC professional or an HP1000, several manufacturers for HPLC and GC instruments have developed integration software programs for the control of their instruments and the evaluation of their chromatograms. All of them had a restricted scope of operation, compared with current standards, and were extremely cost-intensive. First, the IBM PC and the following clone-PCs were affordable for a conventional laboratory and have, therefore, been the cause for more and more manufacturer to invest into this sector of industry. With the 

The HPLC Expert Possibilities and Limitations of Modern High Performance Liquid Chromatography, 

IBM PC entering the laboratories, the environment for the operational computer system has changed from UNIX-based central computers to MS-DOS and later on Windows-based office clients. 

Over the years, the scope for software systems as a kind of an alternative integrator for the evaluation of peaks and quantification with limited tuning options has changed to complex solutions that were able to control many different instruments and to manage laboratory samples. 

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