Empower (software)
Encyclopedia
Empower is a software
produced by Waters Corporation
allowing the user to control the chromatography instrument and to process the data (for use with HPLC
, UPLC, and Gas Chromatography systems)
Empower is available as a free-standing application or as a module for integration in a mass spectrometry software.
software that would ultimately become Empower were both internally and externally driven. Regulatory discussions led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) within the 1988 time frame centered on the need for an audit trail
to track process related procedures in chromatography data systems. The FDA ultimately did not create a regulation addressing this particular issue, but many of these ideas were later solidified in the 21 CFR Part 11
regulations. Concurrent to theses regulatory focused discussions, Waters sought to simplify its chromatography software development efforts. At the time, Waters was developing and supporting three software packages: Expert, Maxima, and ExpertEase. Based on discussions with customers for better management of chromatography data and suggestions by the FDA, Waters undertook a software development project to combine its chromatography data systems into one solution.
A key component of the new CDS platform was an integrated relational database that improved overall data management as well as data traceability. The data traceability functionality would later be instrumental in providing 21 CFR Part 11 safe guards such as audit trails. Empower was the first commercially available CDS to integrate a relational database. Inclusion of a database enabled Millennium integrated reporting and later provided a more robust interface for integrating with other laboratory software packages such as LIMS.
Maxima – 1986 (workstation
only)
Expert Ease -1986-87 (Network
only)
Millennium V1 1992- Workstation only
First commercially available CDS to include integrated reporting. Prior to Millennium, chromatography results were exported to a third party tool for report generation. Functionality included in version 1: custom calculations, reporting, photo diode array acquisition and processing, and system suitability determination. The integrated relational database was a key technology enabler of the custom calculations and integration report generation. This was also the first CDS to operate in a Microsoft Windows environment.
Millennium V2 1994 – The second version of Millennium. Offered a client/server network configuration in addition to the workstation only offering. Version 2 was the first version of Millennium offered as a client/server configuration. Whether deployed as a workstation or client/server network, the installed Millennium shared the same code base, dramatically reducing the software training effort as customer migrated from workstation to client/server network .
Millennium32 V3.0 – 1998-Millennium migrated from 16-bit to 32-bit to provide increase memory access.
Millennium32 V3.2 -1999- Millennium V3.2 offered a complete set of 21 CFR Part 11 Compliant-ready safeguards for the first time.
Millennium32 V4.0 - Released in September 2001--First version of Millennium to support other vendor hardware (Agilent). With the release of version 4, Millennium adopted the Open Instrument Portal (OIP) model for supporting both 3rd party hardware and Waters hardware. The OIP module acted similar to a printer driver and allowed addition of new instruments without the need for rewriting and recompiling the entire code base. All that was required was an updated OIP module.
Empower (Build 1154) - Released in May 2002 – Millennium received a major update and facelift. Empower provided multiple user interfaces, e.g., expert user interface, open access interface, etc. It also added supported for Microsoft Windows 2000. The peak detection algorithms were updated by the inclusion of ApexTrack Integration. ApexTrack integration allowed more automated peak detection and was an important requirement for process chromatography adoption.
Empower 2 (Build 2154) - Released in May 2005 – Empower 2 provided support for Microsoft Windows XP. First CDS network to support mass spectrometry quadrupole detection. Instrument control through the OIP module was dramatically expanded to include xxx instruments. An optional module, called Method Validation Manager, for validating chromatography methods according to regulatory guidelines was added.
Empower 3 (Build 3471) - Released in November 2010 – Latest version of Empower. Designed for the Enterprise and offers certification for virtualization by VMWare and remote desktop access through Citrix. A second aspect of Designed for the Enterprise includes more wide area network support, greater redundancy and uptime capabilities. – Empower 3 provided support for Microsoft Windows 7.
Chromatography software
A chromatography software, also known as a Chromatography data system , collects and analyzes chromatographic results delivered by chromatography detectors....
produced by Waters Corporation
Waters Corporation
Waters Corporation is a publicly traded laboratory analytical instrument and software company headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts. The company employs more than 5,000 people, with manufacturing facilities located in Milford, Taunton, Massachusetts; Wexford, Ireland; Manchester, England; and...
allowing the user to control the chromatography instrument and to process the data (for use with HPLC
High-performance liquid chromatography
High-performance liquid chromatography , HPLC, is a chromatographic technique that can separate a mixture of compounds and is used in biochemistry and analytical chemistry to identify, quantify and purify the individual components of the mixture.HPLC typically utilizes different types of stationary...
, UPLC, and Gas Chromatography systems)
Empower is available as a free-standing application or as a module for integration in a mass spectrometry software.
History
The impetuses for the development of the chromatographyChromatography
Chromatography is the collective term for a set of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures....
software that would ultimately become Empower were both internally and externally driven. Regulatory discussions led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) within the 1988 time frame centered on the need for an audit trail
Audit trail
Audit trail is a sequence of steps supported by proof documenting the real processing of a transaction flow through an organization, a process or a system.....
to track process related procedures in chromatography data systems. The FDA ultimately did not create a regulation addressing this particular issue, but many of these ideas were later solidified in the 21 CFR Part 11
Title 21 CFR Part 11
Title 21 CFR Part 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations deals with the Food and Drug Administration guidelines on electronic records and electronic signatures in the United States...
regulations. Concurrent to theses regulatory focused discussions, Waters sought to simplify its chromatography software development efforts. At the time, Waters was developing and supporting three software packages: Expert, Maxima, and ExpertEase. Based on discussions with customers for better management of chromatography data and suggestions by the FDA, Waters undertook a software development project to combine its chromatography data systems into one solution.
A key component of the new CDS platform was an integrated relational database that improved overall data management as well as data traceability. The data traceability functionality would later be instrumental in providing 21 CFR Part 11 safe guards such as audit trails. Empower was the first commercially available CDS to integrate a relational database. Inclusion of a database enabled Millennium integrated reporting and later provided a more robust interface for integrating with other laboratory software packages such as LIMS.
Versions
Expert – 1984Maxima – 1986 (workstation
Workstation
A workstation is a high-end microcomputer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by one person at a time, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems...
only)
Expert Ease -1986-87 (Network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
only)
Millennium V1 1992- Workstation only
First commercially available CDS to include integrated reporting. Prior to Millennium, chromatography results were exported to a third party tool for report generation. Functionality included in version 1: custom calculations, reporting, photo diode array acquisition and processing, and system suitability determination. The integrated relational database was a key technology enabler of the custom calculations and integration report generation. This was also the first CDS to operate in a Microsoft Windows environment.
Millennium V2 1994 – The second version of Millennium. Offered a client/server network configuration in addition to the workstation only offering. Version 2 was the first version of Millennium offered as a client/server configuration. Whether deployed as a workstation or client/server network, the installed Millennium shared the same code base, dramatically reducing the software training effort as customer migrated from workstation to client/server network .
Millennium32 V3.0 – 1998-Millennium migrated from 16-bit to 32-bit to provide increase memory access.
Millennium32 V3.2 -1999- Millennium V3.2 offered a complete set of 21 CFR Part 11 Compliant-ready safeguards for the first time.
Millennium32 V4.0 - Released in September 2001--First version of Millennium to support other vendor hardware (Agilent). With the release of version 4, Millennium adopted the Open Instrument Portal (OIP) model for supporting both 3rd party hardware and Waters hardware. The OIP module acted similar to a printer driver and allowed addition of new instruments without the need for rewriting and recompiling the entire code base. All that was required was an updated OIP module.
Empower (Build 1154) - Released in May 2002 – Millennium received a major update and facelift. Empower provided multiple user interfaces, e.g., expert user interface, open access interface, etc. It also added supported for Microsoft Windows 2000. The peak detection algorithms were updated by the inclusion of ApexTrack Integration. ApexTrack integration allowed more automated peak detection and was an important requirement for process chromatography adoption.
Empower 2 (Build 2154) - Released in May 2005 – Empower 2 provided support for Microsoft Windows XP. First CDS network to support mass spectrometry quadrupole detection. Instrument control through the OIP module was dramatically expanded to include xxx instruments. An optional module, called Method Validation Manager, for validating chromatography methods according to regulatory guidelines was added.
Empower 3 (Build 3471) - Released in November 2010 – Latest version of Empower. Designed for the Enterprise and offers certification for virtualization by VMWare and remote desktop access through Citrix. A second aspect of Designed for the Enterprise includes more wide area network support, greater redundancy and uptime capabilities. – Empower 3 provided support for Microsoft Windows 7.