My attitude towards new MEDITECH projects over the years, has ranged from grandiosity (nothing will go wrong) to a chicken little approach (you want what by when?, and 10 reasons that's not going to be possible). If only I'd heard of and followed Brad's advice instead.
Here's a scenario from a database administrator's (DBA's) world we can glean lessons from and apply in our role as MEDITECH report writers:
You have just found out that management wants to upgrade all 350 SQL Servers instances from SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2008, by the end of the quarter. Rather than immediately raise objections, the Exceptional DBA will scope out the project, create a plan, and put it into effect as soon as possible. If the DBA determines, after scoping, that it is impossible to complete the job in time given current resources, then he will determine what additional resources are needed and present his findings to his manager.
Instead of quietly proceeding with impossible deadlines or iterating all the reasons something isn't possible, you and I have a 3rd option: scope out the new project with necessary resources to achieve the proposed deadline and present our findings back to the requester. If the necessary resources are in place, proceed with next steps. If more resources are needed, simply presenting that back to the requester is a flawless response on our part. The situation may require you to begin with out the necessary time and resources, yet by scoping and presenting the facts we can rest assured knowing our actions have been perfect in spite of the circumstances.
Scenario Reference: How To Become An Exceptional DBA by Brad McGehee
MEDITECH fields, at times, can elude even experienced NPR Report Writers. Let's review a quick way to find them using an unlikely technology for this task: SQL Server.
To produce unique lists of DPMS, SEGMENTS, & FIELDS from your MEDITECH Data Definitions, load them into a SQL Server database and then run ad hoc SQL queries against them. Today, I want to show you how to use SQL Server to: De-duplicate a list, Find fields by DPM, & Learn about fields that compile to the same object code.
Let's get started.
[De-Duplicate a List]
Want a list of DPMS from your MEDITECH Data Defs? Try a query like this in SQL Server.
One problem, you'll notice is that the list of 140K+ rows is not unique. To de-duplicate the list, you could add a GROUP BY clause.
Or if you prefer a standardized method of de-duplicating the list, try the SQL Keyword DISTINCT.
The record count of 1894 rows is the same for our data set here, for either approach you use.
[Find Fields]
Looking for a field containing the letters 'drg'? Want only fields from BAR? Add a WHERE clause for DPM and FIELD.
[Fields Compiling to Same Local Variable]
How many fields share the local variable for ADM.PAT.urn? In CS 5.5 about: 243, depending on which MEDITECH modules you have installed.
Which MEDITECH applications contain a reference to 'aa' the local variable for ADM.PAT.urn? Depending on the MEDITECH modules you have installed, about: 21.
Now when you're having trouble finding a field, this approach might help you find it.
See if you can spot the error in my query's WHERE clause for a BAR table in MEDITECH DR.
When comparing a date time in SQL to a range of literal dates, we want to keep in mind that datetime is formatted as YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss.nnn. The nnn stands for fractional seconds.
The T.ServiceDateTime is formatted as datetime '2010-07-26 10:03:56.000'. The CONVERT converts '07/25/2010' to '2010-07-25 00:00:00.000' & '07/31/2010' to '2010-07-31 00:00:00.000'.
Spot my problem now? The ServiceDateTime that is '2010-07-31 01:56:00.001' will not be included in my data set.
Fortunately, converting the field ServiceDateTime to '2010-07-31 00:00:00.000' resolves the problem when the dates are compared.
Have you been on a conference call and had to count pipes, in order to figure out which field everyone else was talking about?
Iatric Systems has made their HL7 Editor available, FREE, to the MEDITECH Community, get it: here.
Say good bye to counting, and hello to HL7 message bliss!
The
Iatric Data Access Driver (iDAD) allows you to write NPR reports using real time data from both the Client/Server (C/S) database and the Advanced Database (6.0).
Learn more here at the Iatric Systems website.
RL (range list), the select operator in MEDITECH NPR, is changing in CS 5.6. Using the RL operator on the Select Screen, you get this.
To configure the Select Screen, you need to use Edit Blocks to get this.
Learn more in the July/August 2010 Edition of the MEDITECH Community Bulletin.
Writing a cross module NPR report, requires fully qualified field and segment names.
The OPTIONAL DPM box pictured below, now allows you to automatically include the DPM for your field & segment names when you build the DO Loop.
Try the DO Loop Builder: here.
Configuring an ADM report to be called as a facesheet, from MEDITECH Client Server, is not intuitive, yet you'll find it is easy.
You should only need a single select, and in the event you need more, your first one needs to be: urn EQ /urn as pictured below.
Setup the report so that when it prints, it looks right only printing results for a single patient.
See ... not intuitive; but it is easy.
MEDITECH NPR Page Trailers aren't automatically positioned at the bottom of the page.
You could position the Page Trailer by adding lines to the Report Picture.
And yet, maybe there is a quicker way to place the page trailer where it wants to be.
Read the rest in the June Edition of the MEDITECH Community Bulletin.
Eric's musings on the iPad reminds me of my recent trip to Framingham, for MEDITECH 6.0 Report Designer training.
The MEDITECH Report Designer is different than the NPR Report Writer.
And while some report writers may feel frustrated using the new 6.0 Report Designer, others will feel right at home.
MEDITECH's design of the new Report Designer seems right in step with Apple's choice to trade power and flexibility for simplicity.
With Iatric's release of the Iatric Data Access Driver (iDAD rhymes with iPAD), maybe there's a way to have all 3: power, flexibility and simplicity ... all at one time. I for one, am looking forward to learning more about this new release by Iatric Systems.
If you have thoughts or questions about MEDITECH Report Writing or 6.0, drop in on us at the MEDITECH KE.