Unlike traditional databases that store information in isolated tables, Plugg allows records to be linked together across apps. These connections create a network of related information that reflects how work is actually performed in the lab.

Because apps are fully customizable, Plugg can be adapted to virtually any scientific, operational, or administrative workflow.

Why Linked Information Matters

Research projects often generate many different types of information over time.

Reagents are used in protocols. Protocols are used in experiments. Samples become datasets. Datasets become figures.

When this information is stored in separate spreadsheets, documents, and software tools, it becomes difficult to understand how everything fits together.

Plugg solves this problem by allowing records to be connected, creating a complete history of your work.

Once information is linked, you can start from any record and navigate to related information with a few clicks.

This makes workflows easier to understand, audit, reproduce, and share.

The examples below illustrate how records can be linked across apps to create complete and traceable workflows for different use cases.

Example 1: From Tissue Sample to Publication

A single tissue sample may generate many different types of information throughout the course of a project.

Tissue Sample
↓
DNA Sample
↓
Sequencing Run
↓
Raw Sequencing Data
↓
Data Analysis Protocol
↓
Processed Dataset
↓
Figures
↓
Publication

Each step can be tracked in a separate app and linked together.

For example:

  • A tissue sample can be linked to DNA and RNA extraction records.

  • A DNA sample can be linked to the sequencing run.

  • Raw data can be linked to an analysis protocol.

  • Processed datasets can be linked to figures and publications.

Because all records remain connected, a researcher can start from a publication figure and trace the result back through every step of the workflow to the original biological sample.

Example 2: Mouse Colony Management

Plugg can also be used to manage animal colonies.

For example:

Mouse
↓
Breeding Pair
↓
Litter
↓
Genotyping Result
↓
Tissue Sample
↓
Tissue Analysis

Each step can be represented by a different type of record and linked to the others.

As projects grow, these relationships become increasingly valuable because information remains connected and easy to navigate.

Example 3: Lab Management and Operations

Not all workflows are experimental.

Many labs also use Plugg to organize operational and administrative information.

For example, Plugg can be customized to manage:

  • Order requests

  • Inventory and stock tracking

  • Reagents and consumables

  • Storage locations

  • Equipment and instruments

  • Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

  • Shared resources

Because all of this information can be linked together, researchers can quickly access the context surrounding their work.

For example:

  • Reagents can be linked to their stocks and storage locations.

  • Equipment can be linked to maintenance and calibration records.

  • Inventory items can be linked to order requests.

Instead of searching across multiple spreadsheets, documents, and systems, related information remains connected and accessible from a single platform.

A Platform That Adapts to Your Workflow

The examples above use very different types of information, but they all rely on the same principles:

  • Apps store different types of information.

  • Records capture individual pieces of information.

  • Records can be linked together.

  • Relationships between records create complete and traceable workflows.

Together, these principles allow Plugg to capture both your data and the workflow that connects it.

Whether you are tracking plasmids, sequencing runs, mouse colonies, protocols, equipment, or purchasing requests, the goal remains the same: keeping information connected so that your work is easier to understand, reproduce, and share.