New tools are available to the chemist for use in automation and data management. These include intelligent instruments and commercially available software packages. These two components may be used as a foundation for assembling an automated analysis system. This allows the amount of custom software required to be kept to a minimum. We have used this strategy to assemble an automated metals analysis system. The system consists of a Mettler AE 163 balance, a Perkin-Elmer model 3030B atomic absorption spectrophotometer and an IBM PC/AT. The SYMPHONY software package provides a spreadsheet for calculations and a word processor for report generation. The link between the instruments and SYMPHONY is formed by two instrument control and data acquisition programs written in BASIC. Use of this system has resulted in the removal of potential errors due to manual data transcription and calculation, as well as time savings in analysis.