A CE-based system for the separation and analysis of carbohydrates. The system is ideal for both oligosaccharide profiling and monosaccharide analysis. System includes a P/ACE MDQ configured with a laser-induced fluorescence detector, 488 nm argon ion laser module, an ambient sample storage module, and 32 Karat™ Software configured on an IBM personal computer. Installation Qualification, Operation Qualification 1 (OQ1) and documentation to aid in software validation is also included.