About Sampling Functionality

The Sampling functionality allows you to define several samples within the same panel, and send out different surveys to different samples as required.

Defining a Sample

To create a sample:

1. Go to the Panel Management > Sample Management menu command.

The Sample List page opens. This page lists all the samples for the current panel - .



Figure 1 - Example of a Sample List page

2. Click the New Sample button in the upper right corner of the list - .

Figure 2 - Creating a new sample

This opens the sample details page - . Here you can define a name for the sample, run the sampling, schedule it and lock it.

Note: Several of the properties on the General tab, and the other tabs, only become accessible after the new sample has been saved for the first time.

You can also define sample categories. Several samples can belong to one category, for example, in our example, the category is called “Male Panelists”. When extracting samples for, for example, other age groups for male panelists, you can specify the same category for these. Categorization makes organization of samples easier in the sample list.

Figure 3 - Sample Definition

Locking a Sample

You can lock the sample so the panelists in the sample cannot be used for any other samples until the lock expiry date or until you manually remove the lock. To lock the sample:

1. On the General tab, check the Locked box.
2. In the Lock Expires field, type in or select the desired expiry date for the lock.

Once the sample lock expires, those members of the sample will then be available to be included in other samples.

3. Save the changes.

Note: An error message will be displayed if you attempt to save the changes without specifying an expiry date for the lock.

Creating an Expression

On the Expressions tab you create one or more expressions (filters) that define the group(s) you want in your sample.

Note: The panel must be launched before you can create the expression.

To create a new expression:

1. In the Expressions tab, click New Expression in the upper right corner - .



Creating a new Expression

The Expression Builder window opens with a new, "empty" expression.

2. Type a suitable name for the sample into the Name field, select the type of Count you wish to use and the desired selection order.



Figure 4 - Example of the Expression Builder

• Name - the name for the sample.
• Count - the number of panelists to be extracted. The Count setting defines the targets to pick, either as a fixed number of panelists, as a percentage of the panelists matching the expression, or all the panelists who match the expression.
• Order - the order in which the panelists are selected. You can choose between selecting them from random locations throughout the panel, selecting starting at the top of the list (ascending) or the bottom of the list (descending).

Note: You must enter the Name of the sample and the number of panelists to be extracted from the panel before you can add an expression to the expression list.

3. Select the initial operator to be used in the expression - And or Or.

To change the operator, right-click on the current operator and select the required option.

4. In the column to the left, click on the first question you want to use for the sample and drag it into the expression area to the right. Note that you must drop the question onto the icon beside the operator name - - if you drop it onto the AND text it will not copy.

Figure 5 - Dragging a question onto the operator icon

When the question is highlighted, the Rule builder fields will open and you can build your expressions. A sample can be built on several expressions that are based on several questions, and you can base one expression on several questions. The expression builder uses the same functionality to define the expression as filters for Topline Report (go to About the Advanced Filter Designer for more information).

If you wish to exclude panelists from certain other samples from being selected for this sample, move those samples from the "available items" list to the "excluded items" list under the "Excluded Samples" tab - .

Figure 6 - Excluding samples

If you want an estimate of the number of panelists that would result from running the sampling on the panel, go to the Test tab and click the Test sample button. This will return an estimated count. You may choose to ignore any locked samples when performing this test - .

Figure 7 - The Test tab

Click on the Upload Log tab to track which surveys the sample has been uploaded, to and when it was uploaded - .

Figure 8 - Example of the Upload Log

If you wish to copy an expression used in one sample definition into another sample definition, go to the Expressions tab, select the expression and click Copy to Clipboard - .

Figure 9 - Copying an expression to the clipboard

You can then go back to the sample list, choose the other sample (or create a new one) and under Expressions for that sample, click Paste from Clipboard to insert the expression.