> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pollandroll.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting started with data collection

> Frame the sample, open fieldwork and follow responses in real time.

Your questionnaire is ready: time to collect. Everything happens in the **Data collection / Sample** tab of your survey. There you declare where respondents come from, frame the sample, open fieldwork and follow responses as they come in.

This page sets out the basics. Each feature (sample sources, quotas, redirections, progress) then has its own page.

## The shortest path to launch

Opening fieldwork takes only four steps.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a sample source">
    Declare where your respondents come from: a panel, a contact file or social networks.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the quotas">
    Set the number of respondents you are aiming for per profile. Quotas are set **in individuals**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get the URL">
    In the **Launch** tab, get the URL of your sample source: as many URLs as there are sample sources.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Launch">
    Move the survey into fieldwork and share the URL.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  This is the minimum needed to launch. The rest — fine-grained redirections, detailed progress monitoring, quality checks — matters, but it is **not blocking** for opening fieldwork.
</Tip>

## The three stages of data collection

Data collection runs in three stages. Before launch, you frame. When the time comes, you open fieldwork. During collection, you follow.

| Stage | What you do | Where |
| - | - | - |
| **Frame** | Declare the [sample sources](/en/collecte/sources), set the [quotas](/en/collecte/quotas), configure the [redirections](/en/collecte/redirections). | Ahead of launch. |
| **Launch** | Get the URLs and open fieldwork from the [Launch](/en/collecte/lancement) tab. | At the trigger point. |
| **Follow** | Steer [fieldwork progress](/en/collecte/suivi-de-terrain) and check the [interview list](/en/collecte/liste-des-interviews). | During fieldwork. |

<Tip>
  Consider a **soft launch**: start with a small batch, check it, then open fieldwork fully. This is the best moment to check the filters and the screen outs.
</Tip>

## Data collection landmarks

A few terms come back at every stage of data collection.

| Term | What it is |
| - | - |
| **Sample source** | Where respondents come from: a panel, a contact file or social networks. A survey can combine several sample sources. |
| **Target** | The population you are trying to survey (e.g. women aged 18-49). |
| **Quota** | The number of respondents you are aiming for per profile (e.g. 250 men, 250 women). |
| **Interview** | An individual response to the questionnaire, whatever its status. |
| **Complete** | An interview taken all the way through and valid. |
| **Screen out** | A respondent set aside because they do not match the target. |

<Note>
  Do not confuse **Data collection**, the stage of the journey where you configure and steer everything above, with **Fieldwork**, the phase where responses are collected live. You open fieldwork *from* data collection.
</Note>


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