Use of quota based sample records

 

FONEBULD allows you to specify the location of the quota name you want checked before the server releases the phone number. You cannot use numbered quotas above 99999 in quota based sample records.

If the quota name is greater than it’s target, the record will be assigned the status you want. This allows you to suppress the release of numbers to a dialer or interviewers that are overquota. Each record is checked for its quota information and then give statuses based on whether it is overquota or not. Whereas Markets will disallow access to the stack if the market weight is set to zero so the records are not processed at all.

The advantage of this feature is that it can be used with as many quota names as you want (up to 1000 triple quotas and even more numbered quotas). Also, used in conjunction with the quota_percentage feature, you can control the release of sample if you have for instance daily quotas. You may also use this in addition to market controls.

KEYWORDS

  • is The location of the quota name in the phone record. The quota name can be up to 30 characters.
  • is The location of the target quota in the record (otherwise it uses quotaname.T if you are using “triple_quotas”).
  • is The status to assign if the quota is full. The default status is 80 and it causes the record to be resolved.
  • is The number of minutes to hold numbers when you are close to the quota but have handed out enough numbers that the quota might become full, such that you would not want the current number called. If in X minutes the quota is still not full, this number will be released, otherwise it will be assigned the quota_full_phone_status. The number is called back in 5 minutes if the quota is still not full by default.
  • is The place in the record where the name of the quota with the target percentage is. This could be updated by a supervisorduring the study.
  • is The status to assign numbers that are attempted to be picked up when their quota is greater than the percentageof the target specified above. This should be an active status > 100 so the numbers can be re-released later. The default status is 155.

HOW THE QUOTA RECORD WORKS

The server counts the number of records released so far in that quota group and will never release more numbers than what would fill the target quota if all the released records were completes. If the quota is a numbered quota, the server will not keep track of the number of records submitted for each number, so it will be a simple shutdown of the quota once it is full.

Once the quota name value is greater than or equal to the target value, the record is given the “quota_full_phone_status” which is 80 by default. You can specify the status to assign in the parmfile as well using “QUOTA_FULL_PHONE_STATUS: ###”, but if you assign a status in FONEBULD that will be the one it uses.If there is no quota name in the field the record is treated normally.

To show the active quotas, say “show_phone_quotas <study>” in the supervisor.

The attached zip file contains a working example. Compile the file quotainphone.qpx and use the file quotainphone.fbl to build the fone file in Fonebuld. If you then start 2 or more stations on this study and use a 3rd to follow the quotas in the Supervisor, you can see how it works.