Using profile filters
Defining a filter on the Sample Manager Filters tab allows you to restrict the sample base to include or exclude panellists based on defined criteria.
There are two filter types: Profile and Activity. This article explains how to use profile filters. Profile filters allow Sample Manager to include or exclude a panellist based on the profile data held for that individual. For Q_Community installations, a profile filter can also include or exclude panellists depending on whether he or she has completed a specified profiler.
Multiple Activity & Profile filters can be applied simultaneously but the types cannot be mixed within a filter definition. Each type must be created separately at the top level with the appropriate Filter Type setting.
Profile filter elements use the same panellist attributes that are used in dimension elements, including external file data and lookup lists.
The profile variables that are shown in the Criteria Detail dialog are defined in Hierarchy Manager, which can be found within the Maintenance menu. In order to be available to add to a profile filter, a variable must have the ‘Allowed in Sample/Prototype filters’ checkbox ticked.
Example 1 – Include based on profile variables
As an example we will set up a filter to include
- only panellists from the South and
- only those who are readers of at least one of the newspaper titles Mail on Sunday, Sunday Express and Sunday Mirror
We can define this two-element profile filter because panellists in the South and newspaper readership are pieces of profile data held in the database.
Select this subset of panellists:
To define a Profile Filter for the sample project, click the Filters tab. Click Add. The Add Filter dialog appears:
Let’s call this filter Sunday Readers in the South. Type this into Filter Name.
Change the Filter Type to Profile. The remaining fields grey-out because they are no longer relevant.
Click OK.
The filter name Sunday Readers in the South and type Profile is displayed on the first row of the filter. A first element Element 1 has been created which is shown indented below the filter name.
In the context of a profile filter Element Name is simply a useful text for organizing the Criteria/Column rows. You can put all Criteria under one Element Name or you can separate out logical groups of Criteria under logical headings. We will create two elements with names South and Newspapers.
Click Element 1. For a profile filter you can only change the Name. Change the Name to South:
Click OK.
Click +Criteria. This brings up the folders of variables that can be selected for use in a profile filter. To select panellists in the South enter the text “region” in the search field and click on Search. (You could also navigate to the variable by expanding folders, if you know where to find it).
Select the Region(s) required in our example: South:
Click OK.
The Filters tab now shows the filter that we have defined:
The filter row holds the Filter Name and Type.
The element row holds the Element Name.
The criteria row holds our first criterion Only [‘South’].
We now want to add to the Sunday Readers in the South profile filter another set of criteria, grouped as an element, which will include only readers of the three relevant Sunday newspapers.
Click + Element. In the Add Filter Element dialog type in the new Element Name Newspapers. Click OK.
A new element Newspapers has been created. (Note that this is a multi-code variable because each panellist can read more than one newspaper).
Now click + Criteria (in the Newspapers row). This brings up the Criteria Detail dialog box again.
Search for the SundayNewspapersRead variable by entering the text “ newspapers” in the search field and clicking on Search. (You could also navigate to the variable by opening folders, if you know where to find it).
Select the Newspaper(s) required in our example: Mail on Sunday, Sunday Express and Sunday Mirror.
When filtering on a multi-code filter element column you can select multiple columns and then select from one of five filter options:
| Filter Option | Example (see example image above) |
| All in | Panellist reads all of the papers checked, and may (or may not) read some that are not checked. |
| Any in (default) | Panellist reads any (at least 1) of the papers checked, and may (or may not) read some that are not checked. |
| Exactly in | Panellist reads exactly the papers checked, and none that are not checked. |
| None in | Panellist reads none of the papers checked, and may (or may not) read some that are not checked. |
| Only in | Panellist reads any (at least 1) of the papers checked, and none that are not checked. |
We will leave the filter option as Any in because we want to interview people who read one or more of the selected newspapers, without precluding those that read papers that are not selected.
Click OK.
Finally click Save on the toolbar to save your filter.
The filter we have defined looks as follows:
Example 2 – Filter using Completed Profilers
As another example we will set up a filter to include only panellists who have not yet completed the Pets Survey profiler in Q_Community.
Add a new Profile Filter as in the previous example and click on + Criteria. On the Criteria Detail dialog expand the Profilers folder, this will show a list of the profilers available. Select Pets Survey. Completed can either be set to Yes or No. As we want to include only panellists who have not completed the profiler, we will select No.
Click OK to save the filter criteria.
The filter we have defined looks as follows:
Click Save on the toolbar to save your filter.
Once a filter has been defined it can be saved as a Project Filter and re-used later in other prototypes and samples.