Sample List Explained
Overview
The
Sample list
library is a great tool that can help you streamline your process by providing a place to add samples as soon as they are available. This ensures data integrity (minimized user error) and in return you receive a complete picture with data analysis and visualization.
To help you fully utilize this feature into your testing, let's first discuss the terminology.
Are the Samples and Products the Same Thing?
No.
What Then is a Sample and What is a Product?
Products are the brands you are proud of, the overarching items whose samples are evaluated when needed.
Samples are representations or instances of a product. They are what is being evaluated in your tests.
For example, dark chocolate is a product. You would have one dark chocolate product in your
Products library
. Whenever you need to evaluate samples of the dark chocolate product, whether it be different levels of cocoa, or different package size, or different production facility, or any other attribute that you are interested in, you would add these different samples of the one dark chocolate product into your test for evaluation.
You can specify different details and characteristics for every sample in your test by using custom sample fields.
If you would like to add custom sample fields to your subscription, please
contact our Support Team
to assist you.
What Does the Sample List Feature Do That Other Ways of Adding Samples Can't?
Now that we understand the difference between products and samples, we can review all the different ways for adding samples in tests:
-
Add generic samples
. This option is useful if evaluating only several samples in a test and not dealing with many custom sample columns. Any updates to such samples are not very time consuming to be done manually, one sample at a time.
-
Import specific samples
. This option is useful if dealing with larger number of samples, and/or many custom sample columns containing sample details in them.
-
Make new samples from selected products
. This option is useful when samples need to be linked to specific product(s). The two options mentioned above can also link samples to products, but this option directly creates samples from products.
-
Use Sample list to add samples
. This option is useful if you are provided with a list of samples ahead of testing, before you even have your test set up. An example scenario is the quality control testing (batch testing). Often the list of samples with very specific details associated with them is prepared in advance, typically generated in another application, outside of Compusense. The
Sample list
library allows you to import your list of samples to wait for you inside Compusense to use them in your tests whenever you are ready. This sample list can be linked to specific products in your
Products
library if desired, so you don't have to perform the linking later on.
You can manually add samples to the Sample list , you can import the samples as a .csv or .dat file , or you can automate the process and eliminate the need for manual addition and/or file import.
Compusense can connect with your other application where you might be
generating the sample lists from, using API (Application Programming
Interface) to perform the sample import automatically. Please contact Compusense Support Team for more information about the API add-on. This add-on has a cost associated with it.
In conclusion, the
Sample list
is a place where you can add or import a list of samples with all the details about each sample included and even linked to the right product(s) in your Products library, and leave the sample list to wait for you to use the samples in tests as needed.
If this feature is not applicable to your testing needs, you do not need to use it; feel free to use the other options outlined above.
How Does the Sample List Feature Work?
In short, the process is as follows:
-
Add, or
import fom a file
, or automatically import sample list using API (as described earlier on this page).
-
Add those samples to your test(s) once you create the test(s). The samples will be removed from the
Sample list
library once you add them to a test.
If it happens that you need to return the samples out of a test back into the Sample list (e.g. wrong samples were added to a test), you can do that in the Samples & design tab of your test. Toggle the Try the new Samples & Design feature to Yes, click Edit samples, select the sample(s) you wish to return, and click Remove selected samples.
-
Run your test(s)/collect data, and run analysis.
Repeat the process as needed.
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