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Research Desk offers three Calculation Types at the source level. The type you select controls how quota progress is measured and how tightly traffic is throttled.

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Completes

When the Calculation Type is Completes, quotas are measured and controlled by the number of completes registered to each quota. Pros: Low maintenance; reaches desired complete counts with less manual intervention. Cons: May occasionally overfill quotas if many entrants arrive at once — common on high-IR, short surveys that panels favor. Use Completes when some overfill tolerance is acceptable. For studies sensitive to overfill, use Survey Starts or Hybrid.

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Survey Starts

When the Calculation Type is Survey Starts, quotas are measured and controlled by client-side survey starts. Pros: Guarantees a specific number of respondents are sent to your survey. Cons: Does not guarantee the target number of completes. You may fall short and need to increment targets gradually. Use Survey Starts for soft launches on high-IR studies or when you need tight control over how many respondents enter the survey.

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Hybrid

When the Calculation Type is Hybrid, quotas are defined as complete targets but converted to start targets on the back end. You manage the study in completes; supply partners receive start-based caps for a softer landing that helps prevent overfill. Pros: Balances complete-based planning with start-based throttling. Cons: Access is granted on a case-by-case basis. Contact your Rep Data representative to enable Hybrid for a source.

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Choosing a type