Sample Management - Understanding the MPF Screen
The Modify Parameters screen (MPF) is where you control the availability and scheduling of a project's sample -- things like whether fresh or live records are being dialed, callback windows, office hours, timezone restrictions, daypart settings, and more. There are three ways to reach it, and all three display the same settings in the same order.
ACCESSING THE MODIFY PARAMETERS SCREEN
Via Foneutil
Open Foneutil, load the project, then press M to open the Modify screen. The project must not be actively running on the server -- it needs to be in a read/write state before you can make changes. Use the arrow keys to move between settings, and press Escape when finished. Changes take effect immediately upon exit.
Via Super/Boss Command
From a super or boss session, type: mpf jobname
If the project is not currently loaded on the server, this command will load it automatically. Use the arrow keys to navigate between settings and press Escape when finished. Unlike the other methods, this one will prompt you to confirm before saving your changes.
Via Survox Console
In the Survox Console, go to: Manage > Manage Sample > Modify Parameters, then select your project. Click on any setting to change it, then click the blue Modify Parameters button at the bottom to save. Changes take effect immediately.
The Console version has one advantage over the other methods: each setting label is clickable and opens a small pop-up with a plain-language description of what that setting does. This makes the Console a good starting point if you are unfamiliar with a particular option.
WHAT CAN BE CHANGED
The MPF screen displays a lot of information, but not everything shown can be edited -- and some items that technically can be changed should not be, as doing so would conflict with MAXimum Research standard procedures. Settings such as Ownership Mode, Zero Weight Status, and Out of Number Delay fall into this category and should be left alone. If you are unsure whether a particular setting is safe to change, contact PhoneOps or IT before making any adjustments.
The following are the settings that are regularly used and safe to modify:
Replicates:
If the project uses replicates, this is where you increase or decrease how many are available for dialing.
Maximum Attempts:
The absolute ceiling on how many times any single phone number can be called. Note that scheduled callbacks will continue to be dialed past this limit, as long as they keep getting coded as a callback. This setting can also be overridden if the Timed Use MaxATT option is set to Yes.
Time Zone Weight:
Adjusts the calling weight assigned to each timezone. Timezones are listed as numeric codes: 05 = Eastern, 06 = Central, 07 = Mountain, 08 = Pacific, 09 = Alaska, 10 = Hawaii. For a full explanation of how weights work, refer to the Understanding Market/Timezone Weights article.
Dayparts (DP1-DP4):
Dayparts define time windows that control when numbers are available for dialing. MAXimum Research typically only uses DP1 and DP2, which keeps all numbers available throughout the day. Projects that benefit from time-targeted calling -- such as daytime-only jobs -- can use additional daypart windows to shift call attempts across different parts of the day.
Four weekday times create three calling windows: Window 1 runs between DP1 and DP2, Window 2 runs between DP2 and DP3, and Window 3 runs between DP3 and DP4. Separate Saturday and Sunday times also exist, though MAX does not use weekend-specific dialing in most cases. All daypart times are in respondent local time, not MAXimum Research time.
DP Attempts:
The number of calls to make per daypart window. Once a number has used up its allotted attempts across all windows, it moves into the "All Targeted" bucket and will not receive additional calls unless released.
Time Period Option (DP Opt):
Controls how daypart windows are applied. The default is Option 2.
0 or 1 -- Follow all windows including weekend-specific times
2 (default) -- Treat weekends the same as weekdays; ignore Saturday/Sunday daypart settings
3 -- Use only Windows 1 and 2 on weekdays, and force a call attempt during weekend times (either day)
4 -- Weekday dialing only; no calls made on weekends
5 -- Weekend dialing only; no calls made on weekdays
New Numbers First:
Yes/No setting that controls whether fresh numbers are dialed before making a second pass on previously attempted numbers. If set to Yes, the system dials all fresh numbers once before revisiting others -- though scheduled callbacks will still come up during their scheduled window regardless. If set to No, the system works through numbers that already have at least one attempt before dipping into the fresh pool.
New Numbers Release/Available:
Controls the availability of new (never called) numbers. The allowable range is -1 to 1,000,000. The default is -1, which means this setting is ignored and an unlimited number of fresh numbers are made available to the system. If set to a value greater than 0, each time a new number is delivered for dialing it decrements that count by 1 -- when the count reaches 0, no additional fresh numbers will be called. This allows you to release a controlled batch of new numbers, let the system work through them, then release another batch by setting the value again. If set to 0, no fresh numbers will be used at all, forcing the system to work only with previously attempted numbers and scheduled callbacks.
Minimum System Callback Time:
How long the system waits before retrying a number that received no answer, hit an answering machine, or received another system result. The value is in minutes -- so a setting of 300 means the number will not be retried for 5 hours. If that retry window would fall outside the daypart schedule, the call is pushed to the next available calling window.
Busies Before No Answer:
A busy signal is not counted as a full call attempt until this number of consecutive busies is reached. For example, a setting of 2 means the first busy triggers a retry after the busy retry delay. If the second attempt also returns busy, the number is marked as BZ2NA and treated as a regular system result from that point forward.
Release System:
Only relevant when multiple daypart windows are in use. When enabled, this tells the system not to wait for the current daypart window -- if numbers in other windows have aged long enough to be retried, make them available now.
Release All Targeted:
Numbers that have been dialed through all their daypart attempts but have not yet reached Maximum Attempts are placed in the "All Targeted" bucket. Setting this to Yes allows those numbers to continue receiving calls until they hit the Maximum Attempts limit.
Release Hold Area:
The hold area contains numbers coded as Soft Refusals or Respondent Hung Up during an intro. Setting this to Yes releases those numbers back into the dialing pool.
Hold Area Options:
Defaults to 0. Other options exist but are not used by MAXimum Research.
Open/Shut Times:
The hours that the office (or the project) is considered open. This controls when callbacks can be scheduled by interviewers -- it does not affect regular outbound dialing, which is governed by the daypart settings.
Release Timed:
When enabled, this dumps all scheduled callbacks into the immediate dialing queue, regardless of when they were originally scheduled -- even if the callback was set weeks into the future.
Max Timed Age:
When a scheduled callback's time is missed -- for example, because no agents were available -- the system will continue attempting to deliver that call for this amount of time before giving up. If the window expires without a successful delivery, the callback is automatically rescheduled for the same time the following day during the overnight process.
Retry Busy In:
How long the system waits before retrying a number that returned a busy signal.
Last Scheduled / Last Delivered:
A date and time can be entered here to set a hard cutoff. No callbacks will be scheduled after the Last Scheduled date, and no numbers will be delivered for dialing after the Last Delivered date. Both fields use the format: DD MMM YYYY HH:MM -- for example, 31 Dec 2026 11:59pm.
In Conclusion
The MPF screen is a powerful tool for controlling how and when a project's sample is used, but it is important to approach it carefully. Not every setting is meant to be changed, and some can have significant impact on call flow, number availability, and project outcomes if adjusted incorrectly. When in doubt about what a setting does or whether it is safe to change, always reach out to PhoneOps, Data Processing, or IT before making any adjustments. A quick question before a change is far easier to deal with than unintended results after one.