.. _method-approximate_control_variate-sample_type:

"""""""""""
sample_type
"""""""""""


Selection of sampling strategy


.. toctree::
   :hidden:
   :maxdepth: 1

   method-approximate_control_variate-sample_type-lhs
   method-approximate_control_variate-sample_type-random


**Specification**

- *Alias:* None

- *Arguments:* None

- *Default:* random


**Child Keywords:**

+-------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Required/Optional       | Description of     | Dakota Keyword     | Dakota Keyword Description                  |
|                         | Group              |                    |                                             |
+=========================+====================+====================+=============================================+
| Required (Choose One)   | Sample Type        | `lhs`__            | Uses Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) to      |
|                         |                    |                    | sample variables                            |
|                         |                    +--------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                         |                    | `random`__         | Uses purely random Monte Carlo sampling to  |
|                         |                    |                    | sample variables                            |
+-------------------------+--------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------------------+

.. __: method-approximate_control_variate-sample_type-lhs.html
__ method-approximate_control_variate-sample_type-random.html



**Description**


The ``sample_type`` keyword allows the user to select between two types
of sampling: Monte Carlo (pure random) and Latin hypercube
(stratified) sampling.

The incremental keywords are deprecated; instead use ``samples``
together with ``refinement_samples``.

*Default Behavior*

If the ``sample_type`` keyword is present, it must be accompanied by
``lhs`` or ``random``.  In most contexts, ``lhs`` is the default (exception:
multilevel_sampling uses Monte Carlo by default).



**Examples**



.. code-block::

    method
      sampling
        sample_type lhs
        samples = 20
        seed = 83921