A veterinary investigation to solve a problem within a barn begins with accurate data collection. Questioning workers and using any documentation will be helpful in this process. Once there is data, an odds ratio can be performed to see if there is any association between two variables. A veterinarian can use the disease behaviour for profiling, and for viruses it is important to know if the virus is DNA or RNA, and enveloped or non-enveloped. Knowing the time frame of the disease will help a veterinarian decide to focus on looking for an agent or an antibody. Time also affects the course of the disease, and how many animals are affected. With more information, a more accurate decision on what to test for can be made, and what to do with the results.