Census
A census is the collection of data from every single member of a population rather than from a sample.
In a census you attempt to measure the whole population, so the values you compute are parameters rather than estimates. For example, asking every employee at a 40-person company their salary is a census of that company. A census removes sampling variability, but for large populations it is often too expensive or slow to carry out. When a full census is impractical, you take a sample instead.
More collecting data and study design terms, or browse the full statistics glossary.