Two surveys of high-mass star formation (HMSF) are discussed. One is the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL), using the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) 12 metre dish. The other uses the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique (IRAM) Northern Extended Millimetre Array (NOEMA). The value of a representative survey of HMSFRs lies in learning what physical and chemical parameters are shared across a variety of sources. The results of statistically large samples of detected, or non-detected, sources such as that of ATLASGAL provide secure data from which to generalise about the typical star-formation process. The results of smaller but still multi-location studies such as the NOEMA sample give us greater specific details, albeit from a self-selecting sample, which may or may not be typical but that we can certainly say are common, at least until future wider surveys demonstrate error.