  In spite of the almost all-encompassing variability of Be stars, surveys play
a steadily increasing role in complementing the insights gained from
single-star studies. The definition of classical Be stars as recently augmented
by \cite{Rivinius2013} enables unambiguous identification of Be stars in a much
increased range of observations. Results of targeted surveys are briefly
reviewed for the effects of metallicity, binarity, and evolution. It still
remains to be seen whether Be stars are safe benchmarks for the calibration of
evolutionary models with rapid rotation.
