What Happens When a Limit Is Reached
Reaching a plan limit is a normal, recoverable situation. This page explains exactly what to expect so there are no surprises.
The single most important rule
Most quota failures block only the new action and do not delete domain data. Credential quotas are different: lowering access-token or integration-client capacity can revoke newer excess credentials while leaving surveys, responses, and files intact.
What you will see
When an action would exceed a limit, Survanta blocks just that action and shows a clear message explaining which limit was reached. The rest of the platform keeps working normally.
| Action you tried | Limit involved | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Create a survey | Maximum total surveys | Creation is blocked; existing surveys stay. |
| Activate / publish a survey | Maximum active surveys | Activation is blocked; already-active surveys stay active. |
| Submit a response | Maximum responses per period | Submission is blocked; collected responses stay. |
| Add a user | Maximum users | The user is not added; existing users keep access. |
| Upload a file | File size or storage quota | The upload is rejected; stored files stay. |
| Create a link / token | The matching token limit | Creation is blocked; capacity reconciliation may revoke newer excess active tokens. |
| Create an API client | External integration client limit | Creation is blocked; capacity reconciliation may revoke newer excess active clients. |
If a limit was lowered below your current usage
If a platform admin lowers a limit to a value below what you are already using:
- Survey, response, user, and file data is not automatically removed by a quota check; new use is blocked where that guard treats the configured value as enforceable.
- For access tokens and integration clients, the oldest active, unexpired credentials within capacity are retained and newer excess credentials are revoked.
0, missing, and-1values are not interpreted uniformly by every runtime guard. Use each limit's dedicated page rather than treating one special-value rule as universal.
How to recover
You have a few options, depending on the limit:
- Free up room — deactivate unused users, revoke unused links/tokens, or wait for the response period to reset.
- Request more capacity — ask the platform admin to raise the specific limit. See How to Request More Capacity.
- Check your subscription — if every new action is blocked (not just one type), your subscription may have expired or your tenant may be suspended. See Subscription Dates and Tenant Access.