Why thresholds exist
Entromy applies minimum response thresholds to protect participant anonymity. When a group is too small, it becomes possible to identify who responded and what they said — which undermines the confidentiality that makes honest feedback possible.
Thresholds are a feature of the platform, not a limitation.
How thresholds work
When you filter a report by a dimension (such as Department or Employee Role), Entromy checks whether enough responses exist to generate that view safely.
For a Comparative Review section to appear, two conditions must be met:
At least 2 dimension values must meet the response minimum (e.g., at least 2 roles within a department)
Each of those values must have a minimum number of responses (typically 3 or more)
If either condition isn't met, that section will not appear in the report.
A practical example
Imagine you're filtering by Department: Human Resources and breaking results down by Employee Role.
Scenario A — threshold not met:
Role | Responses |
Associate – Exempt | 5 |
Manager | 1 |
In this case, only one role (Associate – Exempt) meets the minimum response requirement. Because you need at least 2 roles to meet the threshold, the Comparative Review by Employee Role section will not be generated for Human Resources.
Scenario B — threshold met:
Role | Responses |
Associate – Exempt | 4 |
Executive Director | 6 |
Here, both roles meet the minimum response requirement, so the Comparative Review by Employee Role section will appear.
What to do if a section isn't showing up
If a report section is missing, here's how to diagnose it:
Check participation by dimension — Review the participation file to see how responses are distributed across the dimension values you're filtering by
Look for small groups — Any dimension value with fewer than the minimum responses will be excluded
Consider bucketing — If certain dimension values consistently fall below threshold, consider combining similar groups (e.g., merging two small departments) before the next survey cycle
Adjust your filter — Try a broader demographic filter to see if results appear at a higher level
Common questions
Is this a bug? No. Missing sections are a deliberate part of Entromy's privacy protections. If a group is below threshold, the platform will never display those results.
Is the data lost? No. Responses are still collected and counted toward overall results — they just can't be shown in isolation for that demographic cut.
Can the threshold be changed? Thresholds are set at the platform level to ensure consistent privacy protections. If you have questions about threshold configuration for your account, contact support@entromy.com.
How do I avoid this in future surveys? Plan your dimensions carefully before launch. Avoid over-segmenting small populations, and make sure each dimension value is likely to have enough respondents to meet the threshold.
Related reading:
If you're still unsure why a section isn't appearing, contact support@entromy.com with your survey name and the specific filter you're trying to apply.