Viewer-facing field descriptions
This feature is not yet available. We'll update this page when it launches.
Overview
Viewer-facing field descriptions will let anyone who views a dashboard hover over a column header in a table or pivot table and see what the field means. This includes viewers who open the dashboard through a shareable link or an embed link.
Each field on a table or pivot table will have a viewer-facing description, separate from its semantic-layer description. Its content can be inherited from the semantic layer or written specifically for viewers:
| Semantic-layer description | Viewer-facing description | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it's written | In your models | Inherited from the semantic layer, or written on the visualization |
| Who can see it | Users with dataset access | Anyone who can view the dashboard, including shareable and embed link users |
| Where it appears | Explore's field selector | Tooltip on table and pivot table column headers |
Key capabilities
- Inherit from the semantic layer: if your semantic-layer descriptions are already written for business users and are safe to show to external viewers, you can turn on one project setting so that every viewer-facing description inherits its content from the semantic layer. You won't have to write them again.
- Make exceptions per field:
- Force inherit: if only a few descriptions are ready for viewers, keep the project setting off and turn on inheritance for just those fields.
- Don't inherit: if a few descriptions contain internal notes or technical details, keep the project setting on and turn off inheritance for just those fields.
- Write a custom description: when a field shouldn't inherit, write business-friendly text for it on the visualization instead. The semantic-layer description stays untouched.
How it works
The viewer-facing description is always visible to dashboard viewers. What you control is where its content comes from. For each field on a table or pivot table, Holistics will check, in order:
- Custom description on the visualization field: if there is one, viewers see it.
- Field override (force inherit or don't inherit): if set, it decides whether the field inherits from the semantic layer.
- Project setting "Inherit field descriptions": otherwise, the field follows this setting.
If a field ends up with no content, no tooltip is shown.
Where to configure it:
- The "Inherit field descriptions" project setting will be available in Project Settings, under Dashboard & Visualization, and in your project settings AML.
- Field overrides and custom descriptions will be configured in AML on the visualization's fields.
Defaults:
- For existing projects, "Inherit field descriptions" will be off, so your dashboards look the same until you turn it on or add custom descriptions.
- New projects will start with it on.
Scope: viewer-facing descriptions will appear on tables and pivot tables. Other chart types are not included.