# Viewer-facing field descriptions

> Show field descriptions as tooltips on table and pivot table column headers to everyone who can view a dashboard, including shareable and embed link users.

# Viewer-facing field descriptions

:::info Coming Soon
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:

1. **Custom description** on the visualization field: if there is one, viewers see it.
2. **Field override** (force inherit or don't inherit): if set, it decides whether the field inherits from the semantic layer.
3. **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.