Module 6 of 6 · 10 min

# Data Description Basics

How descriptions are written, requested, discussed and versioned, including what to do when you lack the rights to edit.

## Why this matters

The person who spots a wrong description is often not the person allowed to fix it. This module covers the request and review path: propose new wording, name a reviewer, and track the change in version history.

## Before you start

### Noticing a bad description and fixing it are different permissions

The person using the data spots the wrong description. The owner holds the edit rights. A request path connects the two, so the observation is not lost.

### A request routes to a named assignee, which is what makes it land

Proposing the new wording and naming someone to review and merge it turns a vague complaint into a piece of work with an owner. This is the same pattern as a pull request, and it works for the same reason: the change and the reviewer arrive together.

### Conversation and version history are what make curation safe

Comments let people argue about wording where the argument is visible to the next reader. Version history means any change can be inspected and reverted. Together they are why opening up contribution does not degrade quality, and they are the audit trail when someone asks why a definition changed.

## The interactive demo

Work through the demo below. It runs in your browser with nothing to install. Watch for:

*   •A data asset carrying a full description
*   •Editing a description directly when you have the authority
*   •Requesting an assignee to make the change when you do not
*   •Proposing new wording and selecting an assignee to review and merge it
*   •Holding a conversation about a description, and leaving a comment
*   •The comment and its timestamp being saved against the asset
*   •Opening the version history to see every change that has been made
*   •Clicking into a specific version to see the state at that point

This demo plays on its own and moves between steps on a timer, so there is no button to start it and nothing to click through. Reload the page to watch it again.

## After this module you should be able to

*   ✓Request a description change when you lack the rights to make it yourself
*   ✓Propose wording and route it to a reviewer who can merge it
*   ✓Use version history to see what a description said at any point in time