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Smartsheet Report Column Descriptions

Smartsheet columns on source sheets can have descriptions that explain what data belongs in each column, but those descriptions disappear when you view data through a report. Users working inside reports have no way to see the guidance attached to a column without navigating back to the source sheet.

Without Grid Tools

The daily workaround

Descriptions lost in report view
Column descriptions authored on the source sheet are not surfaced anywhere in the report interface.
Switch sheets for basic context
To check what a column is for, users must leave the report, open the source sheet, and look up the column description there.
Data entry errors in reports
Without column guidance visible, users entering data through a report are more likely to put the wrong type of value in a cell.
Onboarding friction for new users
New team members using reports have no access to the column-level documentation that source-sheet authors wrote for them.
Screenshot: Report column header with no description accessible from the header
Report column header with no description available
Screenshot: User navigating from report to source sheet to find column description
Leaving the report to look up a column description
Screenshot: Source sheet with column description in the column settings panel
Column description only accessible on the source sheet

With Grid Tools

How Grid Tools handles it

Descriptions visible in reports
Grid Tools surfaces the source-sheet column description in the report column header so it is accessible without leaving the report.
Hover to reveal description
Column descriptions appear on hover over the header, keeping the interface clean while making context available on demand.
Consistent with source-sheet intent
The description shown is the same text the sheet author entered on the source sheet, so no additional documentation is needed.
Works across multi-source reports
When a report aggregates rows from multiple source sheets, Grid Tools resolves the column description from the appropriate source sheet for each column.
Screenshot: Report column header with Grid Tools description tooltip visible on hover
Column description tooltip on hover in a report
Screenshot: Source-sheet column description text shown without leaving the report
Source-sheet description surfaced inside the report
Screenshot: Multi-source report with column descriptions resolved per source sheet
Descriptions resolved across a multi-source report

Frequently asked questions

Where do Smartsheet column descriptions normally appear?

Column descriptions are entered in the column settings on a source sheet and are accessible from the column header on that sheet. They are not shown in reports natively.

Does Grid Tools add new descriptions, or show existing ones?

Grid Tools only surfaces descriptions that already exist on the source sheet. It does not add, edit, or store any description content of its own.

What happens if two source sheets have the same column name but different descriptions?

Grid Tools identifies which source sheet each column originates from and displays the description associated with that sheet's version of the column.

Does this work for all column types in a report?

Grid Tools shows descriptions for any column type that Smartsheet supports descriptions on, including text, dropdown, date, contact, and checkbox columns.

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