Workbook modes overview: View, Explore, Edit
This document applies to organizations that onboarded after the November 1, 2022 release of Live Edit or have since upgraded to workbooks with Live Edit capability. If Live Edit isn’t enabled for your organization, see Workbook modes overview (legacy).
Sigma features three workbook modes (View, Explore, and Edit) that provide different levels of access and interactions within a workbook. Each mode is designed to help you perform specific tasks depending on your objectives and permissions.
Summary of content
Workbook accessibility comparison
Workbook mode objectives
| View mode | Explore mode | Edit mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Allows you to view a published version of a workbook (the version labeled “Published” and all tagged versions) | Provides an isolated environment that allows you to perform unrestricted ad hoc analysis without affecting saved or shared versions of a workbook | Provides a draft environment with full-scope analytic functionality that allows you to perform and save an individual or collaborative analysis |
| Use case | Recommended when you need to review a workbook without performing additional analysis | Recommended when you need quick answers to specific business questions, but you don’t need to save the analysis for future use or sharing | Recommended when you need to build reports and publish them for future use or sharing |
| Account type requirement | View workbook permission enabled | Explore workbook permission enabled | Edit workbook permission enabled |
| Workbook permission | Can view, Can explore, Can edit, or Owner | Can explore, Can edit, or Owner | Can edit or Owner |
Workbook accessibility comparison
The following table breaks down the workbook access control model that governs what you can do in each mode.
| View mode | Explore mode | Edit mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Version access | |||
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Published version1 |
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| Draft version | |
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| Element actions | |||
| Maximize element | |
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View, filter, and sort underlying data |
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View element data source |
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| Download element data2 | |
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| Add/view element comments | |
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| Refresh element data | |
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| Copy element | |
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| Paste element | |
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| Create child element | |
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| Workbook actions | |||
| Use existing controls (filters, parameters) | |
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| Export workbook page2 | |
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| Refresh workbook data | |
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| Add/view workbook comments | |
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| Create content (pages, elements, layouts) | |
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| Modify content (pages, elements, layouts) | |
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| Delete content (pages, elements, layouts) | |
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| Create input tables | |
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| Add AI-generated input table columns | |
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| Edit existing input table columns3 |
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| Edit workbook layout | |
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| View and change workbook data source | |
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| View custom SQL logic | |
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| View the workbook lineage | |
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| View hidden workbook pages | |
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| Publish changes | |
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1 When Version tagging is enabled, users with Can view or Can explore workbook permission are granted access to all versions or specified tagged versions only.
2 Exporting workbook pages requires Export permission in the user’s assigned account type.
3 Editing existing input table columns in View and Explore mode requires the input table's data entry permission to be set to the workbook's published version. Users must also be assigned an account type with the Explore Workbook permission enabled, and they must have Can explore or Can edit workbook permission.