OpenMetadata/openmetadata-docs/content/v1.7.x/how-to-guides/user-guide-data-users/description.md

---
title: How to Add Description using Markdown
slug: /how-to-guides/guide-for-data-users/description
---

# How to Add Description using Markdown

Description allows you to document the data to help data consumers understand it. In OpenMetadata, the search option also searches based on the text in the description. You can also document nested columns and search based on the descriptions. You can tag the columns using glossary terms to add semantic meaning. You can add classification tags to classify the data. You can set business importance of data by setting Tier. Tier 1 is the most important data of an organization. All the descriptive metadata you add in the form of description, ownership, and tier are available in Search and Explore.

In OpenMetadata, you can work around the data asset descriptions in one of the following ways:
- Add or edit description
- Request for description
- Start a conversation around the description

## Add or Edit Description
- From the Explore page, navigate to the data asset you would like to edit.
- Click on the pencil icon to add or edit the description

{% image
src="/images/v1.7/how-to-guides/user-guide-for-data-stewards/desc1.png"
alt="Add or Edit the Data Asset Description"
caption="Add or Edit the Data Asset Description"
/%}

- You can add or edit the description from the editor. You can also preview the description.

## Markdown Support

The editor supports **Markdown formatting**, which can be applied using the toolbar options or command-based formatting.

**Legacy Markdown syntax is no longer supported.** Instead, you can use the toolbar-based formatting for actions such as:

- **Headers**
- **Bold, Italics, Strikethrough**
- **Bulleted and Numbered lists**
- **Hyperlinks**
- **Line breaks, Block quotes**
- **Inline code**, `Code blocks`

- Refer to the [Markdown Guide](https://www.markdownguide.org/cheat-sheet/) for more information.

{% image
src="/images/v1.7/how-to-guides/user-guide-for-data-stewards/desc2.png"
alt="Add or Edit the Data Asset Description"
caption="Add or Edit the Data Asset Description"
/%}

{%inlineCallout
  color="violet-70"
  bold="How to Request for Description"
  icon="MdArrowForward"
  href="/how-to-guides/guide-for-data-users/request-description"%}
  Request for a description and discuss the same within OpenMetadata
{%/inlineCallout%}