> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://dots.gitbook.io/dots-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://dots.gitbook.io/dots-docs/discovery/overview.md).
# Overview
The Overview tab is an auto-generated dashboard for the whole dataset - a grid of charts, one per field, plus a running total of responses. It is your pulse check: the first stop when you want to see what is in the data before diving into a single field or record.
It is one of up to three tabs for the same dataset - Documents, Responses, and **Overview** - all reading the same published records.
### **Why use the Overview tab?**
Overview gives you the shape of the whole dataset at a glance, with no setup. From here you can:
* **Get a real-time summary** of every text field in the dataset.
* **See every field charted automatically**, each in a default bar chart visualization.
* **Filter and break down** the entire dashboard at once.
* **Spot patterns** before drilling into a specific field or record.
#### Understanding the interface
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The tab has two parts:
* A **left sidebar** with **Filters** and **Breakdown** sub-tabs, each showing an active-count badge.
* A **main area** with a **Total Responses** count at the top (which respects your active filters) and a responsive grid of chart widgets below — one widget per field.
**How the charts are generated**
The dashboard reads every field in your template and creates one widget for each, choosing a chart type automatically:
* An **author chart** always comes first - responses grouped by contributor.
* **Choice and number fields** become **bar charts.**
* **Open-text fields** become an **AI summary** or **AI categorization**, depending on what is available for your workspace.
There is nothing to set up, the dashboard builds itself from your template.
**Changing what a widget shows**
* For charts, switch between **Bar & Pie**.
* For AI widgets, where they are enabled, switch between **Summary, Thematic, & Attributes.**
**Filtering and breaking down the whole dashboard**
* The **Filters** sub-tab holds the same automatically generated filters as the other tabs. The Total Responses count and every widget respect them, and your selections carry across Documents, Responses, and Overview within a session.
* The **Breakdown** sub-tab lets you pick a second field; every chart then re-runs, grouped by it.
* **Click any chart segment** to add it as a filter across the whole dashboard — every widget updates to match.
When filters are active, any widget with no matching data is **hidden**, so you never end up looking at a page of empty charts.
{% hint style="info" %}
*Widgets load as you scroll to them, so a large dashboard stays responsive. A chart you have not reached yet may take a moment to draw when it comes into view.*
{% endhint %}
**Tips for working in Overview**
* Start here for a pulse check before moving into Documents or Responses.
* Use **Breakdown** to slice the entire dashboard by one dimension at once — for example, every field grouped by region.
* Click a chart segment to filter everything to it; it is faster than building the filter by hand.
* Empty charts disappearing under a filter is expected behavior, not a fault.
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