---
title: "What’s the Difference between Footnotes & Coupled Shells?"
description: "This FAQ article provides clear explanations of the differences between **Footnotes** and **Coupled Shells** in Assette. While both are important components used in reporting and data presentation, they serve very different purposes. Understanding their roles, how they are created, and…"
url: "https://learn.assette.com/docs/whats-the-difference-between-footnotes-coupled-shells/"
updated: "2025-06-04"
category: Users / Authoring Center / Authoring FAQs
---

# What’s the Difference between Footnotes & Coupled Shells?

This FAQ article provides clear explanations of the differences between **Footnotes** and **Coupled Shells** in Assette. While both are important components used in reporting and data presentation, they serve very different purposes. Understanding their roles, how they are created, and how they behave within the Assette platform will help users apply them appropriately across content blocks and presentations.

### Footnotes

In Assette, a **Footnote** is a reusable textual element linked to a **Data Object**. While footnotes may appear visually distinct from the data they reference, they are not standalone in function. Footnotes are explicitly tied to a Data Object using the **"Title & Footnotes"** tab within the **Data Object Editor**.

Footnotes are designed to provide explanatory details or clarifications about specific data shown in a table, chart, or narrative. They support transparency and accuracy by ensuring that viewers understand the underlying context or methodology used in data presentation.

Footnotes can be **dynamic**, meaning they can adjust content based on the data values within the associated Data Object. Additionally, conditional logic can be applied to determine when a footnote should be shown or hidden, based on specific data conditions.

A key behavior to note is that footnotes are **automatically inserted** into a page when a user adds a Data Object associated with a footnote. If a user attempts to delete the footnote manually or bypass its insertion, Assette will generate an error, reinforcing the dependency relationship between the footnote and the Data Object.

#### Footnotes vs. Disclosures

Before working with footnotes in Assette, it is important to distinguish them from **disclosures**, which are also textual elements but serve a broader purpose.

- **Footnotes** typically offer explanations related to specific line items within a data table or chart. For example, a footnote might clarify that a fund's EPS is calculated using the diluted EPS method.
- **Disclosures**, on the other hand, provide contextual or legal information often required by compliance teams, legal advisors, or contractual obligations. For example, a disclosure might state, “Future performance is not indicative of future returns.”

Both footnotes and disclosures in Assette can be dynamic, but the **source of dynamic behavior differs**:

- Footnotes derive their content from the data within the **Data Object** itself.
- Disclosures generally pull content from **metadata** or **generation parameters**, such as attributes of an account, strategy, or product.

### Coupled Shells

**Coupled Shells are derived from the output of a Data Object** and function as their own Smart Shell.

Unlike footnotes, Coupled Shells:

- Are not created in the Data Object Editor.
- Can be added to or removed from an Assette PowerPoint presentation manually.
- Do not insert automatically when a Data Object is added.

Coupled Shells do not support conditional visibility in the same way as footnotes. They are more layout-oriented, meant to define a repeatable visual structure for content blocks that use specific data.