---
title: When and Why You See an Impact Change Message in the Developer Center
description: "A message to confirm changes is triggered to inform users of potential downstream effects when changes are made to artefacts in both in the Developer Center and elsewhere in Assette. This includes **Data Blocks**, **Data Objects**, **API Definitions**, **Dynamic Fields**,…"
url: "https://learn.assette.com/docs/when-and-why-you-see-an-impact-change-message-in-the-developer-center/"
updated: "2025-05-13"
category: Developers / Developer FAQ / Developer Tools FAQs
---

# When and Why You See an Impact Change Message in the Developer Center

A message to confirm changes is triggered to inform users of potential downstream effects when changes are made to artefacts in both in the Developer Center and elsewhere in Assette. This includes **Data Blocks**, **Data Objects**, **API Definitions**, **Dynamic Fields**, and **Footnotes**. The system evaluates whether these artefacts have dependencies and provides alerts accordingly.

![When and Why You See an Impact Change Message in the Developer Center 1](https://learn.assette.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/image-6.png)

This message is **only related artefacts directly dependent on the artefact being changed**and does not extend through the entire content hierarchy. To see the full content hierarchy, please use [X-Ray](https://learn.assette.com/docs/x-ray-view/) instead.

## **What Triggers the Message?**

The message can appear in two main scenarios:

| Action | Trigger Conditions |
| --- | --- |
| **Save** | Artefact has dependent items **and** changes are made in **General Info** (excluding “description”). |
| **Publish** | Either of the following: – Changes in **General Info** (excluding “description”) – Changes in **metadata** compared to the last published version |

## **What Happens When It's Triggered?**

When a triggering condition is met, you will see a **warning message**. This message includes:

- A list of impacted (dependent) artefacts
- Options to:
  - **Copy**dependency details
  - **Confirm** and proceed with your action
  - **Cancel** to stop and review

## **How It Works by Artefact Type**

### **Data Blocks**

#### Save

- Warning triggered if:
  - Dependent artefacts exist
  - General Info (excluding "description") is changed

#### Publish

- Warning triggered if:
  - General Info changes (excluding "description"), **or**
  - Metadata differs from the last published version

#### Fields Compared on Publish:

- **Data Settings**: Name, Data Type
- **Columns**: Name, Data Type
- **Output Variables**: Name, Data Type

#### UI Behavior

- If dependencies exist:
  - **Name** and **Output Type** fields are disabled
  - An **Edit** button is shown
  - Clicking **Edit** displays the warning message

### **Data Objects**

#### Save

- Warning triggered if:
  - Dependent artefacts exist
  - General Info (excluding "description") is changed

#### Publish

- Warning triggered if:
  - General Info changes (excluding "description"), **or**
  - Metadata differs from the last published version

#### Fields Compared on Publish:

- **Data Settings**: Name, Data Type
- **Columns**: Name, Data Type
- **Output Variables**: Name, Data Type

#### UI Behavior

- If dependencies exist:
  - **Name** and **Use For** fields are disabled
  - An **Edit** button is shown
  - Clicking **Edit** displays the warning message

## **Summary of Artefact Behavior**

| Artefact Type | Save Trigger | Publish Trigger | UI Restrictions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Data Block** | General Info (excl. description) | General Info + Metadata changes | Disable Name & Output Type + Edit button |
| **Data Object** | General Info (excl. description) | General Info + Metadata changes | Disable Name & Use For + Edit button |