> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.toucanai.cloud/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.toucanai.cloud/faq-and-troubleshooting/ai-assisted-creation/when-should-i-switch-to-manual-editing.md).

# When should I switch to manual editing?

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**Target Audience**: Non technical users
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### TL;DR

Transition from the AI assistant to manual editing for granular control over chart configuration, complex logic, and visual styling.

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### When to use this

Use this page to determine when the AI assistant has reached its functional limit and manual intervention is required to finalize an analytics component.

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### Scenarios for Manual Editing

Manual editing is required when a visualization or dashboard needs specific adjustments that fall outside the scope of natural language prompting.

**1. Visual Refinement**

* **Granular Formatting**: Adjust specific chart properties, such as precise axis scaling, unit formatting, or color palettes.
* **Layout Control**: Modify the positioning and sizing of components within a dashboard to achieve a specific visual hierarchy.
* **Chart Type Selection**: Manually override the AI assistant's choice to select a more specific visualization subtype.

**2. Complex Business Logic**

* **Custom Calculations**: Define complex metrics or data transformations that require specific SQL-like logic or multi-step processing.
* **Advanced Filtering**: Apply intersecting or conditional filters that are not easily captured in a single text prompt.

**3. Operational Constraints**

* **Editing Existing Assets**: The AI assistant cannot modify the configuration of a chart once it is saved to a dashboard; these changes must be performed in manual mode.
* **Security & Compliance**: Manually audit and document data steps to ensure alignment with organizational data governance standards.

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### Workflow Recommendation: The Hybrid Approach

Toucan.ai supports a non-destructive transition between creation modes.

1. **Initiate with AI**: Use the AI assistant to generate a functional draft of a chart or dashboard.
2. **Refine Manually**: Toggle to Manual Edit mode to apply final styling, logic, and branding.

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**Constraint**: Switching from manual mode back to the AI assistant may result in the loss of certain manual formatting overrides if a new prompt significantly alters the underlying data query.
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