# Quick Actions

> Common column operations: saving, publishing, renaming, and deleting columns in your datasets.

Source: https://cotera.co/docs/guides/columns/quick-actions

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The essential operations you'll use regularly: saving your work, publishing changes, renaming, and deleting.

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## Save vs. Publish

Cotera separates saving your work from deploying it, giving you control over when changes go live.

### Saving Changes

Preserve your configuration work:

* **Save button**: Top right corner of the editor
* **Keyboard shortcut**: ⌘S (Command + S)

![Save button in the top right corner](https://cotera.co/media/docs/guides/columns/quick-actions/1.jpg)

The activity dot on your tab disappears once changes are saved.

### Publishing Strategy

The publish toggle in the top right corner controls how your saved changes deploy:

**Auto-publish enabled (recommended)**: Saving immediately deploys changes to your dataset. This is the standard workflow when you've tested your logic using preview.

**Auto-publish disabled (for experimental work)**: Saving stores changes locally without deployment. Use this when testing configurations you're not ready to run on live data. Click Publish explicitly when ready to deploy.

![Auto-publish toggle](https://cotera.co/media/docs/guides/columns/quick-actions/2.jpg)

**Best practice**: Always test your logic before saving with auto-publish enabled.

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## Rename

Change column names to maintain clarity as your workflows evolve.

* **From the sidebar**: Hover over the column name and click the three-dot menu, then select "Rename"
* **Using Command Palette**: Press ⌘K and search for "Rename"

![Three-dot menu in the sidebar with Rename option](https://cotera.co/media/docs/guides/columns/quick-actions/3.jpg)

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## Delete

Remove columns you no longer need.

* **From the sidebar**: Hover over the column name and click the three-dot menu, then select "Delete"
* **Using Command Palette**: Press ⌘K and search for "Delete"

You'll need to type the column name to confirm deletion, preventing accidental removal.

![Delete confirmation dialog](https://cotera.co/media/docs/guides/columns/quick-actions/4.jpg)

**Warning**: Deletion cannot be undone. The column configuration and all processed data are permanently removed.

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## Keep in Mind

When renaming or deleting columns, consider any downstream columns or workflows that reference them.