# Command: annotate

The `fides annotate` starts an interactive shell that provides a guided flow for annotating datasets manually. Dataset annotation in Fides relies on identifying and labeling sensitive data using the Fides taxonomy. For more in-depth details on sensitive data and the Fides taxonomy, see the [Fides Sensitive Data Taxonomy (opens in a new tab)](https://ethyca.github.io/fideslang/explorer/) guide.

When the `annotate` command is run, it will:

1. Parse each field in the provided dataset.
2. Check if a field has an assigned data category.
3. If the field has _no_ data category assigned, provide a prompt for annotation.
4. Continue through all fields of the dataset until complete.

To learn more about dataset annotation in Fides see the [Dataset Annotation in Fides](/content/docs/integrations/guides/datasets/index.html) guide.

## Usage [Permalink for this section](/content/docs/cli-reference/manage/cmd-annotate#usage/index.html)

Usage: `fides annotate <dataset> [options]`

The command will start an interactive shell providing a guided flow to annotate datasets.

The command-line flags are all optional. The following flags are available:

- [`-a`](/content/docs/cli-reference/manage/cmd-annotate#a/index.html), [`--all-members`](/content/docs/cli-reference/manage/cmd-annotate#a/index.html) \- Annotate all dataset members, not just fields.
- [`-v`](/content/docs/cli-reference/manage/cmd-annotate#v/index.html), [`--validate`](/content/docs/cli-reference/manage/cmd-annotate#v/index.html) \- Strictly validate annotations to ensure they match available labels in the taxonomy.

## Example: No options provided [Permalink for this section](/content/docs/cli-reference/manage/cmd-annotate#example-no-options-provided/index.html)

This example of the command's default behavior provides a guided flow just for fields identified in the dataset. In this example `.fides/dataset.yml` is the dataset being labeled. All provided labels will be written in place to the same file when the shell is complete.
Provide data category labels as a comma separated list from the [Fides Taxonomy (opens in a new tab)](https://ethyca.github.io/fideslang/taxonomy/overview/).

```
$ fides annotate dataset .fides/dataset.yml
Loaded config from: .fides/fides.toml

####
Annotating Dataset: [postgres]
####
Annotating Table: [customer]

Field [customer.email] has no data categories

Enter comma separated data categories for [email] [s: skip, q: quit]:
```

## Example: Strictly validate annotations against taxonomy [Permalink for this section](/content/docs/cli-reference/manage/cmd-annotate#example-strictly-validate-annotations-against-taxonomy/index.html)

This example provides a guided flow similar in behavior to the default command. However, here all data category labels provided will be strictly validated against the Fides taxonomy currently configured in your Fides instance.

```
$ fides annotate dataset -v .fides/dataset.yml
Loaded config from: .fides/fides.toml

####
Annotating Dataset: [postgres]
####
Annotating Table: [customer]

Field [customer.email] has no data categories

Enter comma separated data categories for [email] [s: skip, q: quit]:
```

In the example below, a nonexistent data category `nonexistent_category` has been provided for the `customer.email` field. The system responds with an error that the proposed category is invalid and will ask for a valid category again:

```
Enter comma separated data categories for [email] [s: skip, q: quit]: nonexistent_category

[['nonexistent_category']] is not a valid data category, please re-confirm and try again!
Enter comma separated data categories for [fields] [s: skip, q: quit]:
```

To learn more about dataset annotation in Fides see the [Dataset Annotation in Fides](/content/docs/integrations/guides/datasets/index.html) guide.