Will the Data table Widget and the "Add Cells" Menu come back for version 2

[mbostock]

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that there are forthcoming improvements that will provide related functionality with significantly more capabilities.

I discuss the rationale for removing the add cell menu and data table cells here, along with the role of AI for synthesizing common code snippets:

Officially announcing the new Observable

Thanks for the feedback, @lenaMK. And sorry for the bad timing! AI is entirely optional; you’ll be able to teach without it. We think AI is a helpful tool for learning (when used judiciously) but completely understand any reservations you may have. We’ve no plans to implement non-code cell modes (data table cells and chart cells) in new Observable. While these cell modes were convenient and arguably friendlier for some users, they were extremely limited and added a lot of complexity to the use…

Officially announcing the new Observable

No, we’re not planning on reintroducing the “Add cell menu” as it was called. Many users found it disruptive and distracting when creating new cells. We’ll likely bring back equivalent code snippets that are available via code autocomplete, like these (although I find these snippets to be a little bit too opaque and want to find a way to see a little bit more of the code before it’s inserted): [Screenshot 2026-09-02 at 9.37.28 AM] [Screenshot 2026-09-02 at 9.38.09 AM] Another technique is …

The forthcoming improvements to SQL cells should address much of the functionality previously provided by data table cell, including visual summaries with interactive filtering, but the SQL cell is much more expressive (since you can write SQL) and therefore less of a “dead end”.

Officially announcing the new Observable

We hear you. Hopefully the forthcoming improvements to SQL cells will serve this purpose. If we make it easy enough to create a SQL cell from a file (something like SELECT * FROM file), then you’ll get the same visual summaries and filters as the past data table cell. But unlike the data table cell, the query can be much more expressive if and when you want it to be.