Drill Down and Drill Up

What is Drill Down in Tableau?

Drill Down in Tableau allows users to navigate from higher-level data summaries to more detailed views, revealing finer granularity and insights within their visualizations.

Examples of Drill Down in Tableau:

• Time Hierarchy:
  Starting with a year-over-year sales summary, users can Drill Down to view quarterly, monthly, or daily sales figures, revealing trends and patterns at different time intervals.
• Geographic Drill Down:
  Users can begin with a world map showing country-level data. By clicking on a specific country, they can Drill Down to reveal state or city-level data, providing regional insights.
• Product Hierarchy:
  Starting with a product category summary, users can Drill Down to explore subcategories, individual products, and even variations or SKUs, helping identify top-performing products.
• Organizational Hierarchy:
  In HR analytics, users can begin with a high-level organization chart and Drill Down to view department-specific data, team performance, and individual employee details.
• Financial Statements:
  In financial analysis, Drill Down can be applied to financial statements like the income statement or balance sheet. Users can start with the total figures and Drill Down to view line items and account details.
• Website Analytics:
  For websites, Drill Down can reveal user behavior. Starting with high-level metrics like page views, users can Drill Down to see specific pages, user demographics, and referral sources.
• Sales Territories:
  Users can begin with a regional sales summary and Drill Down to view data by city, district, or even individual sales representative, helping optimize sales strategies.

Performing Drill Down in Tableau

Applying Drill Down on Dimensions

1. Create a Hierarchy:

• If your data has a natural hierarchy (e.g., time with year, quarter, month), you may already have a hierarchy set up. If not, create one by selecting the dimension fields you want to include in your hierarchy. Right-click on them and choose "Create Hierarchy".

2. Build a Visualization:

• Start by creating a visualization on your worksheet. This could be a chart, table, or any other visualization that you want to explore using Drill Down.

3. Add the Hierarchy to Rows or Columns:

• Drag the hierarchy you created or the dimension you want to Drill Down on to either the Rows or Columns shelf on your worksheet.

4. Enable Drill Down:

• Right-click on the dimension in the Rows or Columns shelf.
• Choose "Show Quick Filter".
• This will add a filter control to your worksheet that will allow users to Drill Down on the dimension.

5. Use the Drill Down Control:

• When you interact with the worksheet, you'll see the Drill Down control (usually a plus icon) next to the dimension.
• Clicking on this icon will allow you to Drill Down to the next level of the hierarchy or dimension.

Using Hierarchies for Drill Down

1. Create or Identify a Hierarchy:

• Start by either creating a hierarchy or identifying an existing one in your data. A hierarchy typically consists of multiple levels of a dimension, such as Year > Quarter > Month for time-based data or Category > Subcategory > Product for product data.

2. Add the Hierarchy to Your Worksheet:

• Drag and drop the hierarchy onto the Rows or Columns shelf of your worksheet. This hierarchy will serve as the basis for your drill-down functionality.

3. Add a Quick Filter:

• Right-click on the hierarchy in the Rows or Columns shelf.
• Select "Show Quick Filter" to add a filter control that will enable users to drill down within the hierarchy.

4. Build Your Visualization:

• Create a visualization (e.g., bar chart, line chart, or table) based on your data, using the hierarchy in your Rows or Columns shelf.

5. Use the Quick Filter for Drill Down:

• When users interact with your visualization, they will see the hierarchy's levels in the Quick Filter control.
• By clicking on the plus icon (+) next to a level in the Quick Filter, users can drill down to the next level of detail within the hierarchy.

6. Visual Updates:

• As users drill down, the visualization will automatically update to show data at the selected level of detail. For example, if they start with yearly data and drill down to quarterly data, the chart will reflect the quarterly details.

Interacting with Drill Down Controls

Identify Drill-Down Controls: Drill-down controls are typically denoted by a plus (+) or arrow icon (→) next to dimensions or hierarchies in Tableau visualizations. Users should look for these icons to identify elements they can interact with.

1. Initiate Drill Down:

• To drill down into a dimension or hierarchy, users can click on the plus (+) icon or the arrow icon (→) associated with that element.
• Alternatively, if you have set up a hierarchy filter or hierarchy selector on your dashboard, users can interact with these controls to initiate drill-down actions.

2. Navigate to the Next Level:

• After initiating the drill down, users will move to the next level of the hierarchy or dimension. This might involve going from years to quarters, from regions to cities, or from product categories to subcategories.
• Visual Updates:
  As users drill down, the visualization on the dashboard will dynamically update to display data at the newly selected level of granularity. Users will see more detailed information relevant to their selection.

3. Review Data at the New Level:

• Users can now explore and analyze data at the newly revealed level of detail. They may continue to interact with the visualization or perform further drill-down actions if applicable.

4. Drill Up (if available):

• In some cases, you may have enabled drill-up functionality. To move back to a higher-level summary, users can click on the minus (-) icon or the arrow icon (←) associated with the dimension or hierarchy they want to drill up from.

5. Exploration and Iteration:

• Interacting with drill-down controls in Tableau is often an iterative process. Users can explore data, drill down to find insights, and then drill up to see the bigger picture, all within the same dashboard.

6. Clear Drill-Down Selections:

• Users can clear their drill-down selections, typically by clicking on the highest-level element or using a "Clear" button or control if available. This action resets the visualization to its initial state.

What is Drill Up in Tableau?

Examples of Drill Up in Tableau:

• Time Hierarchy:
  Starting with a detailed view of daily sales data, users can Drill Up to see the monthly or yearly totals, allowing them to switch between granular and summarized views of time-based data.
• Geographic Drill Up:
  Users can begin by exploring city-level sales data on a map visualization. By clicking the Drill Up control, they can return to the state or country-level view, providing a broader geographical context.
• Product Hierarchy:
  After drilling down to view individual product performance and SKU-level details, users can Drill Up to see data for product categories or higher-level groupings.
• Organizational Hierarchy:
  In an HR dashboard, users may initially explore individual employee performance metrics. By using Drill Up, they can navigate back to view department or team-level data and understand the bigger picture.
• Financial Statements:
  When analyzing financial data, users can start with a detailed view of account-level transactions. With Drill Up, they can move back up to see summarized financial statements like the income statement or balance sheet.
• Website Analytics:
  Users can begin by examining detailed website traffic data for specific pages. Drill Up can take them to higher-level views showing overall website performance, making it easier to assess website health.
• Sales Territories:
  In a sales analysis dashboard, users can drill down to view sales data by individual sales representatives. They can use Drill Up to return to regional or district-level views for broader insights.
• Customer Segmentation:
  After exploring detailed customer profiles, users can Drill Up to see summarized data for customer segments, helping identify trends and patterns at a higher level.
• Project Management:
  Users can start by drilling down into task-level details within a project management dashboard. With Drill Up, they can navigate back to project-level summaries to assess overall progress.

Performing Drill Up in Tableau

Performing Reverse Drill Down Actions

1. Initial Drill Down:

• Start by performing a regular Drill Down action in Tableau. This means you begin with a higher-level summary or aggregated view of data and navigate to a more detailed level within a dimension or hierarchy. You typically initiate this by clicking on the plus (+) icon or the arrow icon (→) associated with a dimension or hierarchy.

2. Explore Detailed Data:

• Once you've drilled down to the lower-level data, take some time to explore and analyze the detailed information. This could involve examining individual data points, trends, or specific categories within the data.

3. Perform Reverse Drill Down:

• To perform a reverse Drill Down action and return to a higher-level summary, look for the reverse Drill Down control. This is typically denoted by a minus (-) icon or an arrow icon (←).
• Click on the reverse drill-down control associated with the dimension or hierarchy you want to move up from.

4. Visual Updates:

• As you perform the reverse Drill Down action, the visualization on the dashboard will automatically update to reflect the newly selected higher-level summary or aggregated view.

5. Review Data at the Higher Level:

• Take a moment to review and analyze the data at the higher level. This view provides a broader perspective on the data and can be valuable for understanding overall trends or patterns.

6. Iterative Exploration:

• Reverse Drill Down actions in Tableau enable users to engage in an iterative exploration process. Users can move between detailed and summarized views multiple times, depending on their analytical needs.

Using Hierarchies for Drill Up

1. Create or Identify a Hierarchy:

• Start by creating a hierarchy or identifying an existing one in your data. A hierarchy typically consists of multiple levels of a dimension, such as Year > Quarter > Month for time-based data or Category > Subcategory > Product for product data.

2. Add the Hierarchy to Your Worksheet:

• Drag and drop the hierarchy onto the Rows or Columns shelf of your worksheet. This hierarchy will serve as the basis for your Drill Up functionality.

3. Build Your Visualization:

• Create a visualization (e.g., bar chart, line chart, or table) based on your data, using the hierarchy in your Rows or Columns shelf.

4. Use the Hierarchy Levels for Drill Down:

• To start with, users can navigate through the hierarchy levels by expanding and collapsing them. This can be done by clicking on the plus (+) or minus (-) icons next to the hierarchy levels.

5. Use the Drill Up Control:

• To perform a Drill Up action, users can click on the reverse Drill Down control, which is typically denoted by an arrow icon (←) or a minus (-) sign next to the hierarchy. This control allows users to move up one level in the hierarchy.

6. Visual Updates:

• As users Drill Up, the visualization will automatically update to show data at the higher-level summary, reflecting the data at that selected level of granularity.

7. Iterative Exploration:

• The use of hierarchies for Drill Up facilitates an iterative exploration process. Users can move between detailed and summarized views within the hierarchy, gaining a deeper understanding of the data.

Interacting with Drill Up Controls

Identify Drill Up Controls: Drill Up controls are typically represented by a minus (-) icon or an arrow icon (←) located next to dimensions or hierarchies in Tableau visualizations. Users should look for these controls to identify elements they can interact with.

1. Initiate Drill Up Action:

• To perform a Drill Up action, users can click on the minus (-) icon or the arrow icon (←) associated with the dimension or hierarchy they want to move up from.
• Users can also initiate Drill Up actions by interacting with hierarchy filters or selectors if they are present on the dashboard.

2. Navigate to Higher-Level Data:

• After initiating the Drill Up action, users will navigate up one level in the hierarchy or dimension. This involves transitioning from a detailed view to a higher-level summary.

3. Visual Updates:

• As users execute the Drill Up action, the visualization on the dashboard will automatically update to reflect the newly selected higher-level summary. The displayed data will correspond to the selected level of granularity.

4. Review Data at Higher Levels:

• Users can now review and analyze the data at the higher level. This provides a broader perspective on the data and enables users to understand overall trends or patterns.

5. Iterative Exploration:

• Interacting with Drill Up controls in Tableau supports an iterative exploration process. Users can seamlessly move between detailed and summarized views, depending on their analytical requirements.

6. Customization (for Authors):

• Authors of Tableau dashboards can customize the appearance and behavior of Drill Up controls. This includes formatting, labeling, and specifying whether Drill Up is allowed for specific dimensions or hierarchies.

7. Contextual Understanding:

• While using Drill Up controls, users should refer to labels, tooltips, and legends to gain context and understand the data being presented at a higher level.