Complete Guide - How-To, Error Reference and Troubleshooting

The Drill Down feature in the Datarails Flex Add-in allows you to explore the underlying details of summarized data in your reports directly within Excel, uncovering the data behind your numbers and offering deeper insights by breaking down aggregated values into detailed components.

• Access detailed data quickly without navigating multiple spreadsheets.
• Tailor drill downs and filters to your analysis needs.
• Save and share drill downs, enabling others to leverage these configurations.

Located in the Datarails Flex Add-in tab in Excel, the Drill Down feature lets you interact with Datarails formulas using two options: Drill Down by Field and Drill Details. You can also save frequently used drill downs to Favorites for quick access.

To enable the Drill Down feature, the file must be connected to the Datarails environment.

Drill Down By Field

The Drill Down By Field feature lets you explore specific data fields to see what contributes to a particular value, such as identifying which accounts contributed to the Income of Customer Success in April 2024. Follow these steps:

1. Click on a cell that contains a Datarails formula.
2. Click the Drill Down by Field button in the Datarails Flex ribbon or right-click the cell.
3. A list of all fields from the source table will appear. Select the field you want to drill down into.
4. A pivot table will be generated, displaying aggregated amounts for each value in the selected field.
5. A Drill Details tab will also open, listing all transactions that contributed to the amount, giving you a detailed view of the underlying data.
6. To explore further, double-click on any specific value in the pivot table. This action will open another Drill Details tab, showing all transactions that make up the specific amount.

Drill Details

The Drill Details feature allows you to access the complete list of transactions that make up a specific value, providing a full view of the underlying data without any aggregation. For example, use this option to see all data building the Income of Marketing in May 2024. Follow these steps:

1. Click on a cell that contains a Datarails formula.
2. Click the Drill Details button in the Datarails Flex ribbon or right-click the cell.
3. The Drill Details tab will open, displaying a full list of all transactions that contributed to the selected value, with all relevant fields from the database.
4. Each Drill Details tab provides a granular view of every transaction, helping you fully understand the composition of the specific amount.

Favorites

The Favorites feature allows you to save your customized drill downs, making them easily accessible for future use. This functionality helps you save time and maintain consistency by quickly applying frequently used drill down configurations across different reports.

Adding a Favorite

1. Follow the steps in 'Drill Down By Field' to create a pivot table.  
2. Click on the pivot table, go to Drill Down > Favorites > Add to Favorites.
3. Enter a name for your drill down and save it for future use.

Accessing a Favorite 

1. Click on a cell that contains a Datarails formula.
2. Click on Favorites from the Datarails Flex ribbon to view and apply your saved drill downs.
3. Select the saved favorite to instantly recreate the drill down.

Delete Drill Tabs

To safely manage your drill down tabs, avoid deleting them directly from Excel. Instead:

1. Click on the Drill Down button in the Datarails Flex ribbon.
2. Select Delete Drill Tabs, and click Yes to close the tabs safely without affecting your workbook.

Important: Always use the Delete Drill Tabs option from the ribbon rather than manually deleting the tabs in Excel. Manual deletion can leave behind stray named ranges, which may slow down your workbook over time.

Drill Down in Dashboards and Widgets

1. Open your Dashboard in the Datarails web app.
2. Click on a value or data point in a widget (table cell, chart bar, pie slice, etc.) - drillable values typically appear as underlined or clickable text.
3. The Drill Down panel opens, showing the underlying records for that specific data point.

Drilling Down on Calculated Values

You can drill down on calculated values in dashboards, such as Gross Margin %, Revenue per Employee, or EBITDA. Clicking a data point on a calculated-value chart opens a drill down that shows the numbers behind the result.

• The value is recalculated at each level. Rather than filtering a pre-calculated number, Datarails rebuilds the calculation from its source metrics (for example, Gross Margin % from Revenue and COGS) at the level you drilled into. This means the drill down always reconciles with the value shown on the widget.
• Drill through multiple levels - for example Month → Entity → Account — with the value recalculated at every step. The number of levels available depends on how many fields are configured on the widget.
• View the breakdown as a chart or a table, export it to CSV, and save it as a favorite.

Note: Calculated-value drill down behaves differently in the Excel Add-In. In the Add-In, the drill down shows the underlying source transactions without applying the calculation, so the total may not match the cell value. See section 9.5 for details.

Tip: Not all widget values are drillable in dashboards. Storyboard values do not support Drill Down (see Known Limitations below).

Exporting Drill Down Data

1. Open a Drill Down view (either via Drill Down By Field or Drill Details).
2. Click the Export or Download CSV button.
3. The data exports to a CSV file you can open in Excel or any spreadsheet tool.

Note: Very large drill-down data sets may hit a row-count limit on CSV export. If your export appears truncated, try applying filters to narrow the data before exporting.

Customizing Drill Down Columns

There are two ways to control which columns appear in Drill Down results, depending on the scope you need:

Per-session: Column filter in the web app

In the Datarails web app's drill-down list view, click the filter icon to open a column visibility popover. You can toggle individual columns on or off for your current session. You can also rearrange the column order.

To preserve your column selection and order, save it as a Favorite (see section 3 above).

Note: This option is available in the web app only. The Excel Add-In determines columns automatically — column visibility and column order cannot be changed in the Add-In.

Org-wide: Hide fields from Table Field Management (admin)

Administrators can permanently hide a field from the organization:

1. Go to Tables > Field Management in the Datarails web app.
2. Find the field you want to hide.
3. Click the visibility (eye) icon to toggle the field's hidden status.

Depending on your configuration, you may also be able to hide fields for specific organizations only using the "Manage Field Access" option.

Caution: Hiding a field at the table level is not limited to Drill Down. Hidden fields will also be unavailable when creating dashboard widgets, in Report Builder, in DR tables, and in other areas that reference table fields. Coordinate with your team before hiding fields.

Known Limitations

The following scenarios affect Drill Down behavior. Understanding them will help you avoid confusion.

Error Messages and What They Mean

Drill down contains no records

What it means: The Drill Down executed, but returned zero matching source records.

Common causes and fixes:

#BUSY Error

What it means: The Excel cell displays #BUSY instead of a value when you attempt to drill down, or the drill-down panel shows a loading state that never completes.

Common causes and fixes:

• Add-in conflict: Two Datarails add-ins are installed simultaneously (e.g., the Windows COM add-in and the Mac/Office JS add-in). See the Add-In Conflict troubleshooting section below.
• Stale cache: Clear the Datarails app cache (see How to Clear Cache below).
• Large dataset: The drill-down is pulling a very large number of records. Wait a moment — if it does not resolve within 60 seconds, try clearing cache and retrying.

#VALUE! or #NAME? Error

What it means: The cell shows a standard Excel error instead of a Datarails value. This typically indicates the Datarails formula cannot be evaluated.

Common causes and fixes:

• Add-in conflict: The most common cause. A second Datarails add-in is installed, causing formula conflicts. See the Add-In Conflict troubleshooting section below.
• Corrupted formula text: If the file was previously opened/edited on a Mac add-in, the formula text may contain corrupted "_xldudf_" prefixes. Open the file on the correct platform and re-save, or manually remove the "_xldudf_" prefix from affected formulas.
• Add-in not loaded: Make sure the Datarails add-in is enabled. Go to File > Options > Add-ins (Windows) or check the Insert > My Add-ins panel (Mac/Web) to verify.

Drill Down Panel Opens but Is Empty (No Error)

What it means: The Drill Down panel appears but shows no data and no error message.

This often happens when:

• You lack filebox permissions for the underlying data
• The Chart of Accounts or Data Mapper has unmapped entries
• The data point you clicked has no underlying source records for the current filter context

Drill Down Total Doesn't Match the Report Value

What it means: The total shown at the bottom of the Drill Details tab is different from the value displayed in the report cell or widget.

This is usually expected behavior, not a bug. The most common reasons:

1. Calculated value drill-down in the Excel Add-In: When you drill into a calculated value in the Add-In, the drill down shows the underlying source transactions but does not apply the calculation. For example, if your cell shows Revenue - Cost, the drill-down total will show Revenue + Cost (the sum of all component transactions), not the calculated difference. This is expected, the Add-In drill down displays raw transaction data, not the formula result. Note that in dashboards, calculated values are recalculated at each drill level, so the drill down does reconcile with the widget value.
2. Duplicate-row suppression: The source data contains duplicate records. The drill-down intentionally suppresses duplicates to show you unique records, but the aggregate report value may include them.
3. Formula dependency fan-out: The report cell contains a formula that references or sums multiple other cells. Drilling into this cell shows all the underlying records for all referenced cells, which may add up to a different total than the cell value itself.
4. Naming collision: A calculated value and an account share the same name, causing the report to double-count, while the drill-down correctly shows only the actual source records.

What to do: If the mismatch is significant and you cannot explain it using the reasons above, contact Datarails support with the specific cell reference, report name, and the two values (report value vs. drill-down total).

Troubleshooting Guide

Add-In Conflict (Most Common Issue)

The #1 cause of Drill Down failures is having more than one Datarails add-in installed at the same time. This can happen when:

• Both the Windows COM add-in and the Mac/Office JS add-in are installed on the same machine
• Your IT department deployed a second Datarails add-in via Microsoft 365 Integrated Apps without your knowledge
• You previously used a different version of the add-in and it was not fully removed

How to check and fix:

Windows:

1. Go to File > Options > Add-ins
2. Look at both COM Add-ins and Office Add-ins sections
3. You should see only one Datarails add-in. If you see two (e.g., "Datarails" under COM Add-ins AND under Office Add-ins), disable/remove the one you do not use
4. Restart Excel

Mac:

1. Go to Insert > My Add-ins (or Tools > Add-ins)
2. Check for duplicate Datarails entries
3. Remove the extra one
4. Restart Excel

If deployed by IT: Ask your IT administrator to check Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Integrated Apps and remove any duplicate Datarails add-in deployments.

How to Clear the Datarails App Cache

Clearing the cache resolves many intermittent Drill Down issues, especially after add-in updates.

1. Open the Datarails sidebar in Excel
2. Click the Settings (gear) icon
3. Select Clear Cache or Clear App Data
4. Close and reopen Excel
5. Try the Drill Down again

Drill Down Stopped Working After an Add-In Update

1. Clear the app cache (see above)
2. Close all Excel windows completely
3. Reopen Excel and your workbook
4. If the issue persists, check for add-in conflicts (see above)
5. If still not working, send zip logs to Datarails support (see below)

Drill Down Is Slow

If Drill Down takes a long time to load:

• Large data sets: Reports connected to fileboxes with thousands of records will naturally take longer. Consider filtering your report before drilling.
• Too many named ranges: Workbooks with a very large number of named ranges (10,000+) can slow down Drill Down. Clean up unnecessary named ranges via Formulas > Name Manager.
• Clear cache: A stale cache can cause performance issues. Clear the Datarails app cache and retry.

How to Send Zip Logs to Support

If none of the above steps resolve your issue, send diagnostic logs to Datarails support:

1. Open the Datarails sidebar in Excel
2. Click the Settings (gear) icon
3. Select Send Zip Logs or Export Logs
4. Attach the downloaded zip file to your support ticket along with:

• The name of the report/file
• The specific cell or widget you are trying to drill into
• A screenshot of the error (if any)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I share a saved Drill Down favorite with another user?

A: It depends on the platform:

• Web app: Yes — favorites saved in the Datarails web app are public by default and visible to all users in your organization.
• Excel Add-In: Favorites are saved inside the workbook. Anyone with access to the workbook file can see and use them, but there is no way to share a favorite independently — it travels with the workbook.

Q: Can I drill down into both Budget and Actuals from the same cell?

A: If a cell's formula aggregates both Budget and Actuals scenarios, the Drill Down will show the underlying records for whichever scenario the formula references. To see both separately, use separate cells or filters for each scenario.

Q: Can I find which source filebox a drill-down value comes from?

A: Yes. In the Drill Details tab, look for the fileLink column — it contains clickable hyperlinks to the source document in Datarails. You can also look for the Filebox ID field, which shows the ID of the filebox each record originates from.

Q: Can I customize which columns appear or their order in Drill Down?

A: See Section 7 — Customizing Drill Down Columns above for full details on per-session column filtering, column reordering (web app only), and org-wide field hiding.

Q: Can I drill down on calculated values?

A: Yes, on both platforms - but the behavior differs:

• Dashboards: Clicking a data point on a calculated-value widget opens a drill down. The value is recalculated at each level from its source metrics, so the drill down reconciles with the value shown on the widget. You can drill through multiple levels, view the breakdown as a chart or table, export to CSV, and save it as a favorite.
• Excel Add-In: You can drill into calculated values, and the drill down shows all the underlying source transactions. However, the calculation is not applied, the drill-down total reflects the sum of all component transactions, not the calculated result (e.g., Revenue - Cost will show Revenue + Cost in the drill-down total).

Q: Why does Drill Down work for some cells but not others in the same report?

A: Each cell drills into the specific formula and data source it references. Common reasons one cell works and another doesn't:

• One cell references a filebox you have access to; the other references one you don't
• The cell contains a plain static value or standard Excel formula with no connection to a Datarails formula (note: a cell that references another cell with a DR formula can be drilled)
• The underlying data source has unmapped fields

Q: What's the difference between "Drill Down By Field" and "Drill Details"?

A: Drill Down By Field lets you pick a specific field to group by, generating a pivot table with aggregated amounts per value in that field, plus a Drill Details tab. Drill Details skips the pivot and directly shows the full, ungrouped list of all transactions behind the cell's value.

Q: Should I delete Drill Down tabs directly in Excel?

A: No. Always use the Delete Drill Tabs option from the Datarails Flex ribbon (Drill Down > Delete Drill Tabs). Manually deleting tabs in Excel can leave behind stray named ranges that accumulate and slow down your workbook over time.

Updated August 25, 2026 13:32