Drill Down
Drill down lets you explore the detail behind a summarized number, without leaving your report. Break a data point down by a field, or open the full list of everything behind it.
Open it from Drill Down in the panel. It works on cells holding a Datarails value, so the report needs to have been refreshed.
Choosing the cell
Drill down works on one cell or a range of cells, and the panel shows which one(s) under Cell Reference.
It follows your selection in the sheet, so clicking the figure you are interested in is usually all you need. You can also type a range, or click “select range” to change your selection.
Open detailed records
Gives you the complete list of records that make up a value, with no aggregation. For example, every transaction behind the income of Marketing in May.
- Select the cell holding the value.
- Click Open detailed records.
A new sheet is opened displaying the transactions records.
Drill down by field
Breaks the value down by a field you choose, so you can see what contributes to it. For example, which accounts made up the income of Customer Success in April.
- Select the cell holding the value. (you can change it via “select range”)
- Click Drill down by field.
- Choose the Table the data comes from.
- Choose the field to break down by.
- Apply.
The breakdown is written to a new sheet, grouped by the field you picked.
Favorites
A breakdown you run often can be saved and rerun in one click, which also keeps the same analysis consistent across reports.
To save one: set up a breakdown by field, then save it as a favorite and give it a name.
To use one: select a cell holding a Datarails value, open Favorites, and run the one you want. The breakdown is written to a new sheet exactly as if you had built it by hand.
Favorites can be re-named/deleted from the same list.
Clear drill-down sheets
Every drill down writes a new sheet into your spreadsheet, and they accumulate as you work.
Clear them from the panel with Delete drill down tabs, which removes all of them at once.
Use that rather than deleting the sheets by hand, so nothing is left behind.
What each person sees
A drill down runs against your own Datarails data access. If your access covers part of what makes up a figure, your drill down shows that part, and the total in the report may be larger than the detail you can see. A colleague with broader access drilling into the same cell sees more rows.
This is expected behavior, not a data problem.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
| Drill down does nothing | The selected cell does not hold a Datarails value | Select a cell containing a Datarails figure |
| The result is empty | Your Datarails access does not cover the records behind the figure, or the figure is zero | Check with the person who owns the data in Datarails |
| The detail does not add up to the figure | Your access covers only part of the underlying records | Expected. Ask your Datarails administrator if you need broader access |
| The result is out of date | The report has not been refreshed since the data changed | Refresh, then drill again |
| The panel is pointing at the wrong cell | The cell reference was locked to an earlier selection | Clear the reference, then select the cell you want |
Getting help
Contact the Datarails Support team at support@datarails.com, or reach out to your dedicated Customer Success Manager.
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