Drill down
Encyclopedia
In information technology
, to drill down means to move from summary information
to detailed data
by focusing in on something. In a GUI
-environment, "drilling-down" may involve click
ing on some representation in order to reveal more detail.
To drill down through a series of folders, for example, on a desktop means to move through the hierarchy of folders (from the top downwards) to find a specific file or to click through drop-down menus in a GUI. Clicking on an item moves you to a level of greater detail. When an online user accesses more and more pages of the website, he or she may delve deeper into the content of the site. As a web-surfer goes further into a website, he or she goes deeper into the back pages and thus deeper into data. (Of course, he or she could also begin—for example via an external search engine—at a detailed view, and drill up to the front page of the site.)
Drilling down through a database
involves accessing information by starting with a general category and moving through the hierarchy: from category to file/table to record to field. When one drills down, one performs de facto data analysis on a parent attribute. Drilling down provides a method of exploring multidimensional data by moving from one level of detail to the next. Drill-down levels depend on the data granularity
.
The field of managerial economics
uses the term "Drill Down" to explain exciting but technical aspects of operations research
and regression analysis
.
For an alternative data-extraction metaphor, see data mining
.
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, to drill down means to move from summary information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
to detailed data
Data
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
by focusing in on something. In a GUI
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
-environment, "drilling-down" may involve click
Point-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
ing on some representation in order to reveal more detail.
To drill down through a series of folders, for example, on a desktop means to move through the hierarchy of folders (from the top downwards) to find a specific file or to click through drop-down menus in a GUI. Clicking on an item moves you to a level of greater detail. When an online user accesses more and more pages of the website, he or she may delve deeper into the content of the site. As a web-surfer goes further into a website, he or she goes deeper into the back pages and thus deeper into data. (Of course, he or she could also begin—for example via an external search engine—at a detailed view, and drill up to the front page of the site.)
Drilling down through a database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
involves accessing information by starting with a general category and moving through the hierarchy: from category to file/table to record to field. When one drills down, one performs de facto data analysis on a parent attribute. Drilling down provides a method of exploring multidimensional data by moving from one level of detail to the next. Drill-down levels depend on the data granularity
Granularity
Granularity is the extent to which a system is broken down into small parts, either the system itself or its description or observation. It is the "extent to which a larger entity is subdivided...
.
The field of managerial economics
Managerial economics
Managerial economics as defined by Edwin Mansfield is "concerned with application of economic concepts and economic analysis to the problems of formulating rational managerial decision." It is sometimes referred to as business economics and is a branch of economics that applies microeconomic...
uses the term "Drill Down" to explain exciting but technical aspects of operations research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
and regression analysis
Regression analysis
In statistics, regression analysis includes many techniques for modeling and analyzing several variables, when the focus is on the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables...
.
For an alternative data-extraction metaphor, see data mining
Data mining
Data mining , a relatively young and interdisciplinary field of computer science is the process of discovering new patterns from large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and database systems...
.