Drilling Down the Structure

Drill Down along Dimensions for Detail

Summary results displayed in a chart or spreadsheet are easily disaggregated by "drilling down" through the dimensions. Just double-click on a data point to popup a menu of available drill down dimensions. The data point can be on a chart as illustrated or a spreadsheet cell. The data point is disaggregated along the selected dimension while all other dimensions are held constant. Use the drill down feature to pursue issues from the top down, isolating unusual or extreme values in the data.

Reach Back to Source Level Detail

Behind every summary data point is a collection of original source records - entities - that make up the data point. You can identify the specific set of entities by selecting the Reach Back drill down menu item. Further detail about any one entity may also be available. Use the Reach Back feature to identify the entities in unusual or extreme data points.

Custom Entity Viewing and Editing

Entity level detail can be viewed or even edited when the entity is listed in a reach back dialog. This detail can include auxiliary fields not part of the Highlander database per se. This is because entity viewers and editors are user-defined programs, not part of the Highlander system. These programs are called by the Highlander and passed the identification of a specific entity record selected by the user. It is a simple matter to relate high-level summarization to entity level detail.