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Using Drill-Down in Finished Reports

Cory Fifield
Updated

Drill-down functionality allows users to expand or collapse grouped report details directly in the report preview.

This can make large reports easier to read by keeping detail rows hidden until the user chooses to view them.

What Is Drill-Down?

Drill-down uses a control, such as a Label in a Group Header, to show or hide related report details.

For example, a report grouped by employee can display only the employee heading initially. Selecting that heading can then expand the related detail rows.

Drill-down can be useful for:

  • Grouped summaries
  • Large reports with many detail rows
  • Interactive review of report data
  • Reducing clutter in the initial report view

Note: Drill-down is interactive in the report previewer and Visualize. Drill-down behavior is not preserved when the report is exported to formats such as PDF or Excel.

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Step 1: Group the Report

In the Finished Reports Designer, use Group and Sort to group the report by the field or fields you want to use for drill-down.

In the current example, the report uses multiple grouping levels.

Step 2: Add the Drill-Down Control to the Group Header

Place the grouping field or Label that users will select into the appropriate Group Header band.

This control will be used to expand or collapse the related report content.

In the current example, separate Group Header levels are used for the drill-down controls.

Note: Multiple drill-down levels are optional. The number of levels depends on how the report is grouped and how much detail you want users to expand.

Step 3: Add the Detail Fields

Add the fields you want users to view when the drill-down section is expanded to the Detail band.

The current example includes fields such as:

  • OrderID
  • OrderDate
  • Freight
  • ShipAddress
  • ShipCity
  • ShipCountry

Step 4: Configure the Drill-Down Properties

  1. Select the band you want users to expand or collapse.
  2. In the Properties pane, open the Behavior properties.
  3. The Drill-Down Control and Drill-Down Expanded options are displayed only when a report band is selected.
  4. Set Drill-Down Control to the Label or control users will click.
  5. Configure Drill-Down Expanded:
    • Checked — the band starts expanded.
    • Unchecked — the band starts collapsed.

Note: If you do not see the Drill-Down options, make sure a report band, such as the Detail band, is selected.

Step 5: Preview the Drill-Down Behavior

Select Preview and test the report.

Select the configured drill-down control to confirm that the related details expand and collapse correctly.

Confirm that:

  • The correct detail section expands
  • The section collapses when selected again
  • Each drill-down control affects the intended group
  • The report initially opens in the expected expanded or collapsed state

Step 6: Save the Report

After confirming the drill-down behavior, save the Finished Report.

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