Enhance Column Drill-Down / Drill-Up Experience in DV

Carter Beaton

Problem

In Data Visualization (DV), hierarchy drill interaction is not intuitive for many business users and some prefer to drill via columns then the native hierarchy tree. Currently the drill-down requires right-click actions, the drill replaces the current column rather than preserving context, and there is no clear drill-up or return navigation other than using Undo or manually reselecting a prior hierarchy attribute and removing drill filters. This creates unnecessary friction for dashboard consumers and makes hierarchical navigation feel technical and inefficient.

Proposed Enhancement

Enhance DV hierarchy interaction to support a more intuitive drill experience columns in a hierarchy that reduces reliance on right-click menus, maintains user context during drilling, and provides clear drill-up/back navigation (such as breadcrumbs or a return option). The goal is to make hierarchy exploration simple and obvious for end users, with predictable behavior and streamlined drill state/filter handling. OBIEE Classic can be considered a reference example of a user-friendly drill workflow, but the primary objective is improved DV usability and adoption.

Business Benefit

Improving hierarchy drill usability in DV will streamline hierarchical navigation, reduce time spent on trying to figure out how to use the tool and reduce clicks (right-click drilling, undo steps, and filter management), and enable users to stay focused on analysis and decision-making. This will accelerate DV adoption and improve the overall dashboard consumer experience

Drill Examples

DV

OAC Classic