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Accessing Data and Data Analysis
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How does drill mode work?
When you make a query on a BusinessObjects universe, the objects you can
include are grouped in folders and organized in a specific order.
The person who creates the BusinessObjects universe organizes objects in
hierarchies, with the most general object in the class at the top and the most
detailed at the bottom.
Objects are grouped in this way to make it easy for you to find what you are
looking for. They are classified inside the groups so that if you want to make a
high level report you know you need to include objects at the top of the list in your
query and if you want a more detailed report then you choose objects from further
down the list.
Hierarchies
Objects are also organized in this way for drilling. When you analyze data in drill
mode, you use hierarchies. The universe classes are the default hierarchies you
use for drilling but the universe designer can also set up custom hierarchies. You
can also create and edit hierarchies in your reports.
Drill hierarchies contain dimension objects only. In drill mode, you drill down on
dimensions, for example from Year to Quarter to Month. At each level
BusinessObjects recalculates measures such as Revenue or Profit Margin.
Sales Class
The objects grouped in the Sales class are all
connected to sales. They are arranged in
hierarchical order with Sales Person, the
highest level object, at the top and then down
through Year to Invoice Date, the finest level
of detail.
Measure objects are
stored in a separate
folder.