Drill-through Paths

You can create a drill-through path in a source report in IBM® Cognos® Report Studio, or using Drill-through Definitions in IBM Cognos Connection. A drill-through path is the definition of the path that is taken when moving from one report to another, including how the data values are passed between the reports.

Using Drill-through Definitions, you can create a drill-through path from any report in the source package to any target report in any other package in IBM Cognos Connection. This type of drill-through definition is stored in the source package. Users of any report in the package can use the drill-through definition to drill between any combination of IBM Cognos Analysis Studio, IBM Cognos Query Studio, IBM Cognos PowerPlay® Studio, or IBM Cognos Viewer reports in any package.

For any target report that contains parameters, you should map the target parameters to the correct metadata in the drill-through path. This ensures that the values from the source report are passed to the correct parameter values, and that the target report is filtered correctly. If you do not map parameters, then the users may be prompted for values when the target report is run.

A report-based drill-through path refers to a path created and stored in a Report Studio source report. This type of drill-through path is also called authored drill through. The path is associated with a specific data column, chart, or cross tab in the source report, and is available only when users select that area of the report. If an authored drill-through definition is available, a hyperlink appears in the source report when it is run.

Report-based drill-through is limited to Report Studio source reports and any target reports. Use this type of drill-through access when you want to pass data item values or parameter results from within a source report to the target report, pass the results of a report expression to a target report, or a use URL link as a part of the drill-through definition.