GitHub user dosubot[bot] added a comment to the discussion: How to properly design Drill Down and Drill Through workflows in Apache Superset?
<!-- Answer --> Superset’s drill features are modular building blocks rather than a single, unified drill workflow like in Power BI or Tableau. Here’s how to approach drill down and drill through in Superset: **Drill Down:** The DRILL_BY feature lets users right-click a chart and select another dimension to “drill by.” This opens a modal to pick a new grouping column, updating the chart to show more detail. DRILL_BY is not a fixed hierarchy but an ad-hoc, interactive tool—useful for exploration, but not a direct substitute for classic hierarchical drill down. There’s ongoing discussion about making drill down more hierarchical and intuitive, but for now, DRILL_BY is the main mechanism, and it requires chart and dataset support to be enabled. See [discussion](https://github.com/apache/superset/discussions/33819) and [implementation details](https://github.com/apache/superset/blob/829e4d92d91ceae4b43b1ed3b063ffe45377799c/superset-frontend/src/components/Chart/ChartContextMenu/ChartContextMenu.tsx#L29-L372). **Drill Through:** Dashboard-to-dashboard navigation using URL parameters and native filters is the recommended pattern for drill through. You can pass filter values in the URL to contextually filter the target dashboard. For best results, specify the filter operation (`op`) in the URL to avoid unexpected behavior ([example](https://github.com/apache/superset/issues/33512)). There’s no built-in “drill to URL” feature, but you can implement similar flows with custom development if needed. **Drill to Detail:** This feature lets users drill from an aggregate to raw records (e.g., from a table chart to the underlying data). It’s enabled by default in recent versions and is a core part of Superset’s drill capabilities. However, multi-level drill-down and more complex workflows may require extra configuration and are less documented ([example](https://github.com/apache/superset/issues/36776)). **Best Practices:** - Keep drill hierarchies shallow—too many levels can confuse users. - Model datasets with clear, consistent dimension columns to support intuitive drill options. - Avoid relying on Jinja templating for dynamic filtering in drill workflows, as drill queries may not merge the full dashboard filter context ([limitation](https://github.com/apache/superset/issues/35263)). - Assign the right permissions: roles need `can_drill` on Dashboard, `can_write` on ExploreFormDataRestApi, and `can_samples` on Datasource. Enable the DRILL_BY feature flag ([permissions guide](https://github.com/apache/superset/discussions/34634#discussioncomment-14069984)). **Limitations and Roadmap:** - Superset lacks true hierarchical drill down—users must select columns manually, which is less intuitive than click-to-drill hierarchies in other BI tools ([discussion](https://github.com/apache/superset/discussions/33819)). - Drill to detail currently shows a generic table; an open PR proposes letting dataset owners configure a specific chart as the drill target for a more tailored experience ([PR #34785](https://github.com/apache/superset/pull/34785)). - Drill features are actively maintained and tested, with ongoing UX improvements (e.g., better drill-by on bar charts, cross-filtering on maps) ([PR #36901](https://github.com/apache/superset/pull/36901), [PR #35859](https://github.com/apache/superset/pull/35859)). - Performance and security depend on dataset size, query complexity, and permissions. For embedded dashboards, ensure guest tokens have the right drill permissions. **Production Use:** While there are no published case studies specifically about drill workflows, Superset’s drill features are stable and used in production. For scalable deployments, follow best practices for Docker/Kubernetes, secrets management, and CI/CD as described in [deployment threads](https://github.com/apache/superset/discussions/33957#discussioncomment-13631389). If you need more tailored drill-through UX or hierarchical drill down, keep an eye on open PRs and discussions for upcoming features. <!-- Dosu Comment Footer --> *To reply, just mention [@dosu](https://go.dosu.dev/dosubot).* --- <sup>How did I do? 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[](https://cursor.com/link/prompt?text=Superset%E2%80%99s%20drill%20features%20are%20modular%20building%20blocks%20rather%20than%20a%20single%2C%20unified%20drill%20workflow%20like%20in%20Power%20BI%20or%20Tableau.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20how%20to%20approach%20drill%20down%20and%20drill%20through%20in%20Superset%3A%0A%0A%2A%2ADrill%20Down%3A%2A%2A%20%20%0AThe%20DRILL_BY%20feature%20lets%20users%20right-click%20a%20chart%20and%20select%20another%20dimension%20to%20%E2%80%9Cdrill%20by.%E2%80%9D%20This%20opens%20a%20modal%20to%20pick%20a%20new%20grouping%20column%2C%20updating%20the%20chart%20to%20show%20more%20detail.%20DRILL_BY%20is%20not%20a%20fixed%20hierarchy%20but%20an%20ad-hoc%2C%20interactive%20tool%E2%80%94useful%20for%20exploration%2C%20but%20not%20a%20direct%20substitute%20for%20classic 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%0A%0A%2A%2AProduction%20Use%3A%2A%2A%20%20%0AWhile%20there%20are%20no%20published%20case%20studies%20specifically%20about%20drill%20workflows%2C%20Superset%E2%80%99s%20drill%20features%20are%20stable%20and%20used%20in%20production.%20For%20scalable%20deployments%2C%20follow%20best%20practices%20for%20Docker/Kubernetes%2C%20secrets%20management%2C%20and%20CI/CD%20as%20described%20in%20%5Bdeployment%20threads%5D%28https%3A//github.com/apache/superset/discussions/33957%23discussioncomment-13631389%29.%0A%0AIf%20you%20need%20more%20tailored%20drill-through%20UX%20or%20hierarchical%20drill%20down%2C%20keep%20an%20eye%20on%20open%20PRs%20and%20discussions%20for%20upcoming%20features.) 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