Reports

[RaviSankar54]

What is the difference between stack by and drill down in service now ..?
 as both will both having same functionality

[Harish Bainsla · Accepted solution]

 Stack by" is used to organize and group data within a chart. It allows you to visually represent different segments of data in a stacked manner, usually based on a specific field.

Example:

• If you have a bar chart showing the number of incidents, and you stack by the "Priority" field, each bar is divided into segments representing different priority levels.

Drill down" is used to explore detailed information within a specific segment of data. It allows you to navigate from a higher-level view to a more detailed view of the data.

If you have a bar chart showing the number of incidents grouped by priority and you drill down into a specific bar representing a priority level, you might see a list of incidents with that particular priority.

Key Differences:

1. Focus:

   • Stack By: Focuses on how data is visually organized within the chart, grouping data based on a chosen field.
   • Drill Down: Focuses on exploring detailed information within a specific segment of data by navigating to a more detailed view.

2. Visualization:

   • Stack By: Influences the visual representation of the chart by organizing data into stacks.
   • Drill Down: Involves navigating to a more detailed view, often in a different form or layout.

3. Interactivity:

   • Stack By: Primarily affects the initial visualization of the chart.
   • Drill Down: Involves interactive exploration, allowing users to delve into specific details.

[Danish Bhairag2]

Hi @RaviSankar54 ,

In ServiceNow, "Stack by" and "Drill down" are terms used in reporting and analytics. While they both involve organizing and presenting data, they have distinct purposes and functionalities.

1. **Stack By:**

   - **Functionality:** "Stack by" is typically used in bar or column charts. It allows you to group data by a specific field, and each bar or column in the chart represents a distinct value of that field. The values are stacked on top of each other, showing the contribution of each value to the total.

   - **Example:** If you have a bar chart showing the number of incidents per category and you stack by priority, each bar will be divided into segments representing different priorities within each category.

2. **Drill Down:**

   - **Functionality:** "Drill down" is a mechanism to navigate from a summarized view of data to a more detailed view. It allows users to click on a data point in a report, chart, or dashboard to access a more detailed report or data set related to that specific point.

   - **Example:** In a report displaying incident counts by category, users might be able to drill down into a specific category to see a detailed list of incidents within that category.

In summary, "Stack by" is primarily related to how data is visually presented in charts, organizing it based on a specific field, and stacking values on top of each other. On the other hand, "Drill down" is about providing users with a way to explore more detailed information by clicking on specific data points within a report or chart. They complement each other but serve different purposes in the reporting and analytics capabilities of ServiceNow.

Thanks,

Danish