How does drill behavior differ for dimensions and measures?

Drilling behavior in Looker distinguishes between dimensions and measures, primarily in how the data is filtered and the types of information displayed as a result of the drill action. When a user drills down on a dimension, the focus is on the categorical or descriptive attribute represented by that dimension. This action generally filters the dataset to display only the specific subset of data associated with the drilled value, allowing users to explore the data in greater detail.

On the other hand, drilling on a measure leads to a different behavior. While dimensions provide the context for the data (like categories or attributes), measures typically represent numerical values or summaries (such as counts or totals). Drilling on a measure does not filter the dataset based on the measure itself but instead showcases the underlying values that contribute to the measure being examined. This difference in behavior allows for a comprehensive analysis where users can either focus on a specific category of data via dimensions or examine the numerical contributions behind aggregated values via measures.

Understanding these distinctions aids users in navigating their data intuitively, knowing what information they will encounter when interacting with dimensions versus measures.