Multiple Foci Drill-Down through Tuple and Attribute Polyarchies in Tabular Data

Information analysis often involves decomposing data into sub-groups to allow for comparison and identification of relationships. Breakdown Visualization provides a mechanism to support this analysis through user guided drill-down of polyarchical metadata. This metadata describes multiple hierarchical structures for organizing tuple aggregation and table attributes. This structure is seen in sport statistics, financial data, organizational structures, and other fields. A spreadsheet format enables comparison of visualizations at each level of the hierarchy. Breakdown Visualization allows users to drill-down a single hierarchy then pivot into another hierarchy within the same view. We utilize a fix and move technique that allows users to select multiple foci for drill-down. We present an analysis scenario that demonstrates how Breakdown Visualization can be used to perform financial statement analysis.