Brushing and linking


In databases, brushing and linking refers to the connection of two or more views of the same data, such that a change to the representation in one view affects the representation in the other. Brushing and linking is also an important technique in interactive visual analysis, a methodology for performing visual exploration and analysis of large, structured data sets.
Specifically, linking refers to a change of parameters in one data representation being reflected in other connected data representations. Brushing refers to highlighting, for example selected data, in one view, in other connected data representations.
One example might be a two-part display, consisting of a histogram alongside a list of document titles. The histogram could show how many documents were published each month. Brushing and linking would allow the user to assign a color, green for instance, to one bar of the histogram, thus causing the titles in the list display that were published during the corresponding month to also be highlighted in green.