GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS Roll forward (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions |
12 Months Ended | |
|---|---|---|
Oct. 31, 2017 |
Oct. 31, 2016 |
|
| Goodwill - Rollforward | ||
| Beginning Balance | $ 2,517 | $ 2,366 |
| Foreign currency translation impact | 12 | (5) |
| Goodwill arising from acquisitions | 78 | 156 |
| Ending Balance | 2,607 | 2,517 |
| Life Sciences and Applied Markets | ||
| Goodwill - Rollforward | ||
| Beginning Balance | 790 | 650 |
| Foreign currency translation impact | 2 | 3 |
| Goodwill arising from acquisitions | 26 | 137 |
| Ending Balance | 818 | 790 |
| Diagnostics and Genomics | ||
| Goodwill - Rollforward | ||
| Beginning Balance | 1,223 | 1,234 |
| Foreign currency translation impact | 10 | (11) |
| Goodwill arising from acquisitions | 52 | 0 |
| Ending Balance | 1,285 | 1,223 |
| Agilent CrossLab | ||
| Goodwill - Rollforward | ||
| Beginning Balance | 504 | 482 |
| Foreign currency translation impact | 0 | 3 |
| Goodwill arising from acquisitions | 0 | 19 |
| Ending Balance | $ 504 | $ 504 |