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OVERVIEW, BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)
6 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair Value of Financial Instruments. The carrying values of certain of our financial instruments including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued compensation and other accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of their short maturities. The fair value of long-term equity investments is determined using quoted market prices for those securities when available. For those long-term equity investments accounted for under the cost or equity method, their carrying value approximates their estimated fair value. Equity method investments are reported at the amount of the company’s initial investment and adjusted each period for the company’s share of the investee’s income or loss and dividend paid. The fair value of our long-term debt, calculated from quoted prices which are primarily Level 1 inputs under the accounting guidance fair value hierarchy, exceeds the carrying value by approximately $124 million and $112 million as of April 30, 2014 and October 31, 2013, respectively. The fair value of foreign currency contracts used for hedging purposes is estimated internally by using inputs tied to active markets. These inputs, for example, interest rate yield curves, foreign exchange rates, and forward and spot prices for currencies are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. See also Note 8, "Fair Value Measurements" for additional information on the fair value of financial instruments.

Goodwill and Purchased Intangible Assets
Goodwill and Purchased Intangible Assets. Under the authoritative guidance we have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether further impairment testing is necessary. The accounting standard gives an entity the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether performing the two-step test is necessary. If an entity believes, as a result of its qualitative assessment, that it is more-likely-than-not (i.e. greater than 50% chance) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test will be required. Otherwise, no further testing will be required.

The guidance includes examples of events and circumstances that might indicate that a reporting unit's fair value is less than its carrying amount. These include macro-economic conditions such as deterioration in the entity's operating environment or industry or market considerations; entity-specific events such as increasing costs, declining financial performance, or loss of key personnel; or other events such as an expectation that a reporting unit will be sold or a sustained decrease in the stock price on either an absolute basis or relative to peers.

If it is determined, as a result of the qualitative assessment, that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the provisions of authoritative guidance require that we perform a two-step impairment test on goodwill. In the first step, we compare the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying value. The second step (if necessary) measures the amount of impairment by applying fair-value-based tests to the individual assets and liabilities within each reporting unit. As defined in the authoritative guidance, a reporting unit is an operating segment, or one level below an operating segment. We aggregate components of an operating segment that have similar economic characteristics into our reporting units. In October 2013, we combined the life sciences and diagnostics and genomics segments to form the life sciences and diagnostics segment. As a result, Agilent has three segments, life sciences and diagnostics, chemical analysis, and electronic measurement segments.

In fiscal year 2013, we assessed goodwill impairment for our four reporting units which consisted of two segments: chemical analysis and electronic measurement; and two reporting units under the life sciences and diagnostics segment. The first of these two reporting units related to our life sciences business and the second related to our diagnostics business. We performed a qualitative test for goodwill impairment of the following three reporting units, as of September 30, 2013: the chemical analysis segment, the electronic measurement segment, and the reporting unit relating to life sciences. Based on the results of our qualitative testing, we believe that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of these reporting units are greater than their respective carrying values. We performed a quantitative test for goodwill impairment of the reporting unit related to our diagnostics business as of September 30, 2013. Based on the results of our quantitative testing, the fair value was significantly in excess of the carrying value. Each quarter we review the events and circumstances to determine if goodwill impairment is indicated. There was no impairment of goodwill during the three and six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013.
 
Purchased intangible assets consist primarily of acquired developed technologies, proprietary know-how, trademarks, and customer relationships and are amortized using the best estimate of the asset's useful life that reflect the pattern in which the economic benefits are consumed or used up or a straight-line method ranging from 6 months to 15 years. In-process research and development ("IPR&D") is initially capitalized at fair value as an intangible asset with an indefinite life and assessed for impairment thereafter. When the IPR&D project is complete, it is reclassified as an amortizable purchased intangible asset and is amortized over its estimated useful life. If an IPR&D project is abandoned, Agilent will record a charge for the value of the related intangible asset to Agilent's condensed consolidated statement of operations in the period it is abandoned.

In July 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") simplified the guidance for testing impairment of indefinite-lived intangible assets other than goodwill. The changes are to reduce compliance costs. Agilent's indefinite-lived intangible assets are IPR&D intangible assets. The revised guidance allows a qualitative approach for testing indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment, similar to the issued impairment testing guidance for goodwill and allowed the option to first assess qualitative factors (events and circumstances) that could have affected the significant inputs used in determining the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not (i.e. greater than 50% chance) that the indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired. An organization may choose to bypass the qualitative assessment for any indefinite-lived intangible asset in any period and proceed directly to calculating its fair value.