Concentration of Credit Risk - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2011	Oct. 31, 2010	Oct. 31, 2011	Oct. 31, 2010	Oct. 31, 2011 Accounts Receivable	Jan. 31, 2011 Accounts Receivable
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity	$ 400.0		$ 400.0
Total sales to the distributors Tech Data Corporation and its global affiliates ("Tech Data") relative to Autodesk's consolidated net revenue	16.00%	15.00%	16.00%	16.00%
Percentage of gross accounts receivable accounted for by Tech Data					17.00%	16.00%

For an entity that discloses a concentration risk in relation to quantitative amount, which serves as the "benchmark" (or denominator) in the equation, this concept represents the concentration percentage derived from the division.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

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-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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