Amount classified as assets attributable to disposal group held for sale or disposed of.

Name:	us-gaap_AssetsOfDisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperation
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

A description of the facts and circumstances leading to the completed or expected disposal, and the manner and timing of that disposal. Sales of disposal groups, including those classified as components of the entity (discontinued operations), are generally expected to be completed within one year of their classification as held-for-sale.

+ References

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 205

-SubTopic 20

-Section S99

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 5.Z.5 Q2)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26872618&loc=d3e7384-122677

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

-Publisher SEC

-Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB)

-Number Topic 5

-Section Z

-Paragraph Question 2

-Subsection 5

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 205

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6360339&loc=d3e1361-107760

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB)

-Number Topic 5

-Section U

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationDescriptionAndTimingOfDisposal
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount classified as goodwill attributable to disposal group held for sale or disposed of.

+ References

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 205

-SubTopic 20

-Section 45

-Paragraph 10

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6892542&loc=d3e1107-107759

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 205

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6360339&loc=d3e1436-107760

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 205

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (a)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6360339&loc=d3e1361-107760

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DisposalGroupIncludingDiscontinuedOperationGoodwill1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The gain (loss) resulting from the sale of a disposal group that is not a discontinued operation. It is included in income from continuing operations before income taxes in the income statement.

+ References

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 205

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (b)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6360339&loc=d3e1361-107760

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 360

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 5

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=8077374&loc=d3e2443-110228

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DisposalGroupNotDiscontinuedOperationGainLossOnDisposal
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

If the gain (loss) on sale of a disposal group, but one which is not further classified as a discontinued operation, is not separately presented on the face of the income statement, the caption in the income statement (as part of income from continuing operations before income taxes) that includes that gain (loss).

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DisposalGroupNotDiscontinuedOperationGainLossOnDisposalIncomeStatementCaption
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeStatementBalanceSheetAndAdditionalDisclosuresByDisposalGroupsIncludingDiscontinuedOperationsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeStatementBalanceSheetAndAdditionalDisclosuresByDisposalGroupsIncludingDiscontinuedOperationsAxis=brcd_NetworkAdapterBusinessMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Divestitures (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
Divestitures (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2015	Jan. 25, 2014	Nov. 01, 2014	Jan. 17, 2014
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups
Disposal Group, Gain (Loss) on Disposal	$ 0	$ 4,884,000
Network Adapter Business
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups
Disposal Group, Description and Timing of Disposal			On January 17, 2014, the Company completed the sale of its network adapter business to QLogic Corporation, as part of the Company’s business strategy to focus development on a portfolio of high performance networking products and services—both hardware and software-based—that meet the demands of today’s data centers whether virtualized or cloud based.
Net Assets of Disposal Group				5,100,000
Disposal Group, Goodwill				4,100,000
Disposal Group, Gain (Loss) on Disposal		$ 4,900,000
Disposal Group, Income Statement Caption		Gain on sale of network adapter business