Xcelcius Tricks

Xcelsius Tricks Part 5 – Create a
Loading Bar in SAP Crystal

Dashboard and Presentation
Design (Xcelsius 2008)
Applies to:
SAP Crystal Dashboard and Presentation Design (Xcelsius 2008). For more information, visit the
BusinessObjects homepage.
Summary
This document is intended to show the steps required to create a loading cursor while a background
processes is executing (for example, a background query is fetching data).
Author: Debjit Singha

Company: L & T Infotech
Created on: 26 May 2011
Author Bio
Debjit Singha is SAP Technical Consultant working on BSP, BI, BO and Widgets for L & T Infotech
as SAP Technical Consultant. He extensively worked in BO Xcelsius, BI and BSP. He has
developed many dashboards based on different connections available with BO-Xcelsius using BW
data.
SAP COMMUNITY NETWORK SDN - sdn.sap.com | BPX - bpx.sap.com | BOC - boc.sap.com | UAC - uac.sap.com
© 2011 SAP AG 1
Xcelsius Tricks Part 5 – Create a Loading Bar in SAP Crystal Dashboard and Presentation Design (Xcelsius 2008)
Table of Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
System Requirements ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Create the loading bar ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Excel Snapshot ................................................................................................................................................... 7
Final Outcome .................................................................................................................................................... 7
A Second Approach ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Related Content .................................................................................................................................................. 8
Disclaimer and Liability Notice ............................................................................................................................ 9
© 2011 SAP AG 2
Introduction
Almost every application program contains critical points in the workflow where there is a noticeable delay
while the computer performs some process or accesses some information stored elsewhere on the network.
Unless there is a visual indication that the program is still working, the user may think that it has crashed.
Loading the cursor is used in situation to show that background job is executing. This gives the user a
message that job is still active. Unfortunately, the loading bar component is not readily available as a
standard component.
This article discusses how to display the busy cursor in Xcelsius with the components available (Labels,
Progress Bar, Play Control, etc).
Note: The intention of this component is to give the user an indication that the application is accessing information from
elsewhere. Ideally it is to show a query is executing in the background using the Load Status of each Data
Connection.
System Requirements
SAP Crystal Dashboard and Presentation Design (Xcelsius 2008 SP3)
Create the loading bar

1. Add a Background component on the deigning canvas. Make it of same size as that of Dashboard.
Bring it in front. Change the transparency. This is basically for designing purposes.
© 2011 SAP AG 3
2. Insert some image with some label (for example, “Loading… Please Wait”). It will become the base
of the loading cursor.
3. Drag and drop a “Horizontal Progress Bar” on the canvas. Change the property mentioned below.
Map it to some Excel cell (for example, say A3 -- this will hold the data for the progress bar changed
by the play control).
4. Deselect checkboxes under Appearance > Text tab.
5. Drag a Play Control on the canvas (this will initiate the progress bar, to give it a lively feel). Set the
data with the same cell as above (for example, A3 – the play control will change value at this cell in
turn progress bar increases). Under Behavior Tab change the property as below.
© 2011 SAP AG 4
Under Play Options, select all the checkboxes.

Under Appearance, deselect all the Layout Options.
Note: This component is not displayed.
Deselect checkboxes under Text tab.

Send this component behind other objects (from object browser Ctrl+4).
6. Accumulate above components inside a Canvas Container same size as that of the Dashboard (it is
to dynamically hide and show each component at once.).
Here the Canvas Container is named “Loading”.

Use the Dynamic Visibility of this container.
Map it to a cell (A6). This cell is changed by the “Load Status” Insert In data of each connection.
Each connection is needed to be mapped to this cell only.
© 2011 SAP AG 5
7. Open the Data Manager. For each connection map the Load Status to the same cell as above (that
will act as the dynamic visibility of the loading cursor).
Loading Message and Idle Massage will populate in the insert in cell.
Loading Message: This will populate during loading of the query (in our case it is Show)
Idle Message: This is the ideal status (in idle condition, “Hide” will be populated)
© 2011 SAP AG 6
Excel Snapshot
Use a separate sheet for the loading cursor as below.
Visibility will control the visibility of the container and in turn control the visibility of the Loading Bar.
Final Outcome
Now whenever a query is processing, the loading cursor will be displayed.
A Second Approach
There is another way to achieve this functionality. Use the readily available Flash loading animations (SWF
files).
Pre loaders are freely available on Web. We can use the SWF file in image component and use the dynamic
visibility of the image component to show it during loading (here the Load Status of each connection will
control the visibility of the pre loader SWF).
© 2011 SAP AG 7
Related Content
BusinessObjects homepage
Xcelsius 2008 User Guide

For more information, visit the BusinessObjects homepage.
© 2011 SAP AG 8
Disclaimer and Liability Notice

This document may discuss sample coding or other information that does not include SAP official interfaces and therefore is not
supported by SAP. Changes made based on this information are not supported and can be overwritten during an upgrade.
SAP will not be held liable for any damages caused by using or misusing the information, code or methods suggested in this document,
and anyone using these methods does so at his/her own risk.
SAP offers no guarantees and assumes no responsibility or liability of any type with respect to the content of this technical article or
code sample, including any liability resulting from incompatibility between the content within this document and the materials and
services offered by SAP. You agree that you will not hold, or seek to hold, SAP responsible or liable with respect to the content of this
document.
© 2011 SAP AG 9

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Xcelsius Tricks Part 5 – Create a

Loading Bar in SAP Crystal

Author: Debjit Singha

Create the loading bar

Under Play Options, select all the checkboxes.

Note: This component is not displayed.

Deselect checkboxes under Text tab.

Here the Canvas Container is named “Loading”.

Xcelsius 2008 User Guide

Disclaimer and Liability Notice

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