In case you don’t already know what Sigma is, it’s this cool cloud-based analytics platform that empowers users to easily explore, visualize and collaborate on data using a familiar spreadsheet interface. However, it differs from traditional analytics tools with its actions that allow developers to create completely interactive data apps.

When working with the tool, eventually you are likely to start chaining together long action sequences with stored procedures, running python notebooks and refreshing large data sources. You may find yourself waiting a few seconds for all the elements in your workbook to reload, but what if I told you there is a way to make that downtime a little more enjoyable? 

Introducing Bennett’s Secret Super Special Sigma Technique: The “Loading Animation,”  or BSSSST for short.

Step 1: Have an action sequence that takes some time to load. It does not have to be long for an excuse to use BSSSST, but the action sequence should take an amount of time to justify using the technique.  

The action sequence shown below resets the game in my poker simulator data app and usually takes a few seconds to process.  

That’ll do.  

Step 2: Find a fun gif that goes with the theme of your workbook. For example, for the poker simulator, I decided to use this shuffling cards gif from Giphy: 

Step 3: Make the modal. We are going to go into our Sigma workbook and make a new modal by clicking the drop-down on the bottom left of edit view. Let’s add an image element into the modal and turn off all the modal formatting options.

Step 4: Now let’s go back to our original action sequence and bookend it with the “Open Modal” and “Close Modal” actions. This way, the modal with our gif will display throughout the loading process.  

Step 5: Run the action sequence and enjoy the show! 

Here’s a demo video to illustrate what we’ve created:

But BSSSST doesn’t have to be used for fun (although that is my favorite way to use it). I have also used this to flash warnings for users who request impossible actions. You could also confirm what actions the app is performing to your user in a message displayed on the temporary modal.  

I am constantly finding myself surprised at all the fun, creative and impactful ways developers can leverage Sigma.  

Do you have a creative Sigma technique yourself? We would love to hear about it! Looking for creative solutions for your BI and data needs? InterWorks has a ton of creative, smart and fun people ready to help!