Report Development Tools B–1
Appendix B: Extended Export of Lists (XXL)
Contents
Overview................................................................................................................. B–2
XXL Support in the R/3 System............................................................................ B–3
The XXL List Viewer .............................................................................................. B–4
Where to Learn More............................................................................................. B–7 B
In this chapter you will learn:
 What is the Extended
Export of Lists (XXL)
 What is the XXL List
Viewer
 How to use XXL to export
an R/3 list to Microsoft
Excel
Appendix B: Extended Export of Lists (XXL)
Overview

Reporting Made Easy

B–2

Overview
Extended Export of Lists (XXL) helps achieve a tighter integration between the R/3 System
and PC applications. XXL is an R/3 component that uses Microsoft Excel to display and
manipulate list objects from R/3 applications.
The XXL has two primary goals:
Appendix B: Extended Export of Lists (XXL)
XXL Support in the R/3 System

Report Development Tools
B–3

Functional Areas
XXL has two main tasks:
< Defining an API (Application Programming Interface) in the form of a function module,
which allows ABAP programs to export list objects to the user's PC.
< Activating a presentation service in Microsoft Excel (or the spreadsheet program chosen
by the user) after the list object has been transferred.
SAP offers the following two Excel-based presentation services:
< XXL List Viewer controls Microsoft Excel using local macros. For more information on
the XXL List Viewer, refer to page B–4.
< OLE Automation-based option to display exported data in Microsoft Excel in the form of
Pivot tables, or—as of Release 4.0—as a standard list.
Users can also write their own macros to process list objects in Microsoft Excel and call them
from XXL after the list objects have been exported. Lotus
®
Development Corporation offers a separate XXL presentation service (Lotus
Connection ) for its Lotus SmartSuite™ family of products, primarily supporting the
Lotus 1-2-3
®
spreadsheet application. R/3 data can also be transferred to other members

< ABAP Query
< Financial Accounting (Line item display in customer, vendor, and G/L accounts)
Since the XXL function module (see The API to XXL in ABAP in the online help
documentation) can be called from ABAP programs developed by the customer, XXL can
also be used in user-defined applications. For more information, refer to the online
documentation on XXL.
The XXL List Viewer
The XXL List Viewer is a set of Excel 4.0 macros that turn Microsoft Excel into a specialized
tool for presenting XXL list objects. XXL adds specific functions to Excel's standard
functionality and makes these functions available in a customized menu bar and toolbar.
This XXL-specific configuration is intended to restrict the functionality of Excel to keep
users from corrupting the consistency of the list object. This means that, for example, certain
delete operations are inactive when Excel is running in the XXL environment.
Below is an overview of XXL features for manipulating and displaying list objects.
< Sort and restructure data

Sort columns and rows by hierarchical key terms

Sort columns, insert new columns

Aggregate groups of rows into sums, averages

Selectively reconstruct detailed rows from aggregated rows

Sort lines/line groups by selectable criteria
< Administer objects and views

Save the current table status or layout as a “user view” of the list object

Administer user views and derived objects


In this example, you will learn to use
XXL to export a G/L line items report to
Microsoft Excel.
From the SAP main menu, choose
Accounting
→
Financial accounting
→

General ledger, then Account
→
Display
line items.
1. In G/L account, enter 800000, the
name of the desired G/L account.
2. In Company code, enter 3000.
3. Select Open items.
4. Choose Enter.

The report list displays the open items
for the chosen G/L account in Company
code 3000.
5. To transfer the report list to Excel,
choose Line items
→
Transfer to Excel. 1