SAP Fiori, often associated with SAP UI5 and UX Design, is a technology allowing to modernize SAP screens, making them simpler and more ergonomic for corporate users.
19/04/2022
SAP FIORI : GUIDE & FEATURES
5 minutes read
What is SAP FIORI?
If you are a user of SAP, you already know that applications and interfaces of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are a little bit old fashioned and the screens are not very user-friendly.
It is the opposite of SAP FIORI and the framework SAP UI5. Indeed, you can personalize the user experience and everything is aligned with new technologies.
The portal of applications can cover the most used business process. The design is transformed to have an ergonomic, optimal user experience and be fully device responsive.
In a Nutshell
Simply put, Fiori is a collection or a catalog of SAP applications that are executed on mobile phones, tablets and, computers. These applications are developed with the help of the methodology named Design Thinking. They follow specific design guidelines for the needs of your industry.
SAPUI5 is a combination of the SAP HTML5 library. It uses the JQuery library as the main library and many others specific to SAP.
You can use it to develop various Fiori applications, improve the fluidity of the business process, and reduce the number of clicks to end the process.
Of course, this is a mobile-friendly application that you can use either on your phone or tablet. It adapts to all your different screens.
From the Phoenix Project until SAP Fiori 3.0
The Origin of the project
The very first version of SAP FIORI emerged in 2008. It was known as the Phoenix Project and it inspired the actual logo.
The main goal of the project was to ease the use of the ERP SAP for final users. Indeed, there were lots of restraints because of coupling different versions with backend technologies (JAVA or ABAP) and by impossible extensibility.
At the time, the applications ran on SAP GUI, the graphical interface that allows users to interact with the SAP system and perform various tasks, such as entering transactions, running reports and accessing data.
The first version of SAP Fiori was released in 2003 with 25 applications. These lasts gave the possibilities for the user to manage and realize common professional opérations such as purchase orders management.
It has been an immediate success and various experts commended this innovation. That is why SAP decided to keep releasing applications. Almost 10 years later, more than 14 000 applications are available. Moreover, SAP published its library of applications suitable with S4/HANA, ECC, or SAP BTP.
SAP UI 2.0 & SAP UI 3.0
SAP FIORI technology will bring a lot of benefits :
Nevertheless, for many years we remained on the same system. It took until 2016 to see the release of version 2.0 of SAP Fiori.
It offers a complete overhaul of the ergonomy of the application, some modifications to improve the design responsive mode, and the integration of new tools such as Ariba, SuccessFactors, Concur and, C/4Hana.
Keeping up with the trend and changing user demand, SAP released SAP UI 3.0 in 2019 (the latest version). Besides a mended design, the uniformization of the appearance is the main change. In fact, until then, each tool had a different design.
Users needed to adapt their use and they wasted lots of time. It was therefore necessary to adapt and learn to work with them, which was not necessarily practical. As a matter of fact, the new SAP Fiori 3 theme is called SAP Quartz Light.
It is extremely simple and minimalist, which makes it easy for customers to adapt it to their brand.
This version also integrates SAP Co-Pilot not only as an extension but as a real tool that everybody can use. This smart personal assistant like Siri or Cortana supplies cross data from different tools in real-time.
At last, the most remarkable innovation of this version is the implementation of integration cards dedicated to SAP UI5. It is simply a limited space (most of the time a rectangle) that groups a certain amount of information and which appears directly on the home page of the application.
Defined by the users, it allows one look to have access to important information. The cards enable you to easily create and share content.
Here is a selection of five SAPUI5 cards that can be very useful :
- The table cards : all the elements take the form of a table
- The object cards (single-object or object group): information about all kinds of objects can be displayed. Data is structured by groups
- The analytical cards : all the information is summarized in dashboards
- The timeline cards : all the information are classified by the date of creation
- The component cards : an entire UI5 component is displayed
Once again, SAP offers a large number of information about the existing cards.
In addition to the new Quartz Light theme and the cards, a brand new header bar has been aligned to best fit all SAP products and to be as simple as possible.
Also, the content is more scalable. SAP provides enhanced content integration: for example, users will have the possibility to define any environment site as a start-up page. Machine learning techniques with proactive notifications are also implemented to better manage the flow of information
SAP FIORI architecture
The SAP Fiori architecture is a high-level architecture. Here are the components of SAP FIORI:
SAPUI5 Framework: SAPUI5 is a JavaScript framework for creating modern and responsive user interfaces. It is based on web standards technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. SAPUI5 uses the MVC (Model-View-Controller) design pattern to structure Fiori applications. The model contains application data, the view defines the user interface, and the controller manages the business logic.
Front-end Server: the SAP Fiori front-end server is responsible for running Fiori applications in a web browser. It also provides features such as user management, session management, and theme management. The front-end server uses SAPUI5 to create and display the user interface as well as to communicate with the back-end server.
SAP Gateway: SAP Gateway is a component of SAP that connects Fiori applications to the SAP back-end system. It provides web services that allow front-end applications to communicate with back-end systems. Web services are based on standard protocols such as OData and REST. SAP Gateway can also perform tasks such as data conversion, security validation, and session management.
SAP HANA Cloud Platform: the SAP HANA cloud platform is a development and deployment platform for SAP Fiori applications. It allows developers to create Fiori applications using SAPUI5 development tools and deploy them in the Cloud.
SAP Back-end System: the SAP back-end system is the system that contains data and business processes. SAP Fiori can connect to various back-end systems such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP CRM, SAP SCM, SAP SRM, and others.
Security Layer: security is a key component of the SAP Fiori architecture. Fiori applications are protected by security measures such as single sign-on, role and authorization management, and compliance with security standards. The security layer uses technologies such as cryptography, SSL certificates, encryption, and hashing mechanisms to ensure the security of data and applications.
The Features of SAP Fiori
During the first years of its operation, the application had a few new changes in its design to offer a better experience for users.
Easy to use: the interfaces are easier to use in comparison with the old ones. In consequence, your work will be more productive. With menus and thumbnails, Fiori can help you to reduce up to 64% of the time dedicated to some tasks by reducing the number of clicks.
Responsive: The applications can be adapted for all types of devices (computers, smartphones, tablets…)
Performances: to improve the performances and to reduce costs with the centralization of all the actions from the users.
UI/UX Design: the user experience is improved with simple and refined designs. The interface is much more intuitive for users.
Maximized for S4/Hana: Fiori is maximized for the SAP S4/Hana workflows. It modernizes companies that build ad hoc processes on ECC. It helps you to make the best use of migration toward S4/HANA
Developing SAP Fiori Applications with SAP Fiori Element
SAP Fiori Elements is a SAP Fiori application development solution that offers significant benefits to developers in terms of speed and efficiency. With SAP Fiori Elements, developers can quickly and easily create SAP Fiori applications without needing advanced development skills.
In fact, SAP Fiori Elements provides predefined templates for the main functionalities of an application, including list pages, detail pages, edit pages, and analytical pages. The main advantage of using these predefined templates is the speed of development.
Developers no longer need to spend time designing the user interface and business logic of the application, as Fiori Elements templates already provide them. Developers can simply customize these templates to meet the specific needs of their business.
SAP Fiori Elements uses SAP Fiori annotations to further customize the appearance and behavior of the application. The annotations provide additional information on how the application should be presented to the end user, allowing for easy and efficient customization.
It is important to note that SAP Fiori Elements is designed to be used in conjunction with data technologies such as OData services and the SAP HANA XS Engine. Developers can thus access business data and simplify data processing in their applications using data management services.
SAP Fiori Launchpad, the application container of SAP Fiori
The SAP Fiori Launchpad is the central user interface of the SAP Fiori platform. It is a single entry point for all of a user’s SAP Fiori applications, providing a consistent and unified user experience.
It displays tiles that represent SAP Fiori applications and user information, such as notifications and tasks awaiting action. The tiles can be organized and customized by the user according to their needs.
The SAP Fiori Launchpad is designed to be adaptive, meaning it automatically adjusts to the screen size and resolution of the device being used, whether it is a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. This allows users to easily access SAP Fiori applications wherever they are and on any device.
The SAP Fiori Launchpad is also extensible, meaning it can be customized and extended to meet the specific needs of a business. Developers can create custom tiles to display additional information or to access specific features of an application.
Choose an Experimented SAP Partner to get the Best Performances with SAP FIORI
If this article has convinced you to switch to SAP Fiori, you can visit our page dedicated to SAP Fiori. Our expert team remains at your disposal to accompany you in the Fiori adventure, do not hesitate to contact us!
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