SAP FIORI - more user-friendliness for SAP applications

SAP Fiori stands for the change of the SAP strategy in user interface development: Away from chaotic program interfaces, where a developer has included everything a program can do, to an interface that only provides what the user needs to complete his tasks. Fiori emphasizes user-friendliness – often described by keywords like ‚Usability’ and ‚User Experience’ (UX). All business applications shall be „intuitive, personalized and tuned to the way users actually work“, says SAP.

SAP-Fiori – State-of-the-Art Design Concept

SAP Fiori applies modern design concepts and is not a product – it describes the way, SAP applications should be implemented in future.

For this SAP defines five design principles:

Role based
Only those program functions are offered to a particular user that he needs to perform his tasks and thus conform to his role.
Adaptiv
All applications run on almost any browser, as mobile app or on a desktop.
Simple
What is not necessarily required, is omitted.
Coherent
A standardized interface design provides for quick orientation.
Delightful
Inviting look and intuitive handling. Business applications similar to a self-explanatory consumer app.

SAP Fiori Design Guidelines assist in implementing these design specifications (experience.sap.com/fiori-design/)

SAP Fiori Launchpad – the Individual SAP Fiori Homepage

SAP Fiori Launchpad is the central entry point to all Fiori applications. After logging in to the system, the Launchpad start page is displayed to the user. All applications appear as tiles and conform to a users rights. This individual ‚homepage’ can be personalized by e. g. grouping, changing the order of or removing tiles.
Launchpad supplies SAPUI5 implemented applications as well as Web Dynpo ABAP and SAP GUI for ABAP modules.
Technically Launchpad is a platform-independent environment running exclusively on the client side. SAP HANA is not a pre-requisit for Launchpad.

SAP Fiori – Benefits

All applications and processes are significantly simplified and can be provided mobile. This leads to substantial cost savings in the long run.

SAP Fiori – Architecture and Applications Types

For transactional apps the architecture looks as follows:

End devices
Tablet, dektop, smartphone; load, call, operate Launchpad and apps (HTTP, HTML5 capable browser)
SAP gateway or any other reverse proxy
Submission of requests to downstream servers
ABAP frontend
Webserver and OData-Gateway
ABAP backends
SAP Business Suite products (business logic; data models)
Data base
Business data

For transactional apps (unlike analytic apps) neither SAP HANA is needed as data base nor SAP HANA XS as OData protocol

SAP Web IDE provides a tool to quickly design, build and implement Fiori web applications based on SAPUI5.