As customers rapidly adopt SAP Fiori apps, it is timely to discuss some customer experiences that could help in this transformation from SAP GUI to Fiori. I recently attended a webinar on this topic that was hosted by ASUG which had very useful information. This blog is based on that webinar as well as the experience we at Unvired have gained deploying various Fiori apps. So, here are the key points:
1. Fiori or Not while Upgrading: When upgrading to SAP S/4 HANA, customers have to decide whether to transition from SAP GUI to Fiori or not. While the move to Fiori may seem obvious on the surface, the fact is that many standard Fiori apps do not match well with SAP GUI. There are also other considerations including role-re-design and SOD (Segregation of Duties) mitigation. Security issues have also to be thought through.
One approach is to undertake a technical upgrade to S/4HANA and phase out SAP GUI over a few years, possibly 2 to 3 years. However, Fiori apps cannot be ignored completely, and hence, a hybrid UX strategy may work out best
2. Hybrid SAP S/4 HANA UX: The SAP Fiori Launchpad can replace the SAP GUI with the following components:
- Fiori apps
- Fiori like apps (Personas)
- Slipstream, which is a Web GUI tile (for non-Fiori)
Slipstream Engine – SAP Help Portal
3. Mapping SAP GUI transactions and Reports to Fiori apps: While tools from SAP make suggestions, there is no direct mapping from the Tcode to the relevant Fiori app. Similarly, there is no easy way to identify the fields (Filter, Sort, etc.) within SAPGUI reports that match a Fiori Analytical app.
4. SAP Fiori App Customization: Most of the standard Out of the Box Fiori apps lack a few fields or features that are present in SAP GUI. These gaps need to be covered by customization which can take time and increase costs. At Unvired, we have found that on average it may take between 2 to 4 weeks to customize each Fiori app. Our experience has been related to Fiori apps for SAP Plant Maintenance/Asset Management, Timesheets, Inventory Management among others.
5. Roll Out: As there are hundreds of Fiori apps that a customer could deploy, a rollout strategy needs to be defined. This could have a Process focus, User focus, or be Apps driven. For example, after the upgrade to S/4 HANA, the existing users could still use the SAPGUI while the New users could use Fiori.
6. Testing: Tools to automate Fiori apps testing become critical as existing automated SAPGUI test scripts may be outdated.
7. Skills shortage: There is a shortage of Fiori app developers in the market. One option could be to gear up ABAP developers, but the challenge here is that OData is a new concept for them.
8. Security: The Security teams are key for implementing Fiori apps successfully as their skills are needed to design both in SAP Gateway and S/4 HANA. Authorizations and SOD are critical.
Unvired offers end-to-end SAP Fiori Application Development services that can meet all your custom requirements and improve run-time performance and expand the functionalities. If you would like to discuss more, pl. contact us here or write an email to sales@unvired.com. Feel free to share your feedback and ideas so that we can learn from each other.