SAP Fiori and UI5 Detours into the mobile world

So far so good - but unfortunately a new technology does not automatically mean its user acceptance.

Since 2013, SAP has been working intensively to redefine user acceptance in an application-independent way, delivering SAP Fiori, a design concept that predefines the implementation of mobile applications based on SAPUI5.

Partners and customers can thus concentrate on the implementation of the application without having to elaborately develop their own UX strategy and thus also reach occasional users.

As beautiful as the new colorful world looks at first glance, getting started can be bumpy.

SAP Fiori, despite the design principle of device independence, unfortunately does not mean that every Fiori app from the Fiori Apps Library can automatically be used on mobile.

A look at the library shows that many applications are based on WebDynpro and are therefore not suitable for smartphone and tablet.

Malicious tongues could claim that SAP is reaching deep into the marketing trick box here, because interesting Fiori applications with a high customer value are often only provided for a Hana database or even only for S/4.

In addition, there is confusion when it comes to choosing the appropriate development environment for the web applications. Should it be Eclipse with a jungle of plug-ins, an on-premise installed WebIDE with reduced functionality, or the WebIDE in the SAP Hana cloud?

There may certainly be technological reasons for all this, but it does not hide the fact that the main aim here is to create an incentive to make the leap to Hana or S/4.

Nevertheless, users should not be discouraged so quickly, because a number of tools for the design and use of Fiori apps are available within the scope of the existing licenses.

With the SAPUI5 toolbox, the associated design concept and the delivered app templates, the first Fiori applications can be implemented and connected to SAP business applications in a very short time.

And this is especially true if the SAP Fiori Library does not contain the right application for your own processes.

Infrastructure requirements are minimal and, as usual, scalable to the specific use case.

And so SAP's approach of not only integrating power users but also occasional users in warehouses and production halls or approvers at train stations, highways and airports into the processes, but even more so of generating acceptance for the software, is fulfilled via small detours.

This is a huge step towards usability and away from the old, somewhat dusty interfaces.

And even if many Fiori apps require a Hana DB or S/4, the range of apps for the classic Business Suite is already very extensive and offers the best opportunities to significantly improve the sometimes urgently needed acceptance of SAP applications and not wait for the concrete S/4 strategy.