Introduction to SAP Fiori




Fiori the term actually means “flowers” in Italian, is actually used for personalizing and simplifying the user experience for the SAP Applications. Fiori Apps use SAPUI5 Framework in the Frontend and ABAP coding in the backend. SAP Fiori offers role-based, responsive, simple and Delightful applications. These Fiori applications basically, are apps based on sap itself, like finance apps, sales order apps, purchase order apps, approval apps and similarly.

Basic Design Principles of fiori are Role-Based, Responsiveness, Simple, Coherent, delightful.

Role-Based – Role based would mean, that only some users would have been assigned roles, and only those users would be able to use particular apps. SAP Fiori provides the right information at the right time and reflects the way you actually work.
Responsiveness – The fiori applications are responsive and would adapt any screen and display data accordingly. It enables you to work how and where you want, regardless of the device you use.
Simple – Fiori apps are simple apps, and are not complex, the essential functions are easy to use and one can personalize the experience to focus on their relevant tasks and activities.
 Coherent – SAP Fiori adheres to a consistent interaction and visual design language. Across the enterprise, you enjoy the same intuitive and consistent experience.
Delightful – SAP Fiori was designed to work with ECC 6.0 to make it easy for the users and to deploy on the existing SAP system.

Architecture of SAP FIori

 
 


1) SAP Fiori uses SAPUI5 Framework in the frontend and SAP ABAP in the backend for integration with the SAP.
2) OData is a protocol for transferring data from the backend to the frontend. Using SAPUI5, this model is consumed and the data is populated.
3) SAP ABAP front-end server contains all the UI components of Fiori system and NetWeaver gateway.
4) SAP NetWeaver Gateway is used to setup a connection between SAP business suite and target clients, platforms and framework. It offers development and generation tools to create OData services to different client development tools.
5) SAP ABAP Back-End Server is used to contain the business logic and the back-end data.

SAP NetWeaver Gateway
As stated above, SAP NW is used to setup connection between SAP Business suite and target clients, platforms and frameworks. SAP NetWeaver Gateway is a technology that provides a simple way to connect devices, environments and platforms to SAP software based on market standards. In just simple words, it is a set of ABAP add-ons to the existing SAP ERP system that provides easy access to the business information in a simple way.

SAP NetWeaver Gateway offers connectivity to SAP applications using any programming language or model without the need for SAP knowledge by leveraging REST services and OData/ATOM protocols.

REST: Representational State Transfer is a style of software architecture for distributed systems such as the World Wide Web. REST has increasingly displaced other design models such as SOAP and WSDL due to its simpler style. REST uses the standard GET, PUT, POST & DELETE methods and other existing features of the HTTP protocol. Key goals of REST include Scalability of component interactions, Generality of interfaces, and Independent deployment of components, Intermediary components to reduce latency, enforce security and encapsulate legacy systems.

OData: The Open Data Protocol is an open web protocol for querying and updating data. The protocol allows for a consumer to query a data source over the HTTP protocol and get the result back in formats like Atom, JSON or plain XML, including pagination, ordering or filtering of the data.

Key Benefits of SAP NetWeaver Gateway
1) REST-enables your SAP system, thereby lowering the data consumption barrier to the point that no specialist knowledge of an SAP system is required before SAP business data and functionality can be consumed.
2) Hides the technical complexities of your SAP system landscape behind a single interface that is easy-to-use and non-proprietary.
3) Makes your SAP business data and functionality accessible to any external device or system that can communicate using the HTTP(S) protocol
4) Understand OData messages.
5) Provides Service Provisioning tools that allow the quick REST-enablement of existing ABAP functionality.
6) Provides plug-ins for well-known IDEs such as Eclipse, Visual Studio 2010 and XCode.

This fig. would give you better understanding of Fiori Architecture

 
 
The SAP Web dispatcher is the entry point for HTTP(s) requests into the system. It can reject or accept connections. When it accepts a connection, it selects and appropriate application server and balances the load to ensure an even distribution across the servers.

The ABAP front-end server contains the UI layer with the necessary product-specific UI add-ons for the respective products (Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)) as well as the infrastructure components. The infrastructure comprises the central UI add-on with the SAP UI5 control library and the SAP Fiori launch pad as well as SAP NetWeaver Gateway with the OData enablement.

These front-end components have access through a trusted RFC connection to the ABAP back-end server containing the business logic and the necessary integration add-ons with the OData services and the PFCG roles for ERP and SRM.

The underlying database can be any database, and can be accessed from the back-end server. If your back end runs on SAP NetWeaver 7.40, you can also use SAP HANA as a database.


So, this was some introduction to SAP Fiori, more to come, stay tuned!
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