What is the SAP Fiori Launchpad?

The SAP Fiori launchpad (FLP) is the access point or homepage for all users to access the Fiori applications. SAP Fiori is a collection of apps that are created to enhance the user experience (UX).

Fiori launchpad can be accessed from desktop/laptop, mobile, or tablet handled devices and is the entry point to access SAP Fiori apps.

It offers a coherent user experience across different enterprise solutions by utilizing the capabilities of the user role to combine the decomposed apps in one surface. The launchpad can be accessed either using transaction /n/ui2/flp from the SAP GUI or using a URL from any web browser.

SAP Fiori Launchpad

The SAP Fiori launchpad displays a homepage with tiles. Each tile represents a business application, which users can launch. The launchpad is role-based where applications are grouped as per the user requirement and only those applications to which the user has access are displayed in his launchpad.

Each app represents one individual step for one specific role. This is a shift from monolithic solutions to activity-based apps and a role-based simplification of business processes. The Launchpad consists of many components such as tile, app finder, enterprise search, and notifications. Fiori apps are developed based on SAP UI5 technology, a JavaScript application framework.

SAP Fiori Design

Did you know? Fiori means flower in the Italian language. SAP Fiori is designed in such a way it is responsive, seamless, simple, and easily accessible, compatible with all handheld devices, and more.

Fiori offers three different types of applications such as transactional, factsheets, and analytical apps. The transactional apps are task-based, factsheet apps are search and explore based, while analytical apps are insights based.

Apart from these apps its also possible to access GUI and Webdynpro ABAP (WDA) backend applications from the SAP Fiori Launchpad. 

Watch this intro lesson to SAP Fiori for End Users:

Architecture

The system landscape for SAP Fiori consists of SAP Frontend server (FES), a gateway system, SAP Backend server (BES), an AS ABAP (ECC or S/4HANA) system, and web dispatcher. Although web dispatcher is an optional component, it is still recommended while accessing the Fiori.

SAP Fiori works on any database but with certain limitations. The transactional apps work on any database and on the other part both analytical and factsheet apps work only on SAP HANA as its database.

Deployment Options

SAP offers Fiori with two different deployment options such as Embedded deployment and Central hub deployment. In embedded deployment options, all components of Fiori such as gateway foundation (SAP_GWFND) and data model consumption (IW_PGW, IW_SPI) are deployed in the same system whereas in central hub deployment option both components are deployed in two systems as Front end and backend systems.

The latter option is the SAP recommended deployment as it provides more feasibility of connecting different AS ABAP system using one gateway system. In case of any UI release maintenance such as update, downtime is required only for FES and not for the BES. So that end users can still access the backend system to perform their tasks using GUI.

SAP Fiori for Suite on HANA

The bottleneck in the data flow from disk to the central processing unit in traditional databases has been eliminated by SAP with instruction of HANA in-memory, high-performance database. SAP HANA runs on many terabytes of memory with less cost. Hence memory is no longer problem to access applications with SAP HANA.

SAP Fiori for Suite on HANA leverages the efficiency of HANA, complex analytical tasks such as predictive analysis can be carried out in real-time and data becomes accessible without any delay. The general system roles in the SAP Fiori system landscape do not change when moving to SAP HANA.

The SAP Fiori launchpad, running in a client, still connects to the FES via the SAP Web Dispatcher. What changes are the capabilities of the BES, which is now an SAP Business Suite on HANA.

Besides the legacy and transactional apps, with a Suite on HANA (SoH), analytical and fact sheet apps are now available together with the Fiori search on back-end data. Suite on HANA also allows HANA enterprise search within SAP Fiori launchpad.

SAP Fiori for S/4HANA

Did you know? “S” in S/4HANA stands for simple but it also stands for Suite and “4” stands for the fourth generation. The complete name is SAP Business Suite 4 for SAP HANA (S/4HANA). SAP Fiori is a part of SAP S/4HANA.

With S/4HANA, SAP’s vision to empower the majority of the customers to use its business software. It is the next-generation business suite to help businesses and industries to run simple. SAP Fiori for S/4HANA reimagined the user experience, which is the simplicity to get the job done on any device with SAP Fiori UX and interactive graphics.

Its role-based user experience based on modern design, minimizing the training efforts while increasing productivity. With faster analytics and reporting, smaller total data footprint, all data such as text, geo, graph, and map accessibility and SAP Fiori UX on any devices made SAP Fiori for S/4HANA even more effective for end-users to access the system and perform their tasks efficiently.

This high efficiency wouldn’t be possible without SAP HANA as a database for SAP S/4HANA.

SAP HANA further reduces the data footprint by implementing data-aging strategies. The benefit is that data that is used less frequently can be moved automatically from HOT (in-memory) to WARM (Disk-based) storage, so memory is not filled with data that is less useful. However, this data is still available whenever it is needed. The launchpad efficiently acts as the presentation layer for the SAP S/4HANA with leverage of HANA as its database.  

SAP Fiori - The future of SAP’s User Experience

With the advancements for SAP Fiori UI design along with SAP S/4HANA with every release version either it may be for on-premise or for Cloud platform, SAP Fiori’s future looks promising for the users to engage with their business processes with ease and comfort.

The SAP Fiori 3.0 – the reimagined design and new refreshed theme give launchpad fresh, modern look and feel. The further part is artificial and machine learning intelligence will become key by integrating them into the design.

Design. Develop. Deliver. with SAP Fiori. It empowers designers and developers with the set of tools to create apps for any platform faster than ever. SAP Fiori enables us to turn our ideas into apps with no time as quickly as the customer demands. A modern UX for every device and every user.

SAP Fiori Launchpad can be accessed in all devices such as desktops/laptops, mobiles (Android / iOS), tablets, iPad, and all bowser supported smart devices. By implementing SAP Fiori in the landscape one can improve the business productivity by simplifying daily tasks across all devices in any platform.

With simple user interaction and reduced training efforts for the end-users, SAP Fiori is here to stay for a long period empowering business to the next level.