With the introduction of S/4HANA, the Fiori interface becomes a de facto standard.
Although it is still possible to still use the GUI interface at the moment, it may be useful to know what the main elements are in the area of roles and authorizations in SAP Fiori.
SAP Fiori Architecture
We have already discussed this in this specific blog post "SAP Fiori Authorization" as well as the importance of the SAP Fiori Library and SAP Fiori Launchpad.
Do you need to migrate to S/4HANA? Read or check out some insights here:
SAP Fiori: Roles, Catalogs, Groups, Space, Page what to use?
There are several elements that enable operation in Fiori. If in the past the only relevant word was SAP Role. Today it is no longer sufficient. Even having the well-known SAP_ALL profile (what is the difference between Role and SAP Profile?) does not guarantee the ability to work in Fiori.
In general, in order to use the system in the Fiori interface, you need to have two parts:
- The applications (Fiori App), read here what the SAP Fiori Library is.
- The authorizations invoked by the Fiori apps
Beware, depending on Fiori's architecture these two parts could be on different systems (Front End Server and Back End Server i.e. FES and BES). On this occasion we will assume that we have everything in one system.
What are Fiori Catalogs?
A Fiori catalog is a container of Fiori applications. There are several types, but they are logical rather than technical definitions:
- Technical Catalog
- Business Catalog
In addition, they can be created in Configuration or Customization mode i.e., over client or within a specific client.
There is both a web interface for creating them and a specific transaction for managing them respectively /UI2/FLPD_CUST and /UI2/FLPD_CONF (Launchpad Designer).
Please remember that if you have to execute from the GUI transactions that begin with this character / you have to put an /n in front of them so: /n/UI2/FLPD_CUST or you can put them in user favorites.
There is also a newer transaction for managing catalogs called: /UI2/FLPCM_CUST Launchpad Content Manager.
What are Fiori Groups?
Fiori groups are also containers of applications. But the difference from catalogs is that groups represent a container of Fiori APPs that are shown in the launchpad interface. That is, I answer the question, upon logging into SAP S/4HANA via Fiori, what APPs do you see?
In fact, you can have in your catalogs many applications but only a few displayed in your launchpad. And the idea is indeed just that. SAP itself suggests limiting the number of APPs exposed in your launchpad, creating useful groupings to simplify business functionality based on the processes that need to be performed.
They can be managed as we have already seen above through the Fiori launchpad designer: following transactions: /UI2/FLPD_CUST and /UI2/FLPD_CONF
However, it remains possible for each user to create "favorites" or groups that collect the most frequently used applications.
Beware, for SAP the Fiori groups are obsolete. For this reason, Spaces have been created in their place.
What are Space and Page Fiori?
They effectively replace the group concept initially introduced by SAP and after a few years declared obsolete. The SAP Fiori launchpad spaces therefore stands as an alternative to the SAP Fiori Launchpad. Where the inside is to design a user interface that can facilitate the adoption and use of defined business processes.
There are two specific APPs for managing pages and spaces.
Within the Pages you can insert APPs by grouping them by sections (Section) using a what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) editor.
How to link Catalogs, Groups, Spaces and Pages in SAP roles?
In the latest releases, once you have built Group or Space/Page Catalogs you can link them within the menu of an SAP role through the classic PFCG transaction (What are useful transactions in Fiori?). Here you can see where in the PFCG transaction menu you can do this:
Topics: sap FIORI, fiori launchpad, sap catalog, sap fiori space