SAPUI5

Earlier this year SAP came with their new UI technology called SAP UI5. Wait a moment don't they have other UI technologies? Right they do have. Let's do some check and list some of them:

SAPGUI, NetWeaver Business Client (NWBC), browser-based classic dynpros (HTMLB), Business Server Pages (BSP), webDynpro for Java and ABAP, SAP CRM web client, SRM web client, Interactive Forms by Adobe,…

So why new UI? We can look at SAPUI5 as SAP’s HTML5 controls library. SAP is using it as the standard User Interface Control library in all their future applications that need a “consumer grade” User Experience. From technical perspective UI5 is based on HTML/CSS/Javascript and built on open libraries such as jQuery. SAP basically took what was available in open source standards like JQuery, HTML5, JavaScript, CSS and only enhanced it where there was lack of enterprise functions. UI5 is optimized to consume REST/OData services as exposed by e.g. SAP HANA, SAP Netweaver Gateway, SAP HANA Cloud Gateway etc.

SAPUI5 is bundled with SAP NetWeaver Cloud (code name Neo or Project River) which is OnDemand offering or Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

UI5 homepage

UI5 dev guide

UI5 developer-center

UI5 SDK

SAP User Interface Technologies - Road Map

UI5 get to know

- 28/01/2014 update -
SAPUI5 has twin buddy called OpenUI5 which is basically same thing just open source based.

SAP Screen Personas

SAP came few times with initiatives how to simplify and even reduce number of SAP screens and fields on the screens. There are options within different SAP products e.g. in customizing where particular screens/fields can be hidden if not used for that customer or SAP implementation. These initiatives are really important. SAP software is covering a lot of industry solutions basically we would hardly found some major industry which is not covered by SAP. Therefore all the screens are really very advanced supporting needs of different industries. Downside is that such as screens/fields are heavy containing a lot of features tied to wide functionalities.

Other initiative was GuiXT. Provided by 3^rd party company (Synactive) it is a way how to  customize SAP GUI user interface enabling to narrow down no of screens/fields without touching coding (e.g. ABAP or dynpros). More details about GuiXT see here.

In 2012 SAP came with another possibility. It is called SAP Screen Personas. Basically it is aiming same goal. In contrast of GuiXt it is browser based tool for personalizing SAP Dynpro screens. Notice that Personas works on most of dynpro screen. However it doesn’t work on webdynpros based apps (e.g. app like SAP CRM web client or SAP SRM). It can run as far as you accessing SAP backend system via web browser. It is compatible with SAP NetWeaver Business Client (NWBC) as well as with old ITS. Personas are supported by Microsoft Silverlight (app framework for writing and running rich Internet applications; similar Adobe Flash) and HTML. Personas are part of SAP’s User Experience strategy – they enable improving of SAP screens. In lights of other new SAP initiative like SAP Fiori (which aims to renew widely used SAP user scenario) and SAP UI5 (UI to create new SAP apps) Personas are complementary. Again no programming is involved in Personas deployment.

Screen Personas are delivered as SAP NetWeaver software Component called PERSOS; means it is add-on which needs to be installed into your NetWeaver backend system. NW kernel 7.21 is required. You can customize SAP Personas via TA SPRO -> SAP Customizing Implementation Guide -> Cross Application Components -> SAP Screen Personas.

SAP Screen Personas, version history:

2013 July: Personas 2.0 and Personas 1.0 SP2

2013 April: Personas 1.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

2012 December: SAP Screen Personas 1.0

Coming back to GuiXT: As per note 1825312 (Maintenance strategy of GuiXT) GuiXT is still supported and there are currently no plans to remove it from SAP GUI installation.

SAP Personas Resources:

1826286 - FAQ/How-To Guide for SAP Screen Personas

1884539 - Considerations when using SAP Screen Personas

1776739 - Release strategy for the ABAP add-on PERSOS

SAPScreenPersonas.com

Personas SCN wiki

Intro video

Personas 2.0

Fact Sheet

Retraction of data from BW to ECC CO-PA part II

Retraction of data from BW is not that easy topic. I found out that while working with it for some time. BW developer who develops the query which does the retraction needs also to customize the ECC part. And that the tricky part of that. As I mentioned already in my previous post Retraction of data from BW to ECC CO-PA customizing is done in TA KELC. You may face an issue in the test or production system later on. While everything seems to be okay from customizing point of view but query (or retraction) cannot be found in TA KELR – where you attempt to run retraction.

Issue is that you need to change RFC entries that are still pointing into BW system which was used in development of ECC system. By standard functionality ECC doesn’t convert RFC connections. But there is a note (540278 - Retractor: Changes to BW system after Customizing transport) which provide ABAP repot which can do the change of RFC connection name for you.

However there might be other issues. E.g. in TA KELR; even when you have proper RFC in all tables there is an error. You may want to check following views/tables:

V_TKEBWLT               BW-CO-PA Field Assignment: Initial Screen

          TKEBWLTN

          TKEBWLTNT

V_TKEBWLT2              BW-CO-PA Field Assignment: BW Query Operating Concern

          TKEBWLRTR3

V_TKEBWLE

          TKEBWLRTRE  BW-CO-PA Transfer: Assignment On BW System OpConc. Level

 But it doesn’t run. Instead of that following is the error:

No date set Message no. KE321

Diagnosis

No date has been set in the transferred field. date fields transferred:

PERIO (period/year):

BUDAT (posting date): 00.00.0000

GJAHR (fiscal year):

PERDE (period):

System Response

Record was stored in the error file.

Procedure

Enter either "PERIO" or "BUDAT" or a combination of "GJAHR/PERDE".

SYST: Period 000 not defined Message no. AF003

Diagnosis

No provision is made for period 000. It is outside of the period interval as specified by the number of the ordinary and special periods in fiscal year version K4.

Procedure

Check your entries. It is possible that there is a program error, if you have not entered the period yourself. In this case, inform your system administrator.

The issue is most likely caused running of your query with different operating concern as it was supposed to. You may use other op.concern before and once you didn't log out from ECC it still remembers last op.concern used. Therefore clear and set proper operating concern in TA KEBC. Then re-run KELR.

Happy retraction! J