Real life challenges with SAP Build Apps.pdf
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The document discusses the real-life challenges encountered while building applications using SAP Build, particularly focusing on a decision sheet tool used for managing deviations from the bill of materials. Key challenges included issues with user experience design, backend data integration limitations, and platform security. Despite these obstacles, positive feedback was received from business users, and support from the SAP product team contributed to a shorter learning curve for simpler applications.
Real life challenges with SAP Build Apps.pdf
- 1. Real life challenges with SAP Build Apps at the customer
- 2. Agenda • Introduction • Story • How • Development process • Frontend • Backend • Platform • What went well • Next steps • Questions
- 3. Introduction Wim Snoep Solution Architect INNOV8iON ST Consultancy Ideo Kevin Wang Integration Architect Allitze Faro (remote) SAP BTP Consultant
- 4. Your experience on SAP Build? May we know?
- 5. Disclaimer
- 6. What’s up Imagine a company in the South of the Netherlands. Having an application: Decision sheet. Build with Microsoft Power Apps Not validating inputs Not IT Managed
- 7. What is a decision sheet During the build of an order it is regularly needed to deviate from the Bill of Material (BOM) e.g. due to material availability. The decision Sheet Tool is a controlled way of getting approvals for and registration of deviations in the BOM, with the goal to increase data accuracy and speed up the process of having an alternative material available to use making the process of deviating in the BOM, uniform, transparent and controlled.
- 8. Architecture guideline: Rebuild in IT managed SAP solution, candidate for SAP low code solution. Choice was to use SAP Build suite. Basically SAP Build Process automation. What’s up
- 9. Process flow Automation is hard Dynamic and flexibility is a wish Assignment Ad-Hoc.
- 10. Start Detailing requirements Process wasn’t clear enough Process not straight forward/ very dynamic. Discussed with SAP product management for SAP Build Process automation ➔Conclusion: requirements cannot be met with Process Automation. Discussed with internal architects ➔ Continue in SAP Build Apps as more flexible.
- 12. Work zone – landing page
- 14. Create decision sheet <Screenshots removed>
- 15. Display decision sheet <Screenshots removed>
- 16. Edit decision sheet <Screenshots removed>
- 17. Build lobby - UI challenges • Not blocking: UX designer was not involved, lack of time. But also unknown to the controls library of SAP Build Apps • No Fiori design templates (buttons are not a standard Fiori locations) • Table challenges. Difficult to read which value was clicked to determine the item for the detail page. A lot of effort to make it happen, made it ourselves. • Role usage in SAP Build Apps frontend: It’s not possible to hide or display fields according to roles.
- 18. Dropdowns 1) Z-index is not proper. No layover, all moves down. 2) You cannot type. Custom solution: combination of both
- 19. Standard Popups 1) Very eh basic. 2) Confirm popup slighty better, but cannot be tweaked further. Always on top of the screen.
- 20. Custom Popup Created new component. Logic behind 2 buttons triggered with events and customizable. Cancel can be hidden if only one button is desired. And popup can be placed anywhere on the screen. Added to the SAP Build componentstore.
- 21. Data • After submitting data, it will NOT end up in ECC. No more z tables are allowed in SAP ECC (clean core principle) • Data will be stored in the SAP Build backend, which is called visual cloud functions.
- 23. Build lobby – backend challenges • Only integrate with SAP build frontends, data not accessible via API • Automatic increment ID generation not present. • Not possible to create indexes. • Not possible to search by columns • DB is PostgreSQL. SAP Build apps you CANNOT choose any different one ( for example HANA Cloud) • Import / export data into the visual cloud backend via Excel or manually editing lines.
- 24. Teams setup for SAP Build Platform team Developers OEFA Developers MM Developers SD ... Developers • Citizen developers from business facing units • Working in SAP Build Lobby • Build frontend and backend logic • Responsible for resolving application issues Platform team • Provision subaccount & services • Setup integration with external APIs • App deployment & transport • Work zone & Access admin • Responsible for solving platform issues
- 25. Challenges – Platform • Security • Authorization check not possible in Build Apps frontend • Principal Propagation and check in the backend • Monitoring • Cost reporting based on usage • Transport management • Build Apps frontend: Cloud TMS + deployment to Cloud Foundry • Build Apps backend: manually • Not used: Build process automation: Cloud TMS + deployment • Build work zone: Cloud TMS + manual re-config
- 26. Challenges in SAP Build lobby • Email integration had to be build into the app (more cumbersome, would be more standard in process automation) • Version management improved it a lot, now there for 2 months. For backend and frontend. • Code repository is not existing.
- 27. What went well • Positive reaction from Business users • Short learning curve compared with pro code tools if the app is simple. • Save and directly see changes (backend and frontend directly). • Good support from SAP product team. Biweekly session with SAP Build product team. • New features being released quarterly ! Keep Build Apps out of complex UI and App logic
- 28. Questions?