Aviad Rivlin

May 3, 2013 1 minute read

Extending SAP NetWeaver Portal with Enterprise Workspaces 1.1 Service Pack 4

Hello,

Today I would like to share with you the availability of SAP NetWeaver Portal, enterprise workspaces 1.1, Service Pack 4.

With this latest release of Enterprise Workspaces, we extend (even more) the mobile capabilities of the SAP NetWeaver Portal and Enterprise Workspaces.

This new service pack provides enhanced and extended mobile and social capabilities for the SAP NetWeaver Portal, in four major areas:

Mobile Homepage – 16 new mobile homepage templates and multiple new mobile ready modules.
Mobile user interface for the SAP NetWeaver Portal Universal Worklist – an HTML5 based user interface for the existing Universal Worklist running on smartphones and tablets, while reusing the existing configuration of the Universal Worklist (SSO, UWL configuration, etc.)
Enterprise Feeds – new portal container aggregating different content sources into one harmonized feed. The enterprise feed aggregates one or more channels, consuming data from an external RSS feed, news items stored in the SAP Knowledge Management repository and\or Universal Worklist items. Customers and partners can extend the list of channels via public API’s and consume items from additional repositories. Enterprise feeds can be consumed on multiple devices – desktop and mobile devices.
People Explorer is connecting people based on both enterprise data and personal information, it supports in creating professional networks, finding experts and discovering colleagues with shared interests. With Enterprise Workspaces Service Pack 4, multiple relationship types are supported (for example: “following”, “member-of”, etc.), end user can edit and update their own profile, and several additional enhancements.

Check out this short video presenting the mobile consumption of the SAP NetWeaver Portal on tablet devices:

To summarize:

Enterprise Workspaces 1.1 Service Pack 4 provides enhanced capabilities for quick and easy creation of mobile workspaces and mobile homepage.
It provides a mobile view for the SAP NetWeaver Portal Universal Worklist.
It provides 16 new mobile homepage templates and additional mobile ready modules for feed consumption, mobile application launching and mobile Universal Worklist.

For further information, please review the detailed presentation and the release notes on help.sap.com.

Finally, don’t miss the live demos and face-to-face discussions at sapphirenow2013. If you are attending the sapphire_now_2103 / asug_365 conference in Orlando, you are welcome to e-mail me and meet in person.

Aviad

With the new gamification tools on SCN, don’t forget to “like” this blog in case your find it useful…

25 Comments

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Former Member

May 3, 2013 at 12:55 pm

Hi Aviad,

Nice job! Will the Mobile UWL only be available with enterprise workspaces or can it be used seperately?

kind regards,

Ted

Aviad Rivlin

Blog Post Author

May 4, 2013 at 7:31 pm

It can be used seperately, but it is delivered as part of Enterprise Workspaces.

Aviad

Simon Kemp

May 5, 2013 at 4:51 am

Hi Aviad,

Thanks for posting this. I have been hoping for a standard SAP delivered version of the UWL for a while, I'm glad it is available now. I know that many of the customers I work with use UWL but don't use enterprise workspaces... So just to be 100% clear here, are you saying the only way to get this mobile UWL is as part of the EWS, e.g you must be licensed for EWS?

Thanks

Simon

Aviad Rivlin

Blog Post Author

May 5, 2013 at 7:25 pm

Hi Simon,

Yes, you got it correctly. These days Enterprise Workpsaces provides various enhancementas in the areas of moblity, social and the traditional personal and shared workspaces.

One of the mobile capabilities that Enterprise Workspaces provide is the mobile UWL.

Regards,

Aviad

Simon Kemp

May 5, 2013 at 10:18 pm

Thanks Aviad,

I suppose part of me (the selfish part) is a bit disappointed that Mobile UWL isn't available separately from EWS - I had hoped that more mobile portal content would be delivered as standard or as "free" business packages by SAP. 😀

That being said I look forward to getting a hold of it and taking a look... am off to download EWS 1.1 SP4 now! 🙂

Cheers,

Simon

Former Member

May 6, 2013 at 6:48 am

Hi Simon,

I was also somewhat disappointed when I read that mobile UWL is part of EWS, but... Commercially seen this is a smart move, every customer I have spoken to about PoD asks if there is a mobile UWL so I guess this will improve sales for EWS.

I am very curious to know if more mobile portal content will be delived soon.

Kind regards,

Ted

Abdulbasit Gulsen

May 6, 2013 at 12:08 pm

Hi Aviad,

I'm too disappointed to see that new features of Portal are only implemented in EWS which requires an additional license.

I don't agree to Ted Castelijns that this is commercially smart move. EWS brings features that a modern portal solution must have. It means customers have to pay twice to use modern Portal solution from SAP (or ? )

Cheers,

Abdul.

Yariv Zur

May 6, 2013 at 12:19 pm

Hi,

My two cents:

There are new features of portal also implemented in the "core" portal (not EWS). Just see Aviad's blogs about the new stuff in SP7, SP8 and SP9 of 7.30 and you can see that there are many of these.
I also dont agree to the "Pay twice" notion. Most customers "get" portal as part of their general NetWeaver License or as part of their Business suite user licenses.
I also think its "fair" to charge for additional, premium, functionality. I dont see why paying X amount of $ for a SharePoint CAL is ok, but paying that kind of money to get a premium mobile portal is not (remember that the 'basic' mobile portal is free!)

Abdulbasit Gulsen

May 6, 2013 at 1:27 pm

Hi Yariv,

Thanks for the clarifications.

You are right there are also great features (portal on device, unified framework page etc.) implemented in the "core" portal in the latest releases. I'm correcting my statement to "I'm disappointed to see that premium features of Portal are only implemented in EWS"
I still insist on customers must pay twice statement. Getting Portal as a part of "Netweaver License" or "Business Suite License" doesn't mean it is free.
I don't have much information about Sharepoint licensing and I don't want to move discussion into comparison of the portal solutions from SAP and Microsoft. If you look from the SAP side, it might be normal to ask additional license for Premium content. However, from the consultant's perspective, it is not easy for me to tell the customer that they "get" only basic Portal features with the "core" portal and they have to pay more to get the "premium".

my 2 cents..

Abdul.

le xian

May 30, 2013 at 8:50 am

Hello Avaid:

We have update our EWS to 1.1 pack4,and I create a view called [universal Worklist iview for mobile],then preview this iview is ok.

I add the iview to my mobile role,but when i perview in the smartphone or tablet,it offers the problem [undefined,undefined]

please heple me what's the reason.

thanks a lot,

lexian

Former Member

May 30, 2013 at 2:18 pm

Hello le,

1st of all, congratulations for upgrading to EWS 1.1 SP4 with mobile UWL, you are quick 😉

Which EP version and SP do you have?

What happens when you run the iView on your PC directly, does it work?

Best,

-Itay

le xian

May 31, 2013 at 6:19 am

Hi Italy:

When I run the iview on PC, it works fine.

But on smartphone, I can not find the reject and accept button.

My ep version is 7.30 sp9.

lexian.

Aviad Rivlin

Blog Post Author

June 4, 2013 at 8:02 am

Hello Lexian,

For height issue, please review SAP Note: 1832376

For missing actions in the mobile UWL:

Make sure these actions exist in the desktop UWL view
Make sure these actions are available in the UWL XML configuration

Please, let me know how it goes..

Rgds,

Aviad

cc: Yael Mizrahil Itamar Segev Ronny Amran

le xian

June 5, 2013 at 7:35 am

Hello Aviad:

I test the first problem,

I check the note 1832376 which you give me,I try two methods,but nothing success.

I don't know what's wrong with me.

thank you very much

wishes for you,

lexian

Former Member

June 5, 2013 at 10:09 am

Hi Lexian,

Regarding the height problem - which patch level of 7.3 SP9 do you have on your machine?

I would like to have a short conference call with you and see both the behavior on your device + check patch level and your configuration steps. In order to see your iPhone live, you can download AirWatch and project your iPhone screen on your PC screen (AirWatch has a trial version). In which time zone are you?

Regarding issue 2 - the buttons : do you have the buttons available on the task in the UWL desktop version?

Best,

-Itay

le xian

June 8, 2013 at 12:50 am

Hello consultant:

Our patch level is EWS 1.1 SP4.

I don't know how to download AirWatch,so I want to try again abotu the two method in note 1832376.

Regarding issue 2 - the buttons : do you have the buttons available on the task in the UWL desktop version?

I am very puzzled, when I preview the uwl mobile iview in my desktop,it is the same as standard default uwl iview.

Thanks a lot,

lexian

Aviad Rivlin

Blog Post Author

June 10, 2013 at 9:12 am

Lexian - can you please open an OSS message and send us back the number. This will be the best way to solve your issue.

Regards,

Aviad

le xian

June 24, 2013 at 12:27 am

Hello Aviad:

The OSS number is 0000500031

Thank you very much.

Rajendrakumar Gaikwad

June 10, 2013 at 5:38 am

We have a mix of BSP,WD-Java, WD-ABAP applications.

we are on Portal 7.31 SP06 and ECC6 EHP5.

my only question is : will ent workspaces 1.1 mobile UWL support these ?

put in simple words: will approvers be able to approve/reject on smartphones and ipads/tabs etc?

Regards

Rajendra.

Aviad Rivlin

Blog Post Author

June 10, 2013 at 9:15 am

First, you will need Portal 7.31 SP7 with Enterprise Workspaces 1.1 SP4.

The workflow types that are avilable on the desktop UWL will be avilable also on the Mobile UWL.

Regards,

Aviad

Former Member

June 10, 2013 at 2:11 pm

If you can approve/reject tasks directly from your UWL task (without launching the WD/BSP) then you will also be able to approve/reject tasks directly from your smartphone. Actions that are available from the UWL task are also available from the mobile UWL. We also opened extension points : It means that you can launch different apps from your Mobile UWL and you may configure which app will be launched from which UWL action. So, for example, if you have an HTML app you may call it from your mobile UWL instead of calling a WD/BSP app.

Hope that helps 😉

-Itay

Andy Silvey

June 19, 2013 at 7:20 am

Hi Aviad,

I missed this blog. Excellent news.

All the best,

Andy.

Former Member

July 9, 2013 at 2:35 pm

Dears,

Can anybody let me know where we can download this EWS.

Aviad Rivlin

Blog Post Author

July 9, 2013 at 7:06 pm

You can download Enterprise Workspaces from the Service Market Place. In case you can't find it there, I would suggest to check with your SAP Account team if you have the required license.

Regards,

Aviad

Former Member

April 30, 2015 at 7:17 am

Hi Aviad,

Thanks for the nice blog.

I am also diappointed with the separate license for EWS.

I have SAP EP NW 7.40 SP08 and activated POD. Looking for integrating UWL.

Regards,

Anil Patil

Extending SAP NetWeaver Portal with Enterprise Workspaces 1.1 Service Pack 4

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