Mashups in SAP Business ByDesign

Mashups in SAP Business ByDesign are used to integrate third-party data sources and service into the cloud solution. Mashups can include Web searches, company or industry business information or online map searches. Below are the major enterprise mashup use cases in ByDesign:

• Context-specific links/buttons to integrate any 3rd party web apps
• Embedded HTML code snippets to integrate any web services
• Embedded web widgets to facilitate daily business convenience
• Context-specific Google maps to show addresses and plan routes

Types of Mashups

There are 4 types of Mashups available in SAP Business ByDesign. Each of these mashups caters to unique requirements within the cloud solution.

• URL Mashup: A mashup that sends data from the SAP Business ByDesign system to the URL of an online service provider. The service provider uses the data, for example, to perform a search, and the results are displayed in a new browser window.

• HTML Mashup: A mashup that embeds an HTML or JavaScript-based Web page directly on a screen.

• Data Mashup: A mashup that combines and displays data from both internal and external sources. To create a data mashup, an integrated authoring tool is used to transform or merge external Web services with internal business data using industry-standard Web service protocols.

• Custom Mashup: A mashup that has been created as an add-on solution by SAP.

The key user can create new URL, HTML and Data Mashups. Custom mashups can be created only by SAP. However, the key user can configure the custom mashups by entering API key and by enabling/disabling the mashups via Mashup Authoring workcenter view.

Mashup Authoring workcenter view

Key user access is required, to configure mashups and create new mashups via Mashup Authoring view of Application and User Management workcenter.

Activate/Deactivate Mashups:

A key user can decide the availability of mashups in screens by activating or deactivating the mashup.

Activating a mashup will make it available to be consumed across the screens.

Deactivating a mashup will make it invisible across screens where it was used and will not be available for any new further usage.

Enter API keys

Some Web services used within a mashup may require a unique API key to allow the mashup to access their services. You can generate a company-specific API key via the service provider’s website and then use this key to authenticate access to the service from SAP Business ByDesign.

You can identify the mashups that require an API key by the icon displayed in the API Keys column in Mashup Authoring OWL :

You can activate/deactivate and enter API keys to relevant mashups from Mashups OWL.

Mashups are distinguished by the following characteristics:

• Mashup Categories: Mashups are grouped together into categories according to the type of service or information that they provide.

• Port Bindings: Certain fields on screens are predefined as screen out-ports and in-ports. These screen out-ports are grouped together as a port binding. The port binding defines the type of information that can be used in the mashup and defines on which screens you can use the mashup. The mashup category specifies which port bindings are available.

Using Mashups in screens

Before a mashup can be used, it needs to be activated by the key user and must be made visible on the screens for which it has been configured. The mashup can be made visible by the key user and end user via adaptation and personalization respectively.

You may find the steps to add mashups to the workcenter views in Adding Mashups in SAP Business ByDesign.

Mashup is a quite powerful feature which when used wisely can help you draw meaningful information by leveraging the data and services available in the web.

That’s all folks! Happy Mashing up!! ?