Introduction
It is rightly said that "Data is the new oil". As years have passed, our dependence on data has increased. To benefit the most out of it, the right data should be available at the right time. We have come a long way when it comes to technology and now we are able to access data using a wide variety of devices - mobiles, tablets, and desktops. Applications have been tweaked to make them accessible on all kinds of devices. Mobile technology is the best thing that we have come up with and because of it, we have our most important data at our fingertips. Mobile applications like Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, etc. have a very major impact on our lives and have always helped us to stay connected.
SAP has also been researching a lot about Mobile technologies and they have also added quite a number of things to give users a better experience. Imagine you need to check some very important organizational data and you are stuck in traffic. What if I say that you can just pull out your mobile phone and see them right away. Furthermore, all the data condensed and packaged for you in a very neat structured format in the form of a card. This technology provided by SAP is called "SAP Mobile Cards" and this has significant potential in changing the way we work and saving us a lot of time and take quick decisions.
Mobile cards on iOS and Android Mobile Devices
Image Source: Overview - SAP Mobile Services Documentation
Architecture
SAP Mobile Services hosted on SAP Cloud Platform acts as a gateway between SAP Mobile Cards and the relevant application/data. This can either be data coming from on-premise/Fiori or cloud applications like Ariba, SuccessFactors, etc. In the case of on-premise systems, a secure connection to the on-premise data is provided by the SAP Cloud Connector.
SAP Mobile Cards Architecture
Image Source : https://developers.sap.com/topics/mobile-cards.html
Features of SAP Mobile Cards
- Provides offline support so that cards can be viewed anytime.
- Auto-refresh to ensure data present in the card is updated regularly.
- Notification features include push notifications, reminders, and geo-fenced alerts.
- Cards are integrated with your phone enabling calling, SMS, email, maps, and location.
- A group of cards is created to quickly organize cards by type.
- Manage card versions through development and production via Mobile Services cockpit, and create backup copies to either restore or change version.
User stories
SAP Mobile Cards has three key user stories:-
- Developer - Designs and builds the card using SAP Web IDE or SAP Business Application studio
- Administrator - Manages the card using SAP Mobile Services Cockpit
- End-user - Uses the card via the SAP Mobile Cards application on Android or iOS device by downloading the app from PlayStore ( for Android ) or App Store ( for iOS ) after registering the application using the details provided by the Administrator.
Creating mobile cards on SAP BTP using Boosters
Developers can create SAP mobile cards very easily using SAP Boosters on the SAP Business Technology Platform. SAP Boosters are wizards which enable us to create an object for a specific business purpose. Below are the steps in order to achieve this :
Step 1: Log in to SAP BTP Cockpit
Log in to your SAP BTP Cockpit. On the left pane, you can see the Boosters option.
SAP BTP Cockpit
Step 2: Select the Boosters option
SAP BTP Boosters
Step 3: Search for Mobile Cards
Build a Micro App for SAP Mobile Cards
Step 4: Click on the tile 'Build a Micro App for SAP Mobile Cards'
The below screen loads.
Boosters - Mobile Cards - Start Screen
Click on the Start button. The below screen appears.
Boosters - Mobile Cards - Check Prerequisites
Step 5: Check Prerequisites
Wait for some time for the status to turn to Done ( Green ). Click on the Next Button. Se
Boosters - Prerequisites
Step 6: Select Subaccount
Select relevant Subaccount details from the dropdown. The Mobile Card Kit status should be Available.
Boosters - Subaccount details
Sometimes when the Mobile Kit Status is Not Available, it is required to Initialise it.
When the Mobile Card Status becomes Available, click Next.
Step 7: Select Cards
There are many readily available card templates to choose from. Let's select the Welcome Card Template. Click Next.
Welcome Card
Step 8: Configure Cards
Configure Card
Step 9: Review
Review the information and click Finish.
Review Card
Step 10: Card created successfully
Once the card is created, we can see 2 QR codes corresponding to Android or iOS.
We can use the QR codes to start the registration of the card to our mobile device.
Accessing SAP Mobile Cards on a mobile device
Follow the below steps to access the card you created on your mobile device.
Step 1: Install SAP Mobile Cards application on your mobile device
Go to Play Store ( for Android ) or App Store ( for iOS ) and install the SAP Mobile Cards app.
SAP Mobile Cards
Step 2: SAP Mobile Cards Welcome Screen
Click Proceed to continue.
Welcome to SAP Mobile Cards
Step 3: Accept the End User License Agreement
Click on "I Agree".
License Agreement
Step 4: Scan QR Code to begin registration
Welcome Screen loads. Click on the "Scan QR Code" button.
Scan the QR Code that appears after performing all steps of Step 5.
Welcome Screen
Step 5: Mobile Service Cockpit
In order to access the Mobile Service Cockpit, go to your SAP BTP Cockpit and select Service Marketplace from the left pane.
Service Marketplace
Search for Mobile Services
Mobile Services
Click on Mobile Services Tile. From the right pane, click on Support button.
After login with the required credentials, the Mobile Services Cockpit Screen loads.
This is the administrative point to manage all SAP Mobile Cards and notifications. Further analytics options are also available.
Mobile Services Cockpit
From the left pane, select Mobile Applications => SAP Mobile Cards.
On the right pane, you can see the card details.
Click on the APIs Tab and scan the QR code that appears based on your device type - Android/iOS.
API Tab
Step 6: Enter your email ID and Password which you use to access SAP BTP.
After scanning QR Code
The below screen appears. Enter your credentials which you use to access SAP BTP and click on Log On.
Enter Credentials
Step 7: Set Passcode and Fingerprint Authentication
Enter a 8 character Passcode for authentication purpose. Confirm the same passcode in the subsequent screen and press Done.
Passcode
Place your finger on the fingerprint scanner to enable biometric authentication.
Fingerprint Authentication
Step 8: Enable Location Services for SAP Mobile Cards that use Geofence alerts
For the below screen, select Allow only when using the App.
Location Services
Step 9: View your SAP Mobile Card
After step 8, a message appears as "Downloading your cards".
Wait for a few minutes and you should be able to see your card.
In the below screen, you can see all your cards as well as search for cards.
My SAP Mobile Card
Once you click on the card, you can see the entire card content.
A card can have information on both sides, so you can click on the Flip button to see the other side of the card.
Card - Front side
Card - backside
References
Official SAP Documentation on SAP Mobile Cards: Overview - SAP Mobile Services Documentation
Conclusion
In this blog post, we have learned the important concepts about SAP Mobile Cards and how to create a Welcome Card using SAP BTP Boosters.
This is my first blog post so I would appreciate feedback from everyone.
Please stay tuned for my next blog post.
Thank you for reading my blog post.
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