A Bunch of Things You Need to Know About Fiori for CRM

[former_member187490]

If you’re an existing SAP CRM customer you have probably already heard about SAP Fiori. But you might still have some questions like… What the heck is a Fiori anyway? What SAP CRM functionality is available via Fiori? How much does Fiori cost? Does Fiori require SAP HANA?

Keep reading below to find out what SAP Fiori is all about and how you can leverage it within SAP CRM.

Fiori is an HTML5 user interface, not a type of pasta

Fiori is not a type of pasta. Nor is it an Italian flower. Rather, SAP Fiori UX (User Experience) is SAP’s next-generation user interface built using HTML5 / SAP UI5 mobile and OData services. Fiori is optimized to run on mobile devices; However Fiori apps can run on any device including smartphones and tablets, as well as laptops and desktops.

Similar to the “Personas” concept in SAP ECC, Fiori apps are organized by roles. Users access the Fiori apps via tiles on a homepage using the Fiori Launchpad, the central entry hub to all SAP Fiori apps. Within the launchpad are services for navigation, personalization, single sign-on, and search.

All SAP Fiori apps follow a design principle known as 1-1-3 (“one, one, three”). This means each screen should be designed with a single user (or role) in mind, a single task that this user wants to accomplish, and a maximum of three levels of navigation to perform this task. In addition to the over 360 individual Fiori apps provide by SAP, customers can also create their own Fiori-like apps.

HANA is recommended / required

HANA is recommended -- and in most case even required -- to run Fiori apps. Technically SAP Fiori comes in three types of apps: transactional apps, fact sheets, and analytical apps. Transactional apps run best on SAP HANA, but can be ported to other databases that provide acceptable performance. However both fact sheets and analytical apps can only be run using SAP HANA.

Fiori is free

When SAP first unveiled the Fiori UX at SAPPIRE in 2013, it was announced that customers would be required to pay an additional license fee of 100 Euro per user to leverage the new Fiori user interface. While customers were thrilled excited about the new UI which offered increased usability, customers weren’t necessarily as enthusiastic about the licensing model. After several discussions between SAP and customers it was announced that Fiori is now available free of charge to customers!

Fiori is also available for CRM

When Fiori was unveiled at SAPPHIRE in May 2013, there were only 25 apps available for the entire SAP Business Suite. Today there are over 360 individual Fiori apps available including a dozen or so Fiori apps for CRM! Most of the apps available to date for CRM are focused around the Sales Representative role and include functionality designed around account and contact management, leads and opportunities, and sales pipeline performance.

Notably absent from the sales-related functionality is Order Management, which is not currently available via Fiori for CRM (however Fiori does of course offer Sales Order Management apps for ECC). Similarly, Fiori does not yet provide any Marketing or Service Management apps for CRM. Below is a list of the out-of-the-box Fiori apps currently available for CRM.

• My Accounts
• My Appointments
• My Contacts
• My Leads
• My Notes
• My Opportunities
• My Tasks
• Approve Requests
• Simulate Sales Pipeline
• Track Sales Pipeline
• SAP Smart Business for Sales Performance Management

Fiori runs on CRM 7.0, EHP1, EHP2, and EHP3

Fiori is included standard with CRM 7.0 EHP3 SP03 and later releases. Some Fiori apps can be leveraged in EHP2, EHP1, and even CRM 7.0 by installing the Fiori Add-On package. The following versions are supported:

• SAP CRM 7.0 SPS 06 or higher
• SAP enhancement package 1 for SAP CRM 7.0 SPS03 or higher
• SAP enhancement package 2 for SAP CRM 7.0 SPS01 or higher

However, many of the newest Fiori features and functionality for CRM can only be used with the latest CRM versions. For example, the following features of the My Accounts Fiori app are only availalbe with CRM 7.0 EHP3 SP09:

• Account types: The app shows individual accounts and account groups in addition to corporate accounts.
• Display own accounts: You can determine which accounts are identified as the user's accounts (for display in the My Accounts view). You determine this on the basis of relationship categories for the relationship between an employee and an account. You can determine user's accounts also based on own definitions.
• Fstrict the result list based on own definitions (for example take out blocked accounts).
• Create and edit accounts
• Display quotations from SAP ERP
• Display sales orders from SAP ERP
• Display and create marketing attributes
• Etc.

Fiori can be used for “mobile sales”

Fiori apps are built using the SAP UI5 framework on the front end, which calls backend functionality that is exposed using SAP NetWeaver Gateway services. Unlike the standard CRM WebClient user interface (which can be run on mobile devices like iPad with some tweaking) Fiori apps are optimized for mobile devices and dynamically resize to fit the display of the device being used.

This means that Fiori could be used in lieu of CRM Mobile Sales – at least for basic SFA functionality like account management, appointment management, lead/opportunity management, and pipeline analysis. And unlike other mobility solutions for SAP CRM, Fiori does not require the use of SUP (Sybase Unwired Platform now known as the SAP Mobile Platform).

However, as mentioned in #2 above, Fiori doesn’t currently provide a Sales Order app for CRM (though Fiori does provide a Sales Order app for ECC).  So if you wanted to allow sales reps to log orders in CRM using Fiori, you would currently need to create your own apps for e.g., quotation and sales order management.

Fiori can be used offline (currently just for select apps) ** Update Nov 2015

With CRM 7.0 EHP3 SP10, which was released in October 2015, SAP CRM customers can run Fiori in the Cloud connected to their SAP CRM system.  Among other things, Fiori Cloud Edition enables Fiori apps to be run in offline mode on smartphones and tablets.  Users can create, edit, and view data in offline mode. All data is store locally on the device and synchronized with the CRM backend via SMP or its Cloud edition HCPms.

As a first step, with SAP Fiori 1.0 (wave 10) for SAP CRM 7.0 EHP3 SP10, SAP has enabled two CRM Fiori apps to be run offline: My Accounts and My Contacts.  As prerequisites SAP Mobile Platform (or its cloud edition HCPms) and SAP Mobile Secure are both required.  For complete details, click here to read Jutta Weber’s blog post, “Using CRM Fiori apps offline”.

Fiori is not WebDynpro, WebClient, Corbu, or SAP Screen Personas

As mentioned above, SAP Fiori User Experience (UX) is a new user interface technology based on HTML5 / SAP UI5 and OData services. Fiori does not rely on the WebDynpro technology which is typically used when building web applications in the SAP environment. Similarly Fiori doesn’t leverage the BSP (Business Server Page) technology used by the CRM WebClient user interface.  Rather Fiori is a completely separate new user interface technology.

It’s also important to differentiate between Fiori and Corbu which is essentially  just a new “theme” or “skin” that can be applied on top of UI technologies like WebDynpro, WebClient, or SAP GUI to standardize the look and feel (i.e., fonts, UI elements, layouts, etc.) of SAP applications regardless of which technology platform they run on.

And finally, Fiori should not be confused with SAP Screen Personas which are useful for modifying SAP GUI screens such as those in SAP ECC. SAP Screen Personas is a technology that provides a drag and drop approach to modify many common SAP GUI screens to make them more usable and more visually appealing. While this is a great tool for SAP ECC screens that use SAP GUI, SAP Screen Personas is obviously not useful in SAP CRM which uses BSP WebClient screens. Fiori on the other hand, which can be used with CRM, provides somewhat similar benefits in terms of usability and personalization.

You can create your own Fiori apps!

As mentioned above, currently SAP only delivers out-of-the-box Fiori apps for the Sales Rep business role. And while SAP is planning to deliver more Fiori apps for other business roles like the Marketing Professional at some point down the road, some customers and system integrators have already gone ahead and developed their own custom Fiori apps rather than waiting.

For example, Nsight, an SAP certified partner, has built a set of Fiori apps for CRM Service Order Management! While these apps are obviously not standard SAP Fiori apps delivered by SAP, they conform to the Fiori standards and integrate seamlessly with SAP CRM just like regular SAP-delivered Fiori apps.

You’ll notice also that Nsight has added some additional touches of their own such as color-coding and sorting of orders by priority and status (Figure 1). They’ve also added integration to Google Maps for driving directions as well as CTI integration for click-to-call capabilities (Figure 2).

These quite sophisticated Fiori apps from Nsight are just an example of what can potentially be done on a project basis. Your custom Fiori apps can be as basic or elaborate as you like. It’s up to you. All you need to do is create your apps and plug them into the SAP Fiori Launchpad! For a primer on how to get integrate your own custom Fiori apps, check out this article from Craig Haworth, “How to get your SAP UI 5 apps to work like SAP Fiori Apps in the SAP Fiori Launchpad”.

Additional Documentation and Guides

There are many other questions about Fiori that I don't cover in this introductory blog post about Fiori for CRM. For example, "Can Fiori be used offline?" or "Does Fiori require SMP?". Those questions are beyond the scope of this post, and they are already answered better elsewhere. Below are a few links to other resources that provide more in-depth information on Fiori in general (while my post here was intended to focus specifically on the use of Fiori for CRM).

• What is SAP Fiori UX? Masayuki Sekihara on SCN
• What's all the furore about Fiori? Is this the SAP mobile solution you've been waiting for? by Darron Walton on Devilliers Walton
• SAP Fiori & SMP by John Wargo on SCN
• SAP Help Portal: SAP Fiori for SAP Business Suite
• 1931218 - General Information: Fiori for CRM
• 1931219 - General Information: CRM Analytical Fiori Apps
• 2033487 - Problem analysis and correction for SAP CRM HANA Live Reporting
• 2016653 - Extending the SAP Fiori apps "My Accounts" and "My Contacts"

• Using CRM Fiori apps offline | SCN by Jutta Weber

Follow me on my blog at john.burton/blog

[Former Member]

Good to give basic idea to people who are new to Fiori. Thanks :smile:

[Former Member]

Thanks for the excellent information.  does the use case for Fiori and CRM WEB UI same? in other words is fiori is successor to CRM WEB UI? when I read the blog, I get the information Fiori is for mobile application and crm web ui is for PC user, is this understanding correct? Thanks for the information already :smile:

[former_member187490]

Hello Vinay. You raise an excellent question about "use cases". People should not think of Fiori as a successor to either the CRM WebClient or Mobile Sales. Fiori doesn't replace either solution. The "use case" for using Fiori is different from the use case for using the CRM WebClient. Power users who still need the breadth of deep functionality that SAP CRM provides will naturally want to stick with the business roles available in the CRM WebClient. On the other hand, there may be other users who don't use the full features set of CRM and just want a lighter weight tool to access the most commonly used features and tools. Fiori is perfect for the latter user group. And of course not every business role is available yet via Fiori. Currently on the Sales Rep role is supported. So, for example, call center agents obviously should still work in the Interaction Center using the CRM WebClient.

Your question about "mobile versus PC usage" is also a good one. However the answer is not as completely straightforward as saying "use Fiori for mobile, and use WebClient for PC". I do agree that it probably doesn't make a lot of sense to use the WebClient on a mobile device (although I have seen customers running the WebClient on a tablet and they were quite happy with it). But I would not say that Fiori is only for mobile devices. Fiori can also be run on laptops and PCs. It's more about the preference of the user and their use case. A power user who works in the system all day might still prefer the full functionality of the WebClient, while a user who only performs occasional tasks and who cares more about user experience than functionality might prefer to use Fiori even when working on their laptop or PC.

[former_member187490]

Thanks Prabhakar! There are definitely some other great resources out there on Fiori that go into more detail and depth. I will post a few links to those (thanks for the idea). I just wanted to provide a blog that focused specifically on Fiori for CRM, as I wasn't able to find anything about it when I searched.

[Former Member]

Hi John,  is an interesting use case and I agree where I can see the casual user in Fiori as a preferred user experience.   As the CRM UI AET made it easy to create and add custom fields to the UI interface, will be interesting to see how simple it is to include the desired / required  AET fields onto Fiori apps.  Need to try to limit the cost of providing / supporting 2 different user experiences.

[Former Member]

Hi John,

This is really a great blog for a SAP Fiori started like me and especially being a SAP CRM professional understanding how Fiori works with CRM.

Having said that, I have some basic questions if you can provide some insight

1. Does SAP Fiori runs only on SAP CRM EHP3 onwards not on SAP CRM EHP2 ?

2. Does SAP Fiori requires SAP HANA to be implemented for SAP CRM applications . Can it run without HANA ?

3. Do you have or suggest any basic configurations steps ?

4. What is the amount of configuration required if an SAP CRM system to use it ? Like sizing and level of efforts ?

Thanks again for the wonderful overview.

Siva Kumar Kada

[former_member187490]

Hi Glenn,

I agree completely. This kind of reminds me of the PCUI days when companies needed expertise in two different UI technologies for any change they wanted to make. But on the other hand I think it's also unavoidable. At least in this case the technology in question HTML 5/ SAP UI5 is a little less proprietary. And there are some good out of the box tools for extensibility. Check out SAP Web IDE -- Extend Applications as well as Extensibility of SAP Fiori Apps.

Regards,

John

[former_member187490]

Hello Siva,

Thank you. While I am not the expert on the topics you have inquired about, I will at least try to give some brief responses:

1) In general we of course recommend the customer to be on EHP3 with the latest support package. Some of the new Fiori features for CRM require EHP3 SP05 for example. However, I believe that customers who are running EHP1 or EHP2 can still somehow get access to the Fiori apps by installing the Fiori add-on, which is included automatically in EHP3.

2) Please see #2 above in my blog where I address the whether HANA is recommended / required.

3) Here's a good guide for configuration of the Fiori Launchpad: Setup of SAP Fiori Launchpad - SAP Fiori for SAP Business Suite - SAP Library

4) There are some more good guides available on configuration here: http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-53176

Best regards,

John

[former_member205519]

Great blog John, very informative

thanks for sharing the link with me

cheers

[Former Member]

Hi John,

Thanks for sharing such informative blog.

[john_heald]

Very useful, as ever, John

[TorosAledjian]

For those wanting to get more information on Fiori and the User Experience in General check out the following site:

http://experience.sap.com/

[Former Member]

Thanks a lot for sharing.

[former_member205493]

Hi John,

Thanks a lot for sharing such details explanation of SAP new technology FIORI, I like to know one small thing, I am a functional CRM  Consultant, so is this new product of SAP requires only Technical configuration or both Functional and technical too, and where I get the details for training of fiori,

[Former Member]

Very informative, John. Thanks for sharing this info.

-Chandrakant

[former_member187490]

Nov 18, 2015 Update: Select Fiori CRM apps are now available to be run in offline mode using the Fiori Cloud Edition. See jutta.weber blog post Using CRM Fiori apps offline | SCN..

[former_member193352]

Excellent Information John.

Are there any out of box apps for Utilities Call center which include standard move-in move-out and other field service scenarios ?

[former_member187490]

Hello Vishal,

Thank you. Yes, the Utilities team is offering a new product called, "Multichannel Foundation for Utilities" that contains 3 apps for customer self service (classic web, responsive design web app with Fiori theme and a mobile app) and the call center agent can enable a co-browsing mode.

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_umc100/helpdata/en/4f/fb14525ae67a38e10000000a445394/frameset.htm

Regards,

John

[Former Member]

Hello John,

  Can we give customer a solution that use both Fiori and WebClient ?

  if could. Accordingly the types of two  UI style are different. How to do with user-friendly ?

  And could user browser WebClient like Fiori App in launchpad ?

Thanks & best regards,

Jerry

[former_member187490]

Hello Jerry,

Yes, a customer can use both the WebClient and Fiori. Typically power users will prefer the full-functionality while occassional users and remote/field professionals will prefer the usability and remote (and partial offline) capabilities of Fiori!

As part of our roadmap SAP is looking at also making Fiori (and HTML5 UI apps in general) run inside the CRM WebClient framework to provide even greater deployment flexibility.

Warm regards,

John

[bartdesmet]

Hi Jerry,

if you want to bring the Fiori User Experience and the Web Client User Experience close to each other, check out the newest Webclient skin "Blue Crystal".
Details available in this blog:New WEBCUIF Standard Theme: Blue Crystal

Regards,

Bart

[devashish_bhattacharya]

Hi John,

I have got this dilemma around CRM solutions after getting to know that CRM would be an integral part of S/4 HANA after 2018.
How will the current offerings around On Premise and Cloud CRM be sustainable in this case?

Looking forward for your thoughts.

Regards,
Devashish

[nyshah]

Dear John,

Do we have any update on this roadmap of having FIORI run inside the CRM WebClient?