In this blog series, I will try to explain how to use SAP Build Apps to create a maintenance notification app and integrate it with ChatGPT briefly. I will also explain how to connect the app with SAP Backend Systems such as SAP ERP or S/4HANA.
In the ever-evolving landscape of enterprise solutions, the need for streamlined processes in maintenance management has never been more crucial. This blog explores the journey of developing a Maintenance Notification app using SAP Build, a tool that brings simplicity and efficiency to the forefront of application development.
I must confess that writing a blog about the example application actually took longer than building the application itself in my case 😊 because I really wanted to write something in more comprehensive including the details and motivation in which could be potentially guide especially those who are still new in the LCNC World. For more details about SAP LCNC Application Development, you can take a look at this great blog or the learning page here for further details.
So I hope you enjoy these blog series and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
In the dynamic landscape of enterprise solutions, efficient maintenance management is a cornerstone of operational success. When it comes to Maintenance Management, reporting the failures for the Equipment via a mobile application on the go almost become an industry standard. Therefore, SAP provides multiple options like SAP Service and Asset Manager, SAP FSM or even using Responsive Fiori Apps with S4HANA is being very useful in that manner. So there are plenty of options out there but today we will explore SAP Build.
Nevertheless, my goal here will be to explore the synergy between SAP Build and ChatGPT, showcasing how easily one can include AI functionalities to an application with the help of ChatGPT which is built via SAP LCNC tools. Their integration can revolutionize the development of Maintenance Notification apps, specifically by leveraging ChatGPT to succinctly convey notification details. Last but not least, I will also explain how we can integrate the application with a backend system like S4HANA to complete the loop.
I already mentioned about multiple options when it comes to mobilizing maintenance processes with what SAP offers. But I’ll also try to summarize here why SAP Build could be also a good candidate.
SAP Build serves as a catalyst for innovation, providing a user-centric approach to application development. Its intuitive interface empowers businesses to ideate, design, and prototype with ease, setting the stage for a powerful Maintenance Notification app.
It is also a powerful application prototyping tool designed to simplify the process of designing and building applications, making it an invaluable asset for organizations looking to streamline their development workflows. So if you are in more focus of a custom design, something you want to rapidly prototype and extend with AI functionalities and have a seamless integration with other SAP systems, such as SAP ERP or SAP S/4HANA, you are in the right place.
Again, I can continue with more details of SAP Build for pages but I don’t have to since there are good blogs already in place where you can find a comprehensive overview of SAP Build Apps in more detail
But still, It’d be good to mention that, SAP Build has multiple components (or products) like SAP Build apps, SAP Build Process Automation & SAP Build Work Zone and we will only focus on SAP Build apps in these blog series.
It’s also worth to mention that, recently SAP announced one more component called SAP Build Code at the latest SAP Teched and if you are curious about it, you can check the details in the announcement blog or via the product page.
Before diving into the development process, it's essential to understand some of the challenges faced in traditional maintenance processes. When it comes to Maintenance Reporting; it needs to have a very simple UI and it needs to be accessible via Mobile Devices since the app usually used during failures on the field. A tailored Maintenance Notification app addresses these pain points.
Based on my experience, when the operators explain the details of the failure, it usually takes more than 40 chars and the more detailed it is the better it helps the planners. However, when it comes to reporting, using the power of AI to summarize the description of the failure into 40 Chars or auto-assigning of notification catalogs with a classification algorithm can really help there.
Beyond this, you can also combine the AI with IoT for predictive maintenance purposes. To set the expectations right, We will also not focus on predictive maintenance in this blog series 😊 but you can also check this great blog if you are curious about more.
Embarking on the development journey begins with the creation of a new project in SAP Build. The tool's template selection and project scope definition lay the foundation for a customized app tailored to the specific needs of the maintenance process.
In order to use SAP Build, you will need a Free-Tier account on BTP . Here is another good blog that explains how to get one.
After you create your free-tier account, you will need to run the booster for automated setup in your account. Afterwards you should be able to see the applications in the subscriptions. You can than go to the Build lobby by clicking on SAP Build apps or SAP Build Process Automations (both share the same lobby)
Prototyping is a pivotal phase in the development cycle, allowing for quick iterations and adjustments. SAP Build's flexibility ensures that changes based on user feedback can be swiftly incorporated, resulting in a finely tuned app that aligns seamlessly with user expectations.
Once you get in the lobby, we can begin with creating the UI for Notification using drag and drop functionalities in SAP Build.
Here is an example of what I designed as a demo app;
First you describe the maintenance request or failure and than you can manually type in the Technical Object number or you can scan the barcode as well.
You can also take pictures of the issue and attach it to the Notification.
Once you are done with your own UI design, you can preview the app on your mobile device or if you didn’t download the SAP Build Apps into your device, you can still preview it as a web application via the Launch Menu.
Here you can see the demo app in action in the below video.
https://youtu.be/xy9xh_sXTEQ
I hope you have enjoyed reading. In the next blog, we will focus on integrating ChatGPT with our app.
If you have any queries, let me know in comment or get in touch with me at LinkedIn!
| ENHANCING MAINTENANCE EFFICIENCY: SAP BUILD AND CHATGPT INTEGRATION FOR STREAMLINED MAINTENANCE NOTIFICATION APPS |
Part 1 – Building a Maintenance Request app using SAP Build Part 2 – Integrating ChatGPT with SAP Build |
Introduction
In the ever-evolving landscape of enterprise solutions, the need for streamlined processes in maintenance management has never been more crucial. This blog explores the journey of developing a Maintenance Notification app using SAP Build, a tool that brings simplicity and efficiency to the forefront of application development.
I must confess that writing a blog about the example application actually took longer than building the application itself in my case 😊 because I really wanted to write something in more comprehensive including the details and motivation in which could be potentially guide especially those who are still new in the LCNC World. For more details about SAP LCNC Application Development, you can take a look at this great blog or the learning page here for further details.
So I hope you enjoy these blog series and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
The Goal
In the dynamic landscape of enterprise solutions, efficient maintenance management is a cornerstone of operational success. When it comes to Maintenance Management, reporting the failures for the Equipment via a mobile application on the go almost become an industry standard. Therefore, SAP provides multiple options like SAP Service and Asset Manager, SAP FSM or even using Responsive Fiori Apps with S4HANA is being very useful in that manner. So there are plenty of options out there but today we will explore SAP Build.
Nevertheless, my goal here will be to explore the synergy between SAP Build and ChatGPT, showcasing how easily one can include AI functionalities to an application with the help of ChatGPT which is built via SAP LCNC tools. Their integration can revolutionize the development of Maintenance Notification apps, specifically by leveraging ChatGPT to succinctly convey notification details. Last but not least, I will also explain how we can integrate the application with a backend system like S4HANA to complete the loop.
The Power of SAP Build
I already mentioned about multiple options when it comes to mobilizing maintenance processes with what SAP offers. But I’ll also try to summarize here why SAP Build could be also a good candidate.
SAP Build serves as a catalyst for innovation, providing a user-centric approach to application development. Its intuitive interface empowers businesses to ideate, design, and prototype with ease, setting the stage for a powerful Maintenance Notification app.
It is also a powerful application prototyping tool designed to simplify the process of designing and building applications, making it an invaluable asset for organizations looking to streamline their development workflows. So if you are in more focus of a custom design, something you want to rapidly prototype and extend with AI functionalities and have a seamless integration with other SAP systems, such as SAP ERP or SAP S/4HANA, you are in the right place.
Again, I can continue with more details of SAP Build for pages but I don’t have to since there are good blogs already in place where you can find a comprehensive overview of SAP Build Apps in more detail
But still, It’d be good to mention that, SAP Build has multiple components (or products) like SAP Build apps, SAP Build Process Automation & SAP Build Work Zone and we will only focus on SAP Build apps in these blog series.
It’s also worth to mention that, recently SAP announced one more component called SAP Build Code at the latest SAP Teched and if you are curious about it, you can check the details in the announcement blog or via the product page.
Navigating Some of the Maintenance Challenges
Before diving into the development process, it's essential to understand some of the challenges faced in traditional maintenance processes. When it comes to Maintenance Reporting; it needs to have a very simple UI and it needs to be accessible via Mobile Devices since the app usually used during failures on the field. A tailored Maintenance Notification app addresses these pain points.
Based on my experience, when the operators explain the details of the failure, it usually takes more than 40 chars and the more detailed it is the better it helps the planners. However, when it comes to reporting, using the power of AI to summarize the description of the failure into 40 Chars or auto-assigning of notification catalogs with a classification algorithm can really help there.
Beyond this, you can also combine the AI with IoT for predictive maintenance purposes. To set the expectations right, We will also not focus on predictive maintenance in this blog series 😊 but you can also check this great blog if you are curious about more.
Getting Started with SAP Build
Embarking on the development journey begins with the creation of a new project in SAP Build. The tool's template selection and project scope definition lay the foundation for a customized app tailored to the specific needs of the maintenance process.
In order to use SAP Build, you will need a Free-Tier account on BTP . Here is another good blog that explains how to get one.
SAP BTP subscriptions for SAP Build
After you create your free-tier account, you will need to run the booster for automated setup in your account. Afterwards you should be able to see the applications in the subscriptions. You can than go to the Build lobby by clicking on SAP Build apps or SAP Build Process Automations (both share the same lobby)
SAP Build Lobby
Crafting the User Interface, Prototyping the Maintenance App and Iteration
Prototyping is a pivotal phase in the development cycle, allowing for quick iterations and adjustments. SAP Build's flexibility ensures that changes based on user feedback can be swiftly incorporated, resulting in a finely tuned app that aligns seamlessly with user expectations.
Once you get in the lobby, we can begin with creating the UI for Notification using drag and drop functionalities in SAP Build.
Here is an example of what I designed as a demo app;
Maintenance Request Demo App UI
First you describe the maintenance request or failure and than you can manually type in the Technical Object number or you can scan the barcode as well.
You can also take pictures of the issue and attach it to the Notification.
SAP Build Apps - Launch Preview
Once you are done with your own UI design, you can preview the app on your mobile device or if you didn’t download the SAP Build Apps into your device, you can still preview it as a web application via the Launch Menu.
Here you can see the demo app in action in the below video.
https://youtu.be/xy9xh_sXTEQ
I hope you have enjoyed reading. In the next blog, we will focus on integrating ChatGPT with our app.
If you have any queries, let me know in comment or get in touch with me at LinkedIn!
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