Title: Customizing SAP Fiori Applications
Subject: SAP-Business-Application-Studio in SAP Field
SAP Fiori applications provide a modern, intuitive user experience for SAP users. However, out-of-the-box Fiori apps often need to be tailored to meet specific business requirements. Customizing SAP Fiori apps allows organizations to adapt the standard UI and functionality without compromising future upgrade paths.
This article discusses the approaches and best practices for customizing SAP Fiori applications, with a focus on development using SAP Business Application Studio (BAS).
- Meet unique business needs: Tailor UI elements, data fields, or workflows to your company’s processes.
- Improve user experience: Simplify or enhance screens for specific user roles.
- Add new functionalities: Extend standard apps with custom logic or integrations.
- Adapt to branding requirements: Customize themes and styles to align with corporate identity.
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Performed directly by business users or key users via the UI Adaptation Tool (available in the Fiori launchpad).
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Allows simple changes such as:
- Adding/removing fields.
- Changing field labels.
- Rearranging UI elements.
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No coding required; changes are stored as user-specific or role-specific variants.
For more complex customizations, developers use SAP Business Application Studio to extend the app code base:
- Custom Controllers and Views: Add or modify UI logic in XML views or JavaScript controllers.
- Fragments and Reuse: Create reusable UI components (fragments) for insertion into standard apps.
- Overriding Standard Methods: Use extension points or hook into lifecycle events to modify behavior.
- Custom OData Services: Extend backend services or create new ones to expose additional data.
- Create a Dev Space in BAS tailored for SAP Fiori/UI5 development.
- Clone or import the standard Fiori app source code or use the SAP Fiori Tools to generate an extension project.
- SAP provides SAP Fiori tools extensions that allow generating extension projects.
- Extension projects maintain a clear separation from the original app, preserving upgrade compatibility.
- Edit XML views to add new controls or modify existing ones.
- Use the Manifest.json file to configure models, routing, and resources.
- Implement custom logic inside controller files (
.js).
- Extension points in SAP Fiori apps are predefined places where developers can insert custom UI or code without modifying the original source.
- This approach ensures easy upgrade and supportability.
- Use BAS’s built-in preview tools to test UI and logic changes locally.
- Run integration tests and connect to backend systems for real data testing.
- Avoid core modifications: Use extensions and adaptation tools rather than changing standard code.
- Leverage SAP Fiori tools: These tools streamline customization and generate consistent code.
- Maintain upgrade paths: Keep custom code separated to ensure smooth upgrades.
- Document changes: Maintain clear documentation of all customizations for team collaboration and future maintenance.
- Test thoroughly: Verify all UI and backend interactions to prevent issues in production.
Customizing SAP Fiori applications is essential to tailor the SAP user experience and meet specific business requirements. Using SAP Business Application Studio with SAP Fiori tools empowers developers to create extensible, maintainable customizations while safeguarding the app's upgradeability.
By combining runtime UI adaptations for quick changes and code-based extensions for advanced customization, organizations can maximize the value of their SAP Fiori investments and deliver a personalized user experience.