In the SAP Fiori Elements framework, the Smart Table control plays a pivotal role in delivering dynamic, interactive, and feature-rich tabular data presentations. Built on top of SAPUI5, the Smart Table offers powerful functionalities such as sorting, filtering, grouping, and personalization out of the box, which are essential for enterprise-grade applications.
This article dives into the features, usage, and best practices for implementing the Smart Table control within SAP Fiori Elements applications.
The Smart Table is a UI5 control designed to provide a flexible and intelligent table interface. It enhances standard table components by integrating with the SAP Fiori Elements metadata framework, allowing it to automatically adapt based on OData service metadata and annotations.
Smart Table behavior in Fiori Elements is largely controlled by OData annotations, especially those related to UI (e.g., @UI.LineItem), which define:
By decorating CDS views or OData services with appropriate annotations, developers can tailor the Smart Table's appearance and functionality declaratively.
While much is driven by metadata, developers can configure the Smart Table via the manifest.json file:
ResponsiveTable, GridTable, or AnalyticalTable).Example snippet from manifest.json:
"tables": {
"lineItems": {
"type": "GridTable",
"multiSelect": true,
"enableExport": true,
"p13nMode": ["Column", "Sort", "Filter"]
}
}
The Smart Table supports intuitive user interactions:
These features greatly improve usability and reduce the need for custom development.
Leverage Annotations Extensively:
Use OData annotations to control table layout and behavior, minimizing manual configurations.
Choose the Right Table Type:
For mobile-friendly apps, use ResponsiveTable. For desktop-heavy analytical scenarios, use AnalyticalTable to enable advanced features like aggregations.
Enable Personalization Wisely:
Allow column and sorting personalization but consider restricting complex features if your data volume is large to ensure performance.
Use Smart Filters in Conjunction:
Pair the Smart Table with Smart Filter Bar to provide powerful filtering capabilities tied directly to the data model.
Optimize Performance:
Implement backend paging and sorting to handle large datasets efficiently, avoiding client-side overload.
Test Across Devices:
Ensure the Smart Table behaves well on various screen sizes, especially when using Grid or Analytical Tables, which can have different usability constraints on mobile.
Imagine a Sales Order List app built using SAP Fiori Elements:
@UI.LineItem annotation in the CDS view.The Smart Table control is a cornerstone of SAP Fiori Elements applications, offering rich, customizable, and enterprise-ready table features with minimal effort. By harnessing metadata annotations and smart configurations, developers can deliver dynamic and user-friendly tabular interfaces that scale well across devices and data volumes.
For anyone building SAP Fiori Elements apps, mastering the Smart Table control is essential to provide high-quality, maintainable, and extensible user experiences.