The SAP Fiori Launchpad is the gateway to the modern SAP user experience. It provides a role-based, personalized, and responsive entry point to SAP Fiori apps across devices. Properly configuring the Fiori Launchpad is essential for delivering a seamless and intuitive user interface to business users, ensuring easy access to the tools and data they need.
This article explores the key components, steps, and best practices involved in configuring the SAP Fiori Launchpad in both on-premise and cloud environments.
The SAP Fiori Launchpad is a browser-based shell that hosts SAP Fiori apps. It serves as the central access point for users and includes:
- Tiles and Links: Represent apps, KPIs, and reports.
- Groups and Spaces: Organize tiles for logical access.
- Personalization: Allows users to arrange apps, set preferences, and manage their own layout.
- Role-Based Access: Ensures users see only relevant content based on their business roles.
In SAP S/4HANA (on-premise), roles created in transaction PFCG assign catalogs, groups, and authorizations to users.
¶ 2. Technical Catalogs and Business Catalogs
- Technical Catalogs: Contain the actual Fiori app definitions (tiles and target mappings).
- Business Catalogs: Reference relevant content from technical catalogs and group them by business function.
¶ 3. Business Groups and Spaces/Pages
- Groups: Traditional method to organize apps into sections on the Launchpad.
- Spaces and Pages: Newer, more flexible layout structure for defining how apps are presented to users.
Links each tile or app to a specific semantic object and action, allowing intent-based navigation.
Use the SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library to identify required apps and their dependencies (OData services, UI components, etc.). Use task lists like SAP_FIORI_CONTENT_ACTIVATION for mass activation.
¶ Step 2: Create Technical and Business Catalogs
In the Fiori Launchpad Designer or Fiori Launchpad Content Manager (for S/4HANA 2020+):
- Define tiles and target mappings in a technical catalog.
- Reference these in business catalogs based on job roles.
¶ Step 3: Define Groups or Spaces and Pages
- Groups: Group tiles for specific business areas (e.g., Finance, Sales).
- Spaces/Pages: Use Fiori Launchpad Space Administration to define layout, section titles, and assigned apps.
- Use transaction PFCG to assign catalogs, groups, and spaces to user roles.
- Include necessary authorizations for backend services and OData operations.
Log in with a user assigned to the role and verify the correct display of tiles, navigation, and app performance.
For SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), configuration is managed via:
- SAP Launchpad Service (Site Manager): To create sites, pages, and roles.
- Content Provider and Consumer Models: Enable app reuse across multiple applications.
- SAP Identity Authentication/Provisioning Services: Manage user and role assignments.
- Use Spaces and Pages over Groups for better layout control and responsiveness.
- Avoid Overloading Roles with too many catalogs or apps; keep them focused by business function.
- Document Catalogs and Roles for easier maintenance.
- Leverage App Descriptors in the manifest file for dynamic navigation and intent-based launching.
- Use the Fiori App Reference Library to validate dependencies, activation steps, and role templates.
Configuring the SAP Fiori Launchpad is a foundational step in delivering an efficient and role-based user experience in the SAP environment. Whether in an on-premise setup or via SAP BTP, careful planning and structured configuration of catalogs, roles, and spaces ensure that users can access their applications intuitively and securely. By aligning Launchpad configuration with business roles and processes, organizations can unlock the full value of SAP Fiori UX.