Understanding SAP Business Client

The standard SAP GUI menu offers a wide range of access points for different objects, such as projects, networks, or documents. Each individual object has its own search template. It is not possible to search across all objects. If you want to define your own search, you do this using the SAP Query tool. SAP Business Client attempts to provide features like this, in an easier way. It does so by providing a different user interface and serving as an alternative to SAP GUI.

With SAP Business Client, SAP provides users with a user interface that they can use alongside the SAP GUI. It can be used locally, installed on a PC, or web-based.

SAP Business Client can be used for both the SAP GUI and for the SAP Fiori launchpad. Even for specific Web Dynpro scenarios, such as the ones used in SAP Portfolio and Project Management.

The user interface of the SAP Business Client offers:

• A central point of access for all users
• An overview of:
  • Transactions
  • Object searches
  • Favorites
  • Personal worklists

SAP Business Client consists of the following areas:

• Navigation pane:

  This area shows the transactions, based on the assigned role.

• Work area:

  In this area, you can use the individual search templates, favorites, or object lists for individual navigation objects, such as projects, networks, or material components. The work area also contains the transactions for creating, changing, and displaying these objects.

After logging on to the system, the first thing you see is the control center. In both the local and the web-based version of the SAP Business Client, the control center has a navigation pane containing the role assigned to the user. Each entry contains the individual work areas for project activities related to logistics or controlling.

Alternatively, you can access the SAP Fiori launchpad in the SAP Business Client and start the HTML5 transactions there. When using the SAP Fiori launchpad in a web browser, the system always uses the SAP WebGUI to render SAP GUI transactions. Not all transactions are SAP WebGui-enabled, however. Using the SAP Business Client offers you the advantage that these transaction work as well inside the SAP Fiori launchpad. The SAP Business Client renders the SAP GUI transactions directly and does not use SAP WebGUI. You could therefore, for example, display the Project Planning Board from the Project Builder. When you access your system through the SAP Fiori launchpad, you are also able to use the SAPUI5 apps besides the classical SAP GUI transactions.