Getting an Overview of Extensibility Options

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Explore different ways to extend SAP Sales and Service Cloud.
  • Compare the pros and cons and use the right extensibility approach.

Overview on Extensibility Capabilities

SAP cloud solutions can be enhanced in several ways. Using SAP Cloud Application Studio is one of them and is the focus of this training. But before we deep dive into extending SAP Sales and Service Cloud with SAP Cloud Applications Studio, let's first take a look at the general extensibility capabilities to see the bigger picture.​

Extensibility options are often divided into two categories depending on where they are implemented:

  • In-App: Enhancements run inside the cloud solution and access data based on a framework.
  • Side-By-Side: Enhancements run outside the cloud solution, hosted in a different place (for example, SAP BTP) and use interfaces to communicate with the cloud solution. Integration concepts are applicable for this kind of extensibility.

The following interaction helps you to learn about the different capabilities that are often divided into the two categories: In-App and Side-By-Side extensions, depending on where they are implemented:

Comparing Extensibility Approaches

Now that we know what kind of extensibility capabilities there are and what they can look like, let's gather an overview of the pros and cons of each capability and what the typical use cases can be:

Comparing In-App Extension Capabilities

When extending the cloud solution with an in-app extensibility approach, it often depends on the complexity of the problem in choosing either Key User Tools or SAP Cloud Applications Studio. Key User Tools are usually the first choice to start with when extending the system. But it's important to know their limits and when SAP Cloud Applications Studio is a better option.

Therefore, we list some typical implementation use cases in the following table together with recommendations on when to use which in-app extensibility approach:

Use CaseKey User ToolsSAP Cloud Applications Studio
Create extension fields and use them in print forms or interfaces.Easily possible with Adaptation Mode. *Possible, requires more effort than with Key User Tools.
Create new business objects.Possible with Custom Object Builder, but with a limited scope.Possible with all available features. *
Implement business logic.Possible for very simple use cases with Workflow Rules. Very limited scope!Possible with ABSL for any kind of complexity. *
Validate inputs before they get saved.Possible with Validation Rules inside the Adaptation Mode up to a certain extent of complexity.Possible with all available features​ and full complexity. *
Request data from external sources.Very limited scope: Data Mashups.Possible with all available features. *

Note

* in the table above marks the recommendation for the individual use case.

However, the comparison above is only a suggestion that applies when looking at the use case individually. Most of the time, projects come with a mixture of the above-mentioned use cases that complicates decision-making. While the solution could also be a mixture of Key User Tools and the studio, it is quite common to implement all requirements with the studio once it has been introduced.

Let's look at two more examples to give you a better impression:

  • Customer-specific fields have been created in the past with Key User Tools. Then, a project with the SAP Cloud Applications Studio was introduced. Now there is a new requirement for validating one of the Key User Tools fields. In this case, it's easier to use the Key User Tools validation as long as the complexity of the validation logic allows it.
  • An add-on solution is already in place. Now there is a requirement for a new field. The new field does currently not need any logic. However, it could make sense to create the field with the SAP Cloud Applications Studio, because there could be further requirements in the future, like additional logic, complex validation, and so on. The decision would also depend on if the field belongs to the add-on topically.

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