Exploring Content Packages

During the expansion of the digital experience to company-wide scenarios, the number of extensions for SAP Build Work Zone can grow rapidly. It is easy to imagine, considering the requirements and complexity of various lines-of-business (LoB) and end-to-end processes. It is true not only for customers but also partners supporting implementation projects of digital experience solutions with SAP Build Work Zone or SAP SuccessFactors Work Zone for their customers too.

In this context, the following logical question arises: Is there any option to organize extensions in an easy-to-manage way? Luckily, the extensibility framework for SAP Build Work Zone comes with the concept of Content Packages.

Content Packages allow you to bundle the following development and content artifacts into a single deployable unit (package):

Custom designed and developed UI Integration Cards

Keep in mind that configuration of the required SAP BTP destinations is not included – all destinations must be created manually in the SAP BTP subaccount and/or imported from another subaccount. UI Integration Cards are created with SAP Business Application Studio.

Custom Workflows created for SAP Workflow service or SAP Workflow Management

Workflows are created with SAP Business Application Studio.

Workspace templates

These are not really development artifacts but are more like content artifacts. They should be created in SAP Build Work Zone, exported, and then added to the Content Package.

The best-class example of utilizing Content Packages is SAP SuccessFactors HR content, enabling you to enrich your company's Human Experience Management (HXM). SAP SuccessFactors designed and developed several content packages, which are available by default. The updated list of development and content artifacts are published on the SAP Help Portal.

While the idea of Content Packages is straightforward, the process includes multiple steps.

First and foremost, it is necessary to define a scope for the Content Package. Will it cover a particular domain, functional area, line-of-business, industry, or end-to-end process? Who is the target audience? Will it be used internally or externally (partner offering)? All these questions can help you to include only the best-fitting development and content artifacts in the Content Package later.

The next step involves the development and preparation of artifacts to be included in the Content Package. UI Integration Cards and workflows should be designed, developed, and fully tested. Home pages, Workspaces and Workspace Templates should be prepared with SAP Build Work Zone and exported.

Quite often, the idea to design and build a Content Package comes "organically" when all necessary development and content artifacts are ready:

• For the customers, it is typically the case during strategic mid- and long-term adoption of digital experience with SAP Build Work Zone for the whole company. The number of custom UI Integration Cards, Workflows, and Workspace Templates grows by rolling out the solution to various departments and teams, and it becomes obvious to group some of them to Content Packages.
• For the partners, it is typically the case after a couple of implementation projects. It becomes obvious where the gaps are and what are the most demanded custom UI Integration Cards, Workflows, or Workspace Templates. Then, it makes sense to group such development and content artifacts to Content Packages and offer them as a ready-to-use solution for customers.

When the scope is clear, and the development and content artifacts are ready, it is time to design and build the Content Package. The design and build process starts with SAP Business Application Studio, and it is necessary to create a Dev Space with SAP Extension Development Tools for SAP Build Work Zone. It brings features and functions to SAP Business Application Studio. allowing you to work with SAP Build Work Zone-specific artifacts:

• Create UI Integration Cards, Content Packages, and Workspace Template from a template and using a wizard-based method.
• Run real-time preview of UI Integration Cards without leaving SAP Business Application Studio.
• Generate a deployable archive as well as deploy it to SAP Build Work Zone right from SAP Business Application Studio.

When the Dev Space is up and running, it's time to set up the Project for Content Packages. There are various options to set this up in SAP Business Application Studio:

• The Project can be created from scratch using the Start from template option on the home screen. If the home screen was closed, this option can be also triggered from the menu File → New Project from Template.

  This option is the best and is recommended for all brand-new Content Packages.

• There might be cases where the Content Package is already designed and stored in a corporate source code repository, for example, Microsoft Azure DevOps, GitHub, GitLab, and so on. In this case, the source code can be cloned using the Clone from Git option available on the home screen. If the home screen was closed, the git clone operation can also be executed from terminal: Terminal → New Terminal.

The easiest and recommended way to start with Content Packages in SAP Business Application Studio is with the use of a Project Template.

It is also recommended to create the first project with the Include Content Samples option enabled. This option allows you to generate some dummy development and content artifacts in the content.json file.

The project structure is straightforward. In addition to the mandatory file manifest.json (describing the metadata of the Content Package), it includes the following:

• The folder with development and content artifacts. These artifacts can be stored together with the Content Package or independently in their own git repositories. The path to each and every artifact is maintained in the content.json file.
• The content definition file content.json. This file points to development and content artifacts which must be included in the Content Package. It is the second most important file after manifest.json.
• The folder with internationalization (i18n) content artifacts. These artifacts are used to provide multi-language support for the Content Package.

SAP also provides a sample git repository with more details on how to define and design Content Packages. SAP-samples/build-workzone-integration: This repository serves as a template for SAP Build Workzone integration samples, providing a structured starting point for developers. (github.com)

The repository also includes information about all available parameters for the content.json file.

When the Content Package is designed and built, it can be deployed to SAP Build Work Zone. There are the same deployment options as for UI Integration Cards:

• Deployable archive can be generated through the context menu of the file manifest.json, downloaded to your local machine and then deployed manually using the Administration Console of SAP Build Work Zone. Simply put, it is a manual deployment.
• Deployable archive can be generated and deployed to SAP Build Work Zone through the context menu of the file manifest.json. Simply put, it is a semi-automatic deployment.

The last option requires you to have a service instance of SAP Build Work Zone (or SAP SuccessFactors Work Zone) and a corresponding destination with mandatory parameters in the SAP BTP subaccount created. Otherwise, deployment from SAP Business Application Studio will fail. The SAP Help Portal will provide more details.

The administration of Content Packages can be done via the Administration Console of SAP Build Work Zone.

You find the packages here: Administration Console → UI Integration → Content Packages.

Content Packages have the following two states in SAP Build Work Zone:

• Deployed, meaning that it is uploaded to SAP Build Work Zone and ready to be installed. At this state, development and content artifacts of the Content Package are not extracted and not available in SAP Build Work Zone (yet).
• Installed, meaning that development and content artifacts of the Content Package are extracted and available in SAP Build Work Zone.

When a Content Package is installed in SAP Build Work Zone, it is also possible to change the update strategy for future releases. There are four update strategies available, as shown in the following figure:

The default option is a manual update. This means that when a new version of the Content Package is uploaded (or delivered by SAP in the context of SAP SuccessFactors Work Zone), the development and content artifacts will not be extracted and updated immediately – it must be done manually by an administrator via the Administration Console. It is the recommended option for the production tenant of SAP Build Work Zone because it gives more control on updates and allows you to do your own tests in non-productive tenants first.

If required, Content Packages can be also completely deleted using the Administration Console of SAP Build Work Zone. The deletion process includes removal of all related development and content artifacts delivered with the Content Package: UI Integration Cards, Workflows, Home pages, Workspaces, and Workspace Templates.

Keep in mind that when a Content Package is deleted from SAP Build Work Zone, there is no way to restore it (including its development and content artifacts).