Describing ABAP Platform

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
  • Explain landscape of SAP Fiori for ABAP Platform
  • Explain Applications based on SAP Gateway Projects

Landscape of SAP Fiori for ABAP Platform

The system landscape for SAP Fiori consists mainly of an Front-End Server (FES) and an Back-End Server (BES). These are system roles of an Application Server (AS) ABAP or ABAP Platform in this landscape. The back-end server is an SAP Business Suite or an SAP S/4HANA holding applications and data of any area based on an AS ABAP 7.40 or higher. The front-end server is a basic AS ABAP 7.40 or higher without any business products installed. Both systems can run on any database.

Note

From release 7.53, Application Server ABAP is renamed ABAP Platform. The reason was the availability of SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), ABAP environment.

Although the SAP Fiori launchpad (FLP) running in any client is able to communicate with the FES directly, it is recommended to use an SAP Web Dispatcher or another reverse proxy between FLP and FES in external facing scenarios and also internally. The reason is that for some features of the FLP multiple systems must be reached, which is forbidden in web communication with good reason. A reverse proxy offers a single point of communication holding routing rules to forward requests to the correct target systems.

In some scenarios, it is not necessary to operate separated front-end and back-end servers. It can even be counterproductive to do so. Therefore, you can deploy all components of SAP Fiori in one system, in an embedded deployment.

Embedded DeploymentCentral Hub Deployment
The tasks of the FES for providing SAP Fiori are embedded in the BES. There is only one system.The FES and BES are two separated systems splitting the tasks in providing SAP Fiori.

SAP Gateway, the only component in FES and BES, is the only part where you have to check carefully, which settings are in which system. As soon as there are multiple systems that want to provide SAP Fiori apps, the FES has many benefits in organizational and security terms.

Note

The recommended deployment option for SAP Business Suite is the central hub scenario.

SAP Fiori System Landscape - Central Hub Deployment

Let's look at various setups of SAP Fiori system landscape in the central hub scenario. These include:

  • SAP Fiori System Landscape for ABAP Platform on Any DB
  • SAP Fiori System Landscape for SAP Fiori Launchpad
  • SAP Fiori System Landscape for Transactional Apps
  • SAP Fiori System Landscape for Classic Applications

Debug ABAP Transactions in SAP Fiori Launchpad

Business Scenario

You want to debug an ABAP transaction in SAP Fiori launchpad.

Note

This exercise requires an SAP Learning system. Login information are provided by your system setup guide.
ExerciseStart Exercise

Steps

  1. In a Web browser, open the Data Browser (SE16) in your SAP Fiori launchpad. Activate the OK code field in the SAP GUI for HTML settings. Try to switch to debugging at runtime when selecting data from database table SCARR.

    1. In the SAP Fiori launchpad of your S4H, open the Data Browser (SE16).

      Note

      If you do not have a tile or link, you can find it via the User Menu in the App Finder.

    2. Choose More → GUI Actions and Settings → Settings....

    3. In the menu on the left, choose Interaction Design → Visualization.

    4. Activate the Show OK Code field switch.

    5. Choose Save.

    6. In the Table Name field, enter SCARR.

    7. Choose Table Contents.

    8. In the OK code field in the upper left, enter /h and choose Enter.

      Hint

      You can also choose More → System → Utilities → Debug Dynpro.

    9. Choose View Details of the message in the footer.

    10. Examine the error details.

  2. Enable the SAP GUI OK code in the SAP Business Client.

    1. Open the SAP Business Client.

    2. In the upper left corner, choose Customize and Control SAP Business Client → Settings → SAP GUI Interoperability.

    3. Select Enable SAP GUI OK code.

    4. Choose OK.

    5. In the SAP GUI OK Code Info, choose OK.

    6. Close the SAP Business Client.

  3. In the SAP Business Client, open the Data Browser (SE16) in your SAP Fiori launchpad. Switch to debugging at runtime when selecting data from database table SCARR.

    1. In the SAP Business Client, choose the SAP Fiori launchpad entry of your SAP S/4HANA (S4H) system.

    2. Open the Data Browser (SE16).

      Note

      If you do not have a tile or link, you can find it via the User Menu in the App Finder.

    3. Confirm every system information dialog window.

    4. In the Table Name field, enter SCARR.

    5. Choose Table Contents.

    6. In the OK code field in the upper left, enter /h and choose Enter.

      Hint

      You can also choose Menu → System → Utilities → Debug Dynpro.

    7. Choose Execute.

    8. In the ABAP Debugger, examine the ABAP code.

    9. Choose Continue.

    10. In the Data Browser, check the list of carriers and choose Exit.

Installation of SAP Fiori Apps

Looking more closely at software components and products, SAP Gateway consists mainly of the software component SAP_GWFND in the FES and BES. This is part of every AS ABAP since 7.40. Up to 7.50, additional features of SAP Gateway may be needed depending on the apps. When using SAP Workflow in SAP Fiori 1.0, the add-on IW_PGW is needed in the FES. When using data models of the Generic Interaction Layer (GENIL), the add-on IW_GIL is needed in the BES. When using Service Provider Infrastructure (SPI), IW_SPI is needed, and so on. All these SAP Gateway add-ons are deprecated since 7.51 and SAP Fiori 2.0 and can be uninstalled. Either the functionality was integrated in SAP_GWFND (for example, SAP Workflow) or it is no longer needed in SAP S/4HANA 1610.

The central UI consists of the software component SAP_UI, which is part of every AS ABAP since 7.40 and holds all UI technologies in the system, not just SAP Fiori.

The product-specific UI add-ons hold not one but all SAPUI5 apps of one solution area. The type and the release should fit to the solution implemented in the BES.

In this example of the SAP Fiori apps reference library, you see the product-specific UI add-on must be installed on the FES and the update of the product solution is needed on the BES. The product-specific UI add-on is an add-on to the SAP Fiori FES 2021 for S/4HANA, consisting not only of this app, but all apps for SAP S/4HANA 2021. The update of the BES is the Feature Package Stack (FPS) 02 for SAP S/4HANA 2021. All SAP Fiori applications are installed in such a way.

Applications based on SAP Gateway Projects

To understand applications based on SAP Gateway projects, you need to understand SAP Gateway service.

Watch the video explaining architecture of SAP Gateway service.

All SAP Gateway transactions are connected to each other via forward navigation. The following are the most important transactions for SAP Gateway:

SAP Gateway Service Maintenance (/IWFND/MAINT_SERVICE)

Central SAP Gateway service management in the FES

SAP Gateway Client (/IWFND/GW_CLIENT)

SAP Gateway service test environment in the FES

SAP Gateway Service Builder (SEGW)

Central SAP Gateway development environment in the BES

ABAP Workbench (SE80)

Central ABAP development environment in the BES

Let's look at the transaction SAP Gateway Service Builder (SEGW) in detail.

The transaction SAP Gateway Service Builder (SEGW) uses projects to bundle all artifacts of a service in one central place, which helps to organize the service development and modeling process. Since projects consolidate all related data, developers can easily work on multiple projects in parallel and reuse data between projects before generating and activating the actual service.

Debug Apps based on SAP Gateway Projects

Business Scenario

You want to examine an SAP Gateway project of an SAP Fiori app and debug a GET_ENTITYSET-method.

Note

This exercise requires an SAP Learning system. Login information are provided by your system setup guide.
ExerciseStart Exercise

Steps

  1. Log on to your SAP S/4HANA (S4H) system using SAP GUI.

    1. In the SAP Business Client or SAP Logon, choose the SAP GUI SNC system entry of your S4H.

    2. Choose Log On.

  2. Examine the EPM_REF_APPS_SHOP project in the SAP Gateway Service Builder on your S4H.

    1. In the SAP Easy Access screen, search for SAP Gateway Service Builder or start transaction SEGW.

    2. Choose Open Project.

    3. In the Project field, enter EPM_REF*.

    4. Open the value help (F4).

    5. Double-click the ProjectEPM_REF_APPS_SHOP.

    6. Choose Execute (F8).

    7. Examine the EPM_REF_APPS_SHOP project.

  3. Set an external breakpoint in the method PRODUCTS_GET_ENTITYSET of the class EPM_REF_APPS_SHOP on your S4H.

    1. In the SAP Gateway Service Builder, double-click Runtime Artifacts of the EPM_REF_APPS_SHOP project .

    2. Right-click CL_EPM_REF_APPS_SHOP_DPC and choose Go to ABAP Workbench.

    3. Double-click the PRODUCTS_GET_ENTITYSET method.

    4. In the menu, choose Set/Delete External Breakpoint.

  4. Start the SAP Fiori reference app Shop in your SAP Fiori launchpad and examine the code in the ABAP Debugger.

    1. In the SAP Fiori launchpad, choose the Shop tile in the Reference Apps page.

    2. In the ABAP Debugger, choose Single Step.

    3. Examine the ABAP code.

    4. In the menu, choose Breakpoints → Delete all BPs.

    5. Choose Continue.

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