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What is SAP Fiori?
SAP Fiori is SAP's modern design system and role-based user interface, through which applications such as S/4HANA and many cloud services are operated. Instead of complex transaction screens, Fiori puts task-oriented apps at the centre, tailored to the respective role of the user. The apps run web-based and responsively on desktop, tablet and smartphone. In S/4HANA, Fiori is the interface preferred by SAP and delivered as standard.
What is the difference between SAP Fiori and SAP GUI?
The classic SAP GUI is a desktop client that works predominantly with transaction codes and extensive, multi-tab screens. SAP Fiori, by contrast, is a browser-based, mobile-ready and task-oriented interface with the Fiori Launchpad as its central entry point. The two operating concepts differ fundamentally but can coexist in parallel in an S/4HANA system. For deep configuration and customising work, SAP GUI often remains in use, while end users increasingly work via Fiori.
What is the Fiori Launchpad?
The Fiori Launchpad is the personalisable start page from which users launch their apps via tiles and in some cases see live key figures directly on the tile. Which apps are visible is controlled by the underlying role concept, so that each user only receives the functions relevant to their tasks. It replaces the old SAP Easy Access menu and bundles access to transactional, analytical and fact sheet apps in one place. Since S/4HANA 2021, SAP has organised Launchpad content via the Spaces and Pages concept, which supersedes the earlier groups as the recommended layout.
What technology is SAP Fiori based on?
Most Fiori apps are based on the JavaScript framework SAPUI5 and on HTML5, so they run responsively in the browser and adapt to screen size and device; the open-source, free variant of the framework is OpenUI5, while SAPUI5 is tied to an SAP product licence. The business logic remains in the ERP backend, which at SAP classically builds on ABAP. Data exchange between frontend and backend takes place predominantly via standardised OData services, which technically follow the principle of a REST interface. The current visual appearance is provided by the Horizon theme, which SAP has established as the modern standard for the Fiori interface.
Do you have to use Fiori with S/4HANA?
Fiori is the standard recommended by SAP in S/4HANA and is intended especially for end users, as many standard processes are delivered directly as Fiori apps. However, there is no technical obligation to use Fiori exclusively: for administrative, configuration and customising tasks, the classic SAP GUI remains available. In practice, many organisations therefore work with a mix of both worlds. For Fiori to be used productively, the required apps must first be technically activated and assigned to roles.
How much effort does introducing SAP Fiori involve?
The effort depends heavily on how many apps are needed and how the system is set up, because Fiori apps must be activated together with their associated services and authorisations. SAP provides tools for this such as Rapid Activation via predefined task lists, which significantly speeds up the basic technical setup compared with the earlier manual activation. Field reports nevertheless show that activating many apps at scale can take days to weeks depending on scope. In addition to the technology, extra effort arises for role and authorisation maintenance, the Launchpad layout as well as testing and user training.
Can SAP Fiori be adapted to your own corporate design?
Yes, theming allows the appearance of the Launchpad and the apps to be adapted to the corporate identity, for example colours and logo. SAP offers tools for this such as the UI Theme Designer, which can be used to create derived themes based on the standard. Beyond pure visuals, functional adaptations are made as part of the usual customising and via the extension concepts SAP provides for custom fields and logic. Note that extensive custom developments can increase later maintenance and upgrade effort.