How to use SAP HCP, mobile service for SAP Fiori - part 1

[dhimantpatel]

Welcome to this 4-part series on How to use SAP HCP, mobile service for SAP Fiori.

In this blog post, we'll look at SAP HANA Cloud Platform, mobile service for SAP Fiori (aka Fiori mobile service or simply Fiori mobile), one of several newly introduced SAP HANA Cloud Platform (HCP) services.  SAP HCP mobile service for SAP Fiori is an end to end solution provided to customers with the goal of allowing them to quickly and simply deliver an optimized experience to users on mobile devices.  This new component of HCP is delivered to the market as part of SAP Fiori, cloud service, premium edition.

This blog post will cover the end-to-end scenario to create a Fiori app, deploying it to a Fiori Launchpad running as part of SAP HCP Cloud Portal.  Afterwards, we'll show how Fiori mobile can extract the app contents from the portal and create a customized hybrid application to a mobile user.  This application will have a consumer-grade UX, but will also include all the security, management and performance controls required for the mobile enterprise.

Part 1: An Introduction to SAP HANA Cloud Platform, mobile service for SAP Fiori

SAP has historically supported the mobilization of Fiori through a variety of technologies - SAP Web IDE for application development, the Hybrid Application Toolkit for hybrid app generation, the packager for embedding the UX into the app at deploy time, The Kapsel SDK for mobile features, HCPms for data management and Mobile Secure for app deployment and lifecycle management.  Those products are used by many customers today successfully.  In order to support the mobilization of Fiori apps at scale, SAP has introduced SAP HCP, mobile service for SAP Fiori.  Fiori mobile service leverages the components I just mentioned in an integrated, continuous flow that enables a rapid mobilization process.

Fiori mobile service provides the following key capabilities:

• Build/Packaging service transforms your SAP Fiori web app into a native/hybrid app, necessary to leverage native device features.
• App deployment service enables app lifecycle management and an enterprise app store app for deployment, ratings and reviews.
• Data service provides infrastructure support for advanced mobile features such as push and offline.

Each of these features will be demonstrated as part of this comprehensive blog series.

Pre-requisites:

1. A free Hana Cloud Portal trial account
2. An Android or iOS device or emulator for testing; you'll need a signing profile for both platforms (see part 3)

Step-by-step guide:

In order to make it convenient for you, we've split the above steps in 4 parts:

Part	Description
Part 1 - (this) Introduction	Register for HCP trial account and configuring components Enable Fiori Mobile service Create SAP Fiori Launchpad
Part 2 - App Dev	Create a sample Fiori App in SAP Web IDE Add a destination for OData service (backend for the Fiori app) Create a sample Fiori application in SAP Web IDE Prepare the application for packaging Deploy app to HCP and to the SAP Fiori Launchpad
Part 3 - Fiori Mobile configuration	Fiori Mobile Configuration Create an app subscription in HCP Create Android Signing Profile Create your Avanced Configuration File Use Fiori mobile build process (application wizard, application workflow, etc.) Executing the app on the device
Part 4 - Feature Management	Add Push Notifcation Part1, Part2

Step 1:

The first thing you'll need is a free developer account on SAP HANA Cloud Platform.

1. Browse to sign up for a free account for the SAP HANA Cloud Platform.

2. Activate your account (via e-mail activation link you received)

3. Once you have activated your account, simply launch the HCP Cockpit

4. Now go to Services tab, locate and click on Fiori Mobile service

5. Click Enable to enable Fiori Mobile service (the service provisioning may take up to fifteen minutes or more)

6. Let's go back to HCP Cockpit and go to SAP HANA Cloud Portal service (as we'll add a default Fiori Launchpad)

NOTE: This service name haschanged to "Portal Service".

7. Click "Go to Service" to open Fiori Launchpad Cockpit

8. Site Directory

1. Click + button to add Fiori Launchpad

9. Create Site

1. Site Name -
2. Template Source - select SAP
3. Select SAP Fiori Launchpad Fiori Launchpad template
4. Click Create

Upon creating the SAP Fiori Launchpad, you'll be logged into SAP Fiori Configuration Cockpit; simply close the browser tab and return to Admin Space

10. Click the drop-down arrow and click Publish site

NOTE: You'll be prompted with Alert to publish site... click Publish

11. If the site is not set to default automatically (there will be a globe w/ checkmark on upper right-corner), simply click drop-down arrow again, and set FLP to "Set as default"

NOTE: The default launchpad is also created automatically by clicking on the Application URL link located on flpportal application configuration page (HCP Cockpit > Subscriptions > flpportal > Overview)

This concludes part 1 of this blog... On to part 2, creating a sample Fiori app

Credits

• Mobile/UX - Johannes Alberti, Steve Lutarewych, Britt Womelsdorf, Mark Wright
• Technology RIG - Dhimant Patel