Unit 1: Navigation in SAP S/4HANA
SAP S/4HANA can be operated through two front ends: the browser-based SAP Fiori launchpad and the classic SAP GUI. Every later unit of S4500 switches between both, so you need to be comfortable with the design ideas behind Fiori, the app types, and the ways to start a transaction in SAP GUI.
Lesson 1 · Identifying the SAP Fiori User Experience
After this lesson you can
- Explain the difference between UI and UX and why SAP moved to SAP Fiori
- Name the five SAP Fiori design principles and the three app types
- Use and personalize the SAP Fiori launchpad, including the built-in help
Key concepts
Business software is no longer used only by trained specialists. Because people are used to the simple, touch-friendly apps on their phones, they expect enterprise systems to be equally easy. SAP's answer is SAP Fiori: rather than one huge transaction that tries to serve every role, the work is broken into small, focused apps. Each user sees only the apps that belong to their role, and the apps link to one another so the complete process remains reachable.
It helps to separate two ideas. The user interface (UI) is the technical layer between a person and the device – screens, fields and buttons, optimized for efficient input. The user experience (UX) looks at the whole interaction from the user's perspective, including how motivated and confident the user feels before, during and after the task. Classic SAP GUI transactions are a UI-centric design; SAP Fiori is UX-centric.
| User type | Typical needs |
|---|---|
| Occasional user | Uses the system now and then (e.g. to request a material). Needs simple, browser-based, mostly single-step apps with no functional overhead. |
| Expert / key user | Fully trained, knows processes and applications in detail, often works with several systems and UIs. Values speed and completeness (often SAP GUI). |
| Developer / programmer | Deep process and technical knowledge; adapts and extends applications and supports several UIs. |
SAP Fiori design principles
| Principle | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Role-based | The user receives exactly the information and functions needed for the job – nothing more. Big transactions are decomposed into role-specific apps. |
| Responsive | The layout adapts automatically to the device and screen size (desktop, tablet, phone). |
| Coherent | All apps share the same visual language and interaction patterns, so learning one helps with all. |
| Simple | The essential functions are easy to reach and the app can be personalized to focus on relevant tasks. |
| Delightful | Low adoption barrier and immediate value; the work feels smarter, not harder. |
SAP Fiori app types
| App type | Purpose | Procurement example |
|---|---|---|
| Transactional | Task-based create / change / display of documents and master data, or guided processes. | Create Purchase Order – Advanced, Post Goods Movement |
| Analytical | Role-based, real-time insight into key figures, often visualized as charts for monitoring. | Purchase Order Average Delivery Time, Procurement Overview |
| Fact sheet | 360-degree view of a central business object with contextual navigation to related objects. | Supplier or purchase order fact sheet |
The SAP Fiori launchpad
The launchpad is a shell (a container) that hosts SAP Fiori apps and supplies common services: navigation, personalization, embedded help and application configuration. It is the single entry point on desktop and mobile. The home page shows tiles; each tile launches one app and can show live information such as the number of open items. Tiles are organized in groups (in newer releases: spaces and pages).
Personal settings are reached through the Me area (user icon). Depending on how the administrator configured the launchpad, a user can:
- choose a design theme;
- decide whether the home page shows all groups or only one group at a time;
- set language and region (date and number formats);
- switch user profiling on or off;
- maintain default values (e.g. default plant or purchasing group used by many apps).
Users can also rearrange tiles and groups, create new groups, and add tiles from the tile catalog – the list of all apps their roles allow. Editing the home page only works if personalization is enabled in the launchpad configuration. A powerful option is saving a filtered app state as a new tile: for example, a report filtered to one country or one plant can be saved to the home page so the filtered result opens with one click.
Help functionality
Context-sensitive user assistance is started with the question-mark icon in the shell bar or with F1. A help panel opens on the right with topics, and "bubbles" are overlaid on the key screen elements; selecting a topic or bubble opens an explanation. Some apps also offer a guided tour.
System steps
- Open the launchpad URL in a browser and log on.
- Use the search (magnifier) or the tile groups to find an app, e.g. Manage Purchase Orders.
- Open the Me area to set the theme, language/region and default values.
- Choose Edit Home Page (or the App Finder) to add tiles from the catalog to a group.
- In a list report, set filters, then use Save as Tile to put the filtered view on the home page.
From SAP S/4HANA 2020/2021 onward the launchpad uses spaces and pages as the recommended layout mode instead of the classic group-based home page, and the SAP Horizon visual theme became the default theme in later releases. My Home and the "new" launchpad header with integrated search and notifications were introduced as well. The underlying ideas (role-based catalogs, tiles, Me area) are unchanged.
- Five design principles: role-based, responsive, coherent, simple, delightful.
- Three app types: transactional, analytical, fact sheet – know which is which.
- Occasional users want simple, browser-based apps; experts tolerate complex transactions.
- Personalization is done in the Me area; home-page editing must be enabled in configuration.
Lesson 2 · Working with the SAP GUI
After this lesson you can
- Log on to an SAP system with SAP Logon
- Navigate via the menu bar, command field, favorites and menus
- Personalize the SAP GUI
Key concepts
The SAP graphical user interface (SAP GUI) is the classic front-end program used by power users. Different variants exist (SAP GUI for Windows, for Java, for HTML). To start it you use a second program, SAP Logon, which lists the SAP systems available to you; that list comes from a configuration file on the front-end PC that the IT department usually prepares centrally.
On the logon screen you enter a client (usually pre-filled), user name, password and optionally a logon language. After a successful logon you land on the SAP Easy Access screen. Within one logon you can open several sessions (parallel windows); the maximum number per logon is set by the administrator through a system profile parameter.
Navigating
| Navigation option | Description |
|---|---|
| Menu bar | The drop-down menus at the top of every screen. |
| Command field | Field in the system toolbar where you type a transaction code. Prefixes: /n + code ends the current transaction and starts the new one in the same session; /o + code opens it in a new session. |
| Favorites | User-defined folder of frequently used transactions, links or files. |
| SAP menu / user menu | The SAP menu is the complete standard tree; the user (role-based) menu contains only the transactions assigned through the user's roles. Both are defined centrally. |
Personalization
- Extras › Settings on SAP Easy Access: hide the picture on the right, show technical names (transaction codes) in the menu tree.
- Customize Local Layout (Alt+F12) / SAP GUI options: colour theme and font, tooltip speed, which message types (success, warning, error) appear in a dialog box, input history, and whether keys are displayed (and used for sorting) in dropdown lists.
- Favorites list and status-bar display variants (e.g. show system, client, transaction, response time).
System steps
- Start SAP Logon, select the system, and log on with client, user, password and language.
- On SAP Easy Access enter a code in the command field, e.g. ME23N to display a purchase order.
- Use SEARCH_SAP_MENU to find where a transaction is located in the SAP menu.
- Drag a menu entry to Favorites, or use Favorites › Insert transaction.
- Activate Extras › Settings › Display technical names to learn transaction codes.
In SAP S/4HANA many SAP GUI transactions can also be launched as tiles in the SAP Fiori launchpad (rendered via SAP GUI for HTML), so the "classic" transactions in this course remain available inside the browser.
- The field where a transaction code is entered is the command field.
- The client is a three-digit key entered at logon; sessions per logon are limited by a system parameter.
- SAP menu = complete; user menu = role-based subset; favorites = user-defined.
Unit summary & exam focus
SAP Fiori provides role-based, responsive apps through the launchpad, while the SAP GUI remains the full-function front end for expert users. Both access the same S/4HANA back end and data.
T-codes in this unit
| T-code | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ME23N | Display purchase order (example of entering a code in the command field) |
| SEARCH_SAP_MENU | Find a transaction in the SAP menu tree |
Self-check questions
- Which SAP Fiori design principle means users see only the functions they need for their job?
Answer
Role-based. - Which two characteristics fit the UI needs of occasional users?
Answer
Simple and browser-based – not back-end-oriented and not overloaded with functions. - Name the three SAP Fiori app types.
Answer
Transactional apps, analytical apps and fact sheets. - Where does a user change the launchpad theme and default values?
Answer
In the Me area (user settings) of the SAP Fiori launchpad. - What is the SAP GUI field called in which you type a transaction code?
Answer
The command field. - What is the difference between the SAP menu and the user menu?
Answer
The SAP menu shows all standard functions; the user menu is role-based and contains only the functions assigned to the user's roles. Both are maintained centrally, unlike favorites.