Day: January 10, 2018

If you run SAP web applications in your company, you typically have to deal with different SAP products, product versions and different user interface technologies. On the other hand the end user uses one, two or three different company browsers on his desktop and uses one or two different tablet or smartphone devices together with the SAP web applications.

SAP´s UI technologies for web application support in general desktop browsers form major browser vendors, like Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11 on major client platforms like Windows and macOS. A web browser for a specified client platform is called “web browser platform”.

The web applications technology SAPUI5 also supports Safari on iOS and Chrome for Android on their tablet and smartphone reference devices

The Product Availability Matrix

The summary of all supported web browser platforms for specified product version and SPS is called “Web Browser Support Matrix” and is for the on premise case published in SAP´s  Product Availability Matrix (PAM).

 

SAP publishes in the PAM information about SAP software releases: release types, maintenance duration, planned availability, and upgrade paths. The PAM also offers information about supported database platforms, operating systems and web browser platforms.

So how do you find web browser information for a specific product?

SAP provides information for more than 1.700 product version entries in PAM, so selecting “Display all Product Versions” is usually takes too long. So search for a specific entry instead:

* Go to SAP PAM and type “EHP8 for SAP ERP 6.0” in the “Find Product Versions” search field
* Select the entry “EHP8 for SAP ERP 6.0” und you will get the product detail screen.
* First look always at the “Essential Information” cell (click “Open in New Window”). It contains in that case database information and no web browser information.
* Go to “General Information” –> “Related Product Versions” and check the “Required Product Versions”. It shows your NetWeaver version for your ERP. typically you run EHP8 on NetWeaver 7.5. We will need this later.
* Go to “Technical Release Information” –> “Web Browser Platforms”. Choose as “Product Instance” (a product instance is part of a product version and must be installed and updated as a whole on a single technical system) “Central Applications”. Central applications is what you need typically always and contains the NetWeaver AS ABAP 7.5.
* Choose a “Scope”. You can choose the Software Components “SAP BASIS 7.50” or one of the “User Interface Technology” SC versions, e.g. 7.50, which contain the SAPUI5 library.

As a result you get information about supported browser platforms, until when this Software Component Version is supported and may require an update and links to browser and release notes, which contain further information.

As you can see also, browser support for ERP central applications is in general determined by the NetWeaver AS ABAP version used.

The information you get is aggregated for the Software Component, in which the SAP UI technology is shipped.

SAP_BASIS of AS ABAP contains:

* Web Dynpro ABAP (up to NetWeaver 7.31)
* SAP GUI for HTML (dependent to SAP Kernel)
* Business Server Pages
* additional UI technologies (see later)

User Interface Technology (SAP_UI) of AS ABAP contains:

* SAPUI5 (including Fiori Launchpad)
* Web Dynpro ABAP (from NetWeaver 7.40)

This means that the SAP PAM can only show an aggregated view of web browser support for one software component and for one browser in general, not for a dedicated UI technology.

To overcome this, we provide detailed information in the PAM of SAP NetWeaver. For detailed information you need to know the version of your underlying SAP NetWeaver application server and the version of your SAP_UI component which can be different from the AS ABAP.

PAM for SAP NetWeaver and UI technologies

First, identify the NetWeaver UI technology on which your application is build on. then:

* Go to SAP PAM and type “SAP NetWeaver” in the “Find Product Versions” search field and choose your version (e.g. SAP NetWeaver 7.5. For NW 7.51 and 7.51 there is no complete NetWeaver stack available. Choose AS ABAP 7.51 or 7.52 instead).
* Open “Essential Information” slide deck. It contains a link to the web browser information slide deck. Open it.

The Web browser support slide deck contains the most important generic information about specific browsers, about browser support in general and the detailed browser support matrix for the NetWeaver UI technologies with required minimum support package stack.

SAP Web UI Framework (SAP Web UIF)  (e.g. used in CRM) is also contained. However it is not part of SAP NetWeaver and comes with the Software Component (SAP WEB UIF, technical name WEBCUIF)

Additional browser specific restrictions

Each web browser has generic capabilities (things it can do), restrictions (things it can´t do) , different supported operating systems (platforms) and a specific release strategy and life cycle, which might or influences the operation with SAP web applications.

For browser specific releases notes, see section “References” at the end of the blog.

Additional UI technology specific restrictions

Each technology has generic capabilities and restrictions. E.g. SAPUI5 supports a defined set of mobile devices (reference devices), other UI technologies typically don´t.

For browser specific releases notes, see section “References” at the end of the blog.

Additional restrictions from SAP web applications

In general the UI technology determines the browser support of the SAP web application. However, browser support for individual SAP web applications of S/4HANA, ERP, Fiori or others might vary from UI technology information.

For example, SAPUI5 supports in general all three from factors: Desktop, table and phone. SAPUI5 based Fiori applications may support based on the design of the application only desktop browsers, desktop and tablets or desktop, tablets and phones.

For Fiori apps you find these information including links to further apps specific release notes in the SAP Fiori Apps reference library.

For other web applications, such as from the SAP Business Suite, you may check the release notes of the applications.

 

SAP Recommendations for using company web browsers at customer site

If possible, SAP recommends that customers support at least two alternative web browsers as “company browsers”. In general, there is not a convenient way to switch back to a previous browser version if a new browser update or patched version contains incompatible changes, which in rare cases, may cause rendering issues. In addition, preventing browser updates may not be the desired approach.

In case of technical issues, the recommended alternative browsers can function as a backup and may open strategic alternatives for the supported client platforms.

End of Support

Support of Web Browser Browser Platforms ends latest with end of support of the Web Browser platform by the Vendor.

References

Browser Notes

1728946 – Browser: Browser Support Strategy for NetWeaver 

1672817 – Browser: Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer Support Policy Note

1655306 – Google Chrome for end users and administrators

990034   – Browser: Support Policy for Mozilla Firefox Browsers

1634749 – Safari browser for end user and administrators

SAP UI Technologies Notes (excerpt)

1716423 – SAPUI5 Browser Support

1935915 – Fiori for Business Suite: Browser / Devices / OS Information

1746385 – Main WEBCUIF Browser Support Note

1098009 – Web Dynpro ABAP – List of known Restrictions and Browser Support

1753544 – Web Dynpro – HTML standards mode http://bit.ly/2EtwMSU #SAP #SAPCloud #AI

WALLDORF — SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced additional planning capabilities for SAP Integrated Business Planning, its cloud-based solution for sales and operations planning, demand sensing and forecasting, inventory and supply optimization, and exception-driven response management.

These capabilities help customers advance planning maturity by extending supply chain planning beyond the four walls of the enterprise.

“Customer expectations for supply chain planning solutions are rapidly changing, and companies increasingly require extended collaborative planning that includes entities beyond their own enterprise,” said Hans Thalbauer, senior vice president, Digital Supply Chain and IoT, SAP. “Our integrated planning solution uses SAP’s collaborative supplier network to enable our customers to integrate and collaborate directly with their suppliers during the planning process and advance on the planning maturity curve.”

Robert Meshew, chief technology officer, Microsoft Supply Chain, said: “We realized we needed a platform that would be scalable, flexible and adaptive to our future ambition. We’re seeing a $300 million working capital improvement with a 5 percent increase in our on-time-in-full. Our service levels are going up and our inventory levels are down to support the same end-customer demand.”

Recognized as a leader in supply chain planning by independent industry research firms IDC and Gartner, SAP Integrated Business Planning serves companies in a range of industries. Intended to help organizations benefit from reduced inventories and improved customer service, the new capabilities include:

* Supply-side collaboration with forecast commit and message integration with the SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration for Buyers solution provides forecast visibility to suppliers and supplier commits back to planning. Also provided is visibility into supplier’s inventory and supplier’s inventory.
* Visibility of remaining shelf life/expiring inventory at customer-facing distribution centers enhances companies’ ability to plan accurately.
* Visibility into influencing factors for nondeliveries, missed inventory targets and adjusted values for time series–based supply optimization provides the level of detail needed to make corrective and preventative decisions for the present and future.
* Enhancements to demand sensing allows customers to better predict short-term demand by leveraging point-of-sale data to better react to evolving end-customer buying.
* Customers can now model product discontinuation using phase-out curves during statistical forecasting, thus reducing the occurrence of inflated demand for end-of-life items.
* The ability to visualize multiple time levels in same view allows end users to see weekly, monthly, and quarterly volumes and balances simultaneously, reducing navigation requirements and providing better and more easily consumed information.

For more information on SAP Integrated Business Planning, see here.

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.

Media Contacts:
Jim Dever, SAP, +1 (610) 661-2161, james.dever@sap.com, ET
Kathrin Eiermann, SAP, +49 6227 767029, simone.kathrin.eiermann@sap.com, CET
Kyle Tildsley, PAN Communications, +1 (617) 503-4352, ktildsley@pancomm.com, ET

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On May 25, 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016/679 will become effective.

GDPR introduces new directives regulating the processing of personal data by private companies and public authorities throughout the European Union. This makes it necessary to adjust the terms of use for SAP ONE Support Launchpad and SAP Support Portal. Read more. http://bit.ly/2EvBT4V #SAP #SAPCloud #AI