Adobe LiveCycle Designer

[former_member353844]

Hi,

I want to try SAP interactive form but I don't have access to SAP Service Market Place hence can't download Adobe LiveCycle Designer. I tried the demo version(11.0) offered by Adobe site but it doesn't work and I keep getting message "Make sure that you have the forms design tool installed on your desktop...".

Can anybody please give me an idea if the trial version of the proper version of the software is available anywhere?

I'm using SAP GUI 7.3 with Netweaver 7.02 AS ABAP in Windows 7.

Thanks in advance,

Sarif

[Florian · Accepted solution]

Hi Sarif,

you need to download this software from marketplace. There is no other download location, no official. The software belong SAP/Adobe and so you need to go with the marketplace. Ask your basis-guys of your system. Every Installation got at least one S-User to have access to the marketplace. They can download it for you.

The newest version is 10.4

By the way, there is a lot more to do, than just downloading the designer. You need an ADS (Adobe Document Service) installed and stuff like that. Just search SCN, you get a lot of informations what is needed.

Have fun by using it. You will see how awesome developing forms can be

Regards

Florian

[former_member353844 · Accepted solution]

Hi Florian,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm using the trial version of Netweaver AS ABAP. The installation number is 'INITIAL'. In that case I think I won't be able to get a S-user, am I right?

Regards,

Sarif

[Florian · Accepted solution]

Yes your right, but in this case you are also not able to use the lifecycledesigner. It is a must have, that there is an ADS is installed. This service renders the forms.

I'm sry. Maybe you can ask your local SAP if it is possible to get acess to a system and the designer.

It's just a phonecall.. Normally they welcome interested programmer.

Regards

Florian

[former_member353844 · Accepted solution]

OK.....I'll definitely try that......thanks a lot for your help.

[Astashonok · Accepted solution]

Hi!
Is the latest LiveCycle version still 10.4? I don't see any other on Marketplace.

There is already ES4 version on Adobe site.

[Former Member]

Can we use other form design and document generation software with SAP?  We are moving to SAP next year, we used Adobe LiveCycle in the past, we found LC Output to be CPU intensive and slow, also the support was not very good.  We used the old Adobe (JetForm) Central which ran about 200% faster using less than half the CPUs and 1/3 the memory. We need to generate interactive print, PDF, HTML5, email, SMS and high volume batch documents?  Has anyone out there used DocOrigin with SAP?

[Florian]

It might be possible, but I just can recommend you to stay with the liveCycle Designer, because the handling of data is fully integrated and it isn't that slow (of course, it depends on your hardware) right now.

~Florian

[chris_scott]

Hi Gidget,

The ADS (Adobe Document Service) performance for output forms is now fast and can handle large numbers of outputs - SAP have made a big effort to improve performance over the past few years.

This will give you PDF outputs.  You will need to use standard SAP development tools to deliver SMS, HTML email etc.

For 'Interactive' (i.e. fillable) forms then we wouldn't expect you to be generating such high quantities at a time: often we render a single form by request.  You could take a look at Arch FLM to deliver HTML-based  interactive forms, as this isn't possible with SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe.

DocOrigin looks like a good replacement for Jetforms/Adobe Central if you've used that in the past. You could also take a look at OpenText Streamserve for output as a widely used alternative.  Both effectively shift the output processing effort away from the SAP system. Of course, they are not free, whereas SAP Interactive Forms by Adobe is free for output forms.

Hope that helps!

Chris

[Former Member]

Thanks I will review this info.

Gidget

[Former Member]

Thanks

[Former Member]

Chris,

In talking to other team members on our team, there seems to be some confusion about ADS,  Some people say it free, other are saying that we have to pay SAP to use it.  I know this is not a technical question, but do you know what the deal is.   ADS is installed on our Dev server and it is working. 

[chris_scott]

Hi Gidget,

ADS is free for 'output' forms - i.e. things like invoices, purchase orders, customer statements, payslips.  These can be printed, sent by e-mail and archived.  In the case when the PDF is sent by e-mail it is a 'flat' PDF, which means that form fields cannot be changed by the recipient - the entire form is 'read-only'.

SAP do make a charge for 'Interactive Forms' - this is the other use of ADS, which renders a PDF form that is fillable.  This can be used 'on-line' through a web browser, or 'off-line' by sending it as an e-mail attachment.  In this scenario the form is being used for data collection, and the PDF allows the recipient to enter fields.  For example this might be a 'New Joiner Form' or a 'Change Customer Form' or an 'Expense Claim'.

Hope that explains,

Chris

[Former Member]

Chris,

It sounds like you really know the Adobe software and the integration of ADS in SAP. 

We are evaluating it now.  We used DocOrigin with a non SAP ERP system for the last 3 years, originally bought it to replace the sunset Adobe Central product that had been used since the 90's.

DocOrigin can import XDP templates so they are pretty much interchangeable between ADS and DocOrigin.  We generate over 150,000 interactive pick and pack tickets a day ( 300,000+ total) and this is growing to over 500,000 by Q2.  We created the packing ticket on ADS and then used the XDP to create a template with DocOrigin. We merged an XML test file (batch of 100,000 average two page pack tickets).  The ADS in on our Dev server using CPU with 8 cores and 32 GB memory.  The DocOrigin was on a Dev server with 2 cores and 8 GB memory.  ADS produced an average of 2,678 PPM and DocOrigin produced 8,057 PPM.  We used the same XML file and the forms templates are the same.   Since we own DocOrigin and ADS is supported by SAP/Adobe, we will continue to learn ADS.  However, with the performance difference we will most likely use DocOrigin for the pick and pack tickets.  We are already struggling with keeping up with the demand in shipping. We need the speed.  Other than the speed ADS looks like it can do everything we need for output.  We have not tested the fillable forms on ADS yet.  DocOrigin can also create fillable HTML and PDF however we have not used this in production, we only played with a couple of sample forms.

Thanks again for your input it was helpful.

Gidget

[Former Member]

Chris are you an independent contractor?

Gidget

[chris_scott]

Hi Gidget,

No, I'm not a contractor.

This is me: <deleted by moderator>

Kind regards,

Chris

Message was edited by: Florian Henninger Avoid solicitations. Avoid marketing your company’s products and services.  If you want people to know your affiliation with your company, put those details in your profile to make the information available to the community.