Visual Composer or Netweaver Developer Studio?

[Former Member]

Hi, All

First, let me say outright that I am not a developer but a business process person.

I am looking to develop a transactional oriented application to take care of operational workflow. This application will need to tie back to other SAP modules eg ERP, CRM. It also needs to take data from non-SAP Systems like Call Accounting systems (to track phone calls) and Utilities usage.

I have been browsing through information on NWDS, VC, Web Dynpro etc and need clarification on the following:

Q: in order to develop the application that I mentioned briefly above, whihc suite of tools would be the most appropriate?

Please assume that I will NOT be the developer doing this, but instead, I will be the subject matter expert and give design input to a team of developers. We are at the conceptual stage, so I am looking for directions on how to move forward.

Thanks in advance for any comments that you put forth.

Regards.

[Darin-Paton · Accepted solution]

Hello

Not knowing your business requirements and technical landscape makes this sort of a shot in the dark. However, before considering building an application to manage workflow, you may want to consider other technologies that you may already own to perform the workflow you are wanting to perform. Some of the technologies to consider would be:

1. SAP Business Workflow - http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/a1/172437130e0d09e10000009b38f839/content.htm

2. Composite Application Framework Guided Procedures (CAF GP) - http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/33/198141f906040de10000000a1550b0/content.htm

3. Universal Worklist (Business Task Management) - http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/57/c223be82104792a15c2df11377b9ed/content.htm

A good method to follow is:

1. Defined business process step by step in list format down to a detailed level that even my kid could execute

2. Have a SAP saavy person map that business process to the technology capabilities

For Example:

a. User is alerted via a central list of tasks (A task = Approve PO)

b. Upon opening the task the user is guided through the PO Approval process step by step

c. Upon completion of the PO the requesting user is sent confirmation of approval/rejection

d. A task is then put into the requestors central list of tasks to update the PO as per the "Goods/Service Received Process"

Technology for this process:

1. Alert/Notification - Alert Management System(ALM) or SAP Workflow

2. Central list of Tasks - Universal Worklist(UWL)

3. Guided through process - Guided Procedures or SAP Workflow

4. Approval/Rejection - ERP via Workflow

5. Alert/Notification to requester - Alert Mgmt Syste or SAP Workflow to e-mail or UWL

6. New task for requestor - ALM, SAP Workflow and/or Universal Worklist(UWL)

7. You might even consider mobile approval depending on the audience.

If you do not have a person internally to help you map your process to technology, then consider asking for help through your SAP Account Executive.

Best Regards,

Darin.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi, Darin

Thanks for your detailed response. I understand clearly what you are saying and appreciate the step by step directions. I have a few more questions:

1) I need more than just customising workflows. The application needs to capture data and has business processes that are not the normal scenarions in a trading environment. That means that new forms need to be created to capture and process transactions. How would you proceed in this case and what tools would you recommend?

Thanks for your reply.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I think like Darin, it depends on several points. Your system landscape, the knowledge in your company about the different technologies like ABAP, Java, VC, Webdynpro and so on. I can not agree that Java Webdynpro is the best way without more information about your requirements. You told us, that you have to integrate an ERP system, therefore you need ABAP knowledge if there aren't the required BAPIs available. If they are available then you can use them in VC, but VC can also noz the right tool depends on your requirements for the UI. These were a few examples, why you can't say with the current information use this technology or use that technology for the best solution.

Best Regards,

Marcel

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi, Darin

Thanks for your post. So, your suggestion is that if BAPIs are available, then VC and Web Dynpro are OK. But if BAPIs are not available, then its back to ABAP?

Thanks.

[Darin-Paton · Accepted solution]

Hello Wey,

I believe you were addressing the previous message, even though here is a quick update. Based on your message about the need to capture information via forms and building forms.

Yes VC can do it....

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/10577d9e-3239-2a10-9790-f826b07b...

However, have you looked at SAP NetWeaver Integrated Forms by Adobe.

This can, be a part of the work flow scenario, where the form is pre-populated with appropriate master data and the user then can fill in the remainder of the form either on-line or off-line.

Search for "Adobe" in ELearning

Building a Process Series by Ginger Gatling:

0. Overview of a completed process with forms

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/8080623f-d17f-2a10-3199-89047166...

1. Pre-Requisites

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/503904f0-be7f-2a10-06af-c311dad3...

2. ERP Connectivity and authorizatrions

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/40794ca8-c07f-2a10-82b6-c794706a...

3. Building the Process

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/a0b6c104-c07f-2a10-9880-c30b2eb2...

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/90ea864c-c67f-2a10-7596-b641f4d1...

4. Integrating Interactive forms into the Process (BAPI)

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/6008c9ad-bc7f-2a10-729c-d2a4513c...

5. Starting a Process with Interactive Forms

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/20cf7b7d-bd7f-2a10-4186-840544ab...

Remember, there a ton of assumptions with this recommendation such as requirements, landscape, versions, licensing,...

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi, Darin

Thanks. The links to the Ginger Gatling series were EXCELLENT.

Can you please advise:

1) what tools were being used in the Ginger Gatling demos

2) what if the fields (eg the tracker number) that are needed are NOT in the SAP database? How do we go about creating these additional fields so that the tool or Interactive Forms in the demo can call up?

Thanks.

Regards,

Wey Lon

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Wey,

I haven't read all the documents, but if you use BAPIs all the fields are there. If not you can create a Z_Table via SE11.

Best Regards,

Marcel

[Darin-Paton · Accepted solution]

Tools she is using are:

1. Portal - need to configure to enable the interactive forms and integration to ERP via SLD;

2. ERP - need to configure the ERP to talk to the portal;

3. The Composition Environment - CE 7.1

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/70c9a954-aa20-2a10-64bb-ea083520...

This is assuming you have ERP 6.0 and NW 7.0.

Darin.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi, Darin

Thanks for your posts.

Regards,

Wey Lon

[Former Member]

Hi,

Since you have mentioned "a transactional oriented application to take care of operational workflow. This application will need to tie back to other SAP modules eg ERP, CRM"

1) NWDS can't be used since it is developing workbench where you can develop applications in pdk, web dynpro,vc etc..

2) VC can't be used, since Visual Composer is used to combine existing applications to harness combined functionality

3) Web Dynpro for JAVA is best option and BAPIs or Remote ENabled Function Modules can be used to "back to other SAP modules eg ERP, CRM"

Reward points if helpful

Regards,

Ganga

[Former Member]

Hi, Ganga

Thanks for your reply.

From the SDN site (refer to link below)

https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/nw-development?rid=/webcontent/uuid/60af152d-1744-2a10-70ae-cab6e6e9... [original link is broken]

It states the following:

"Java-based development, on the other hand, is done in a client-side environment called SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio (NWDS). NWDS is based on the open-source framework Eclipse and can support several different programming models and application architectures. NWDS comprises a wide range of tools for designing, coding, deploying and maintaining applications in Java.

The ideal environment for composition with SAP is SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment (CE). CE comes as a convenient bundle of SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio and SAP NetWeaver Application Server, packaged and configured especially for building and deploying composite applications."

So, I am slightly confused by your comment that Web Dynpro is the best tool to use to develop the application. I had the impression that Web Dynpro is a tool that is used to develop the UI?

Kindly help me out here.

Thanks.