For experienced users of SAP software, Fiori Apps is a revelation in UX design. Taking the most popular SAP applications and simplifying, streamlining, and enhancing the user experience has made the Fiori App a major leap forward for businesses around the world. One of the key features of Fiori Apps is the ability to work consistently across different devices (like a laptop, tablets, and phones) and across different browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google). However, with potentially millions of users on an array of different browsers, can we expect Fiori to work consistently regardless of which browser is being used? In a word, no.
Though it is true that there are SAP OSS Notes that give recommendations for implementation on different browsers, SAP does not recommend one specific browser and states that all browsers behave the same way. From my experience, this does not appear to be the case. Sample issues include:
- S/4HANA transactions like MM03, CO03, CO02, etc. will not open in Fiori when using Internet Explorer.
- Analytical Apps will not load in Fiori when using Firefox.
What does D4M International recommend?
Implementing S/4HANA and Fiori, as with any major software rollout, is likely to encounter some challenges. No two systems are exactly the same and a good implementation team needs to be able to roll with the punches. Based on our experience, Google Chrome offers robust debugging tools that allow the implementation team to analyze, diagnose, and fix any issue that should arise during the process. Even though Chrome is the most used browser globally, a significant portion of companies have not approved Chrome as their official browser.
How to make Internet Explorer work
During the infancy of Web 2.0, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was ubiquitous, with essentially no serious challengers to its primacy. However, its saturation became a limitation, as innovation became trickier to implement with the software installed on millions of business computers that couldn’t cope with big changes. By 2008, IE had shed half of its market share. But many companies still require Fiori access via IE and aren’t likely to switch their entire user base over to Chrome on short notice, so implementation teams are going to have to accommodate IE in some cases.
If Fiori Apps are going to be implemented in Internet Explorer and if S/4HANA transactions are going to be executed using Fiori Apps, the most common issue that Internet Explorer users will face is that certain critical security certificates are missing. This is due to the fact that Internet Explorer uses different security protocols to sign in to remote systems (SSO Authentication), as opposed to local systems. In order to resolve this issue, the implementation team must ask the Basis Security team to check the configuration on STRUST transactions and provide the necessary certificates to be installed on the end-users’ computers.
How to make Firefox work
From the perspective of the Internet-going public, Mozilla’s Firefox browser leapt out of nowhere in 2005 to capture significant market share. Its open source code and friendly, cross-platform functionality appealed to a user base that felt held hostage by Microsoft for a decade. Many companies still use Firefox today, so a smooth implementation of Fiori on Firefox is absolutely necessary.
During Fiori implementation on systems using the Firefox browser, you may find that some Analytical Apps do not load in Fiori after being activated. The issue again relates to security, in this case, the protocols that Firefox uses to sign in to remote systems. In this situation, SSO Authentication is not enough for Firefox to keep the connection open for Analytical Apps. The solution? Ask the Basis Security team to provide a X.509 certificate so the Front-End Server and Back-End Server can keep the trusted connection open. Additionally, one more thing that must be considered when authenticating using a X.509 certificate is that additional PFCG roles must be created to control the access of the users to the Analytical Apps.
In an ideal world
Though neither of these issues constitutes a major problem that would stop Fiori Apps from being implemented, it may be time to consider Google Chrome as a viable option across the board for your business. Whichever browser you choose, D4M’s SAP consultants can help you ensure a speedy, painless transition to this new UX.
Contact D4M International today!
Raj Krish, Global SAP Practice Director
Email: Raj.Krish@r3d.com
Phone: (248) 630 5852
