Creating a Custom FIORI Tile with Dynamic URL Feature

Introduction?

In today's dynamic business landscape, utilizing multiple server environments such as development, quality assurance, and production is essential for maintaining stability, enhancing security, and ensuring quality in software development. This approach minimizes risks, streamlines workflows, and supports compliance with regulatory standards.?

?Restricting business users to appropriate versions of an application across development, quality assurance, and production environments is crucial for maintaining data security, system stability, compliance, and operational efficiency. This practice ensures that sensitive data remains protected, only tested and approved changes reach production, and users have access only to the necessary app versions and data.?

Objectives?

In this blog, we will explore how to create a custom FIORI tile with a dynamic URL feature that adapts based on the system environment from which it is accessed. This functionality is crucial for navigating seamlessly between development, Quality and production environments, ensuring that the right version of the application is accessed in each stage, thereby optimizing the development process and enhancing user experience.?

In this series, we will achieve the dynamic URL feature for a custom tile using FIORI Designer, which will navigate to the Global Track and Trace (GTT) web application, an SAP solution for real-time tracking and visibility of shipments and orders across the supply chain.??

We have GTT Development, Quality and Production Tenants that will be accessed by various users across different business landscapes. The access will be managed by the FIORI Tile with a dynamic URL feature, along with the help of Remote Function Call (RFC) associated with a system alias. The necessary steps will be explained in detail.? ?

Pre-requisites?

• The developer should have FIORI Launchpad Admin access role assigned (SAP_UI2_ADMIN_7XX)?

** XX – SAP Net weaver Version?

• Having a basic understanding of FIORI Launchpad Designer and RFC Connections will be advantageous.?

• Familiarity with SAP User Roles and Authentication processes is also recommended.?

?

Main Content?

Step 1: Creation of the Custom Tile along with Catalog and Tile Group?

Login to SAP GUI and open FIORI Launchpad Designer using T-Code /UI2/FLPD_CUST?

• Assign a custom transport request to capture and deploy development objects to higher server environments, such as QA and PRD.?

• Create a custom catalog?

?

• Add a static tile to the catalog with the following configuration:??

?

• Select the new tile and configure it as follows??

• Create Target Mapping for Semantic Object??

We map the semantic object (ZTM_SEM_OBJ_GTT) to the system alias (ZTM_GTT), which enables the generation of a dynamic URL based on the RFC destination configured in the system environment. The system alias and RFC destination name must match for the host URL to be correctly retrieved.?

?

• Create a custom tile group and add the custom tile to it.?

?

?

?

Step 2: Configure the RFC Destinations in DEV, QUA and PRD environments?

Next, we need to configure the RFC destinations in DEV/QUA/PRD environments to enable navigation to the external host. To do this, log in to the SAP GUI and navigate to transaction SM59.?

Ensure that the RFC destination name matches the system alias specified in the Fiori tile configurations?

• Create an HTTP connection to the external server in the Development system, following the outline provided below. Ensure you replace the host address, port, and path prefix with your specific requirements?

Configure the host URL for the Development tenant of the external server??

?

In this test scenario, clicking the custom tile will navigate the user to the login page for the GTT server, with the assumption that the user will manually enter their login credentials on that page. Therefore, I will not be including login and security information in the RFC configurations.?

You can configure the RFC destination with the necessary authentication details based on your host server connection requirements.?

Once the configurations are complete, save the settings and successfully run a connection test.?

The RFC destination must be configured separately in all server environments, such as DEV, QA, and PRD, with the corresponding host URL for each tenant of the external server maintained in each system. In the previous step, I configured the DEV system with the GTT Development tenant. Now, we will proceed to configure the production system with the GTT Production tenant URL.?

Ensure that the same RFC destination name is maintained across all levels, as the Fiori tile will reference the RFC destination based on the system alias specified in the tile configuration for generating the dynamic URL.??

Step 3: Maintain System Alias in table maintenance views ?

The system alias "BNL_GTT" should be updated in the table maintenance views /UI2/V_ALIASMAP and /UI2/VC_SYSALIAS as outlined below. (T code – SM30)?

• Maintaining /UI2/V_ALIASMAP?

Create a new entry and include the system alias that has already been set up in the Fiori tile configurations?

?

• Maintaining /UI2/VC_SYSALIAS

?

Create a new entry and include the system alias that has already been set up in the Fiori tile configurations?

?

Step 4: Create a role for accessing the custom tile?

• Create a role to access the custom catalog and tile group using transaction PFCG?

Add the custom catalog to the authorization role.?

Add the custom tile group to the authorization role.?

Step 5: Assign the Authorization role to the SAP user?

• Assign the role to the user using transaction SU01. ? Edit the user in SU01, navigate to the Roles menu, add the custom role, and then save the changes.? ?

Step 6: Login to the Fiori Launchpad and access the tile?

Custom Tile in the Fiori Launchpad?

Tile Navigating to Development Tenant of the external server from the Development System?

Tile Navigating to Production Tenant of the external server from the production System?

Conclusion?

In conclusion, creating a custom FIORI tile with a dynamic URL feature offers significant advantages for managing access to any external server across multiple environments. By automating the navigation between development, quality assurance, and production systems, users can access the appropriate version of the application without manual intervention, streamlining workflows and minimizing errors. Leveraging FIORI Designer, along with RFC system aliases, ensures that your tile is adaptable and flexible, making it easier to maintain across changing business landscapes. This approach not only enhances the user experience but also optimizes the development cycle, reducing time spent on manual updates and improving overall efficiency.?

By implementing the steps outlined in this blog, you'll be well-equipped to build robust, environment-aware FIORI tiles, ensuring smooth and consistent access to critical business applications across the supply chain.?

Written By MOHAMED ASLAM K , Business Analyst at SCM YUGA

We hope you found this article insightful. If you have any personal experiences or tips related to Custom FIORI tile or others, We’d love to hear them!

Don’t forget to follow SCM YUGA for more such articles and share this post with your network.