SAP for Mobile: Why SMP and Why Not

Posted by Shrikant Naidu Sep 3, 2013 Hi,

Recently, i was exploring few options for a giving up a solution architecture to one of my customers who needs a mobile solution which gets synchronized with their SAP back-end system. So i just thought to Blog it for my friends out here and i end up figuring out that there are two major ways for doing this i.e,

1. Using SMP (SAP Mobile Platform) 2. Using JCo (Java Connector) i.e, without SMP.

So here are the advantages i figured out for both the approaches:-

Using SMP:

There are Native(Object API, ODATA) and Hybrid application(Html5 based) development approches. The platfrom provides you to develop Hybrid applications easily by drag and drop. You can integrate various backend systems easily so that you handle connectivity of systems. Be able to create offline scenarios with SUP platform. (Native development) You can model your data by creating relations, queries etc.. (MBO development) Manage and monitor device users acitivity on Sybase Control Center Enable you to configure SSO or Active directory. Provides end to end security

Using JCo (Without SMP)

With Jco you can direclty access to RFC without using web services Create only online scenarious. You have to make development for each device(ios, android, win8)

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That's all till now i figured out.

However this is an interesting question and if I understand it correctly we are basically trying to understand here whether to use a middleware like SUP/SMP or not or perhaps just use another middleware?

The question can only be answered through some analysis of requirements topics like the following should point towards whether we should be using SUP/SMP or not: Security
How sensitive is the data you are planning to mobilise and do you need the extra security mechanisms that SUP/SMP brings ? How do you plan on authenticating your users and will you be able to do that in a large scale roll-out without a box like SUP/SMP in the middle. Do you require on-device security enhancements to protect the data you transmit to a device. Synchronisation Are you planning on synchronising and storing data on the mobile devices and if so have you considered how that sync will happen without a middleware to manage the sync process. How do you plan on achieving the synchronisation between your devices and the back-end server (protocols, packaging, parsing etc.)

Synchronization
Are you planning on synchronizing and storing data on the mobile devices and if so have you considered how that sync will happen without a middleware to manage the sync process. How do you plan on achieving the synchronisation between your devices and the back-end server (protocols, packaging, parsing etc.)

Device management
Do you need the connection/device management brought by SUP/SMP

There are a lot of topics we would need to look at before we can make a decision on this and we will not be able to get a clear answer here without completely understanding the

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requirements and what we need to achieve. Its also worth looking at how we have delivered other applications (if we have) in your environment including what worked/did not.

I still falls into this scenario again & again while proposing a solution to customers & always exploring the right solution for it. However, i'd always like say Thanks to few of my friends out here for always helping me out here like Midhun VP , Jitendra Kumar Kansal , Tahir Oz, Brenton O'Callaghan , Carolyn Fitton , David Clavey , Rohith Deraje , Kevin Benedict , Thomas Jung

Off course there are other workarounds also available & i'd appreciate if you folks will provide light on this here below

Best Regards, Shrikant Naidu

710 Views Tags: netweaver, hana, mdm, enterprise, sap_ecohub, android, ipad, apple, apps, enterprise_mobility, sap_mobility, mobile_strategies, sms, sap_mobile, tablet, syclo, sybase_unwired_platform, mobile_analytics Sep 3, 2013 1:55 PM Shrutika P

Good One Shrikant ..

Every time we get new requirement, we explore new solutions... It is good experience to get into the requirement deeply, and find out the exact solution and propose it.....

Regards Shrutika Purohit

Sep 3, 2013 2:00 PM Shrikant Naidu Shrutika P in response to

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Thanks Shrutika Purohit . Agree with U.

Sep 3, 2013 3:52 PM Midhun VP

There is a big complexity while mobilizing the enterprise. SMP is meant to make the process easy and secured. Few of the advantages of using SMP when compared without a middleware are:
Device Heterogeneity - Supporting the rapidly expanding and changing selection of devices and device OS on the market. Data partitioning for mobile app - Separating and securing data storage. Encrypted data storage in the device. It can be done in few lines of code/ automatically it will be provided by SMP. Data transport and app security - Securing data while data transfer. Bandwidth and latency an connectivity issues (important one) - Easy management of multiple connections, easy synchronization methods, caching between EIS and devices. And allowing the users to work in always connected, occasionally connected and some times connected environments. Device and app management - this includes device upgrades, deployment of new apps, upgrades without affecting production.

Apart from the above we don't want to bother about the security, logging, tracing, SSO ( in few steps ). So these are the reason to go with SMP/middle-ware.

Recently SAP released apps based on SAPUI5 ( FIORI series ) and it is not based on SMP. Again, these apps are based on web technologies hence the performance we can't expect as good as native apps.

Finally, selection of development approach is purely based on the available resource and business requirement. If the company is planning to go mobile and the budget is low means they can mobilize there process with NW gateway. They don;t need to spend on SMP. So selection of a technology is based on the above factors and SAP is providing us the completing set of solutions from which we can select a solution.

-Midhun VP

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Sep 3, 2013 4:29 PM David Clavey

I would have a look at how the Fiori apps are created and add it to your second non-SMP list. The big point about Fiori is that it uses ODATA via the Netweaver Gateway. So all the security and data change is based on the Gateway.

I would not create a mobile app using JCO - Old technology. It will work fine, especially if you are a Java on mobile fan. But Java on a mobile is all too slow and jerky for me and crashes randomly ! You can guess I am not a fan.

So I would modify your two options to SMP and Netweaver Gateway.

Sep 4, 2013 7:13 AM Shrikant Naidu Midhun VP in response to

Yes exactly Midhun. Correct solution depends on such factors & that is why now SAP is providing the range of solutions & approaches to develop. However it completely depends on our requirement which solution to choose.

But here i'd like to add that from 3.0 SAP is most likely to change lot of things. As far as i know SAP is looking for much tighter integration with Netweaver Gateway & also they will be providing the Offline Capabilities through the ODATA channel as well.

So it will help us to propose/choose the right approach more easily.

- Shrikant

Sep 4, 2013 7:22 AM Shrikant Naidu David Clavey in response to

Integrated SAP Netweaver Gateway & SMP can always provide GREAT solutions. And after SMP3.0 this integration along with ODATA will provide the much more benefits as Offline capability is expected to be coming in that which is a miss in current scenario.

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But David, here again we are gonna face the "How can I help you" scenario when the customers are not interested in buying SMP licenses & wants the mobile solutions directly based on Netweaver Gateway beacuse i Gateway licenses comes handy with their current licensing landscape & used to be available with them already.

-Shrikant.

Sep 4, 2013 7:44 AM Naresh Krishnamoorthy

Very Informative...Many Thanks.

Best Regards, Naresh K.

Sep 4, 2013 7:50 AM Shrutika P

Great guys!! At the end of the day, the solution should be satisfied all customers need. Possibly will be SMP, Netweaver, Syclo, Consumer app, Ready to deploy app etc...

The Main challenge is to get the customer satisfy with the right solution on right time.
Lot many things are there is SAP BOX .....

Shrutika P

Sep 4, 2013 9:35 AM Njl Stabell Shrikant Naidu in response to

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You should have a look into the SMP Cloud version as well. Initial investment is low. Setup of the Cloud connector and configuration of the SMP can be done in a day. The REST services are the same as in the on-premise version as well.

Wrote a blog about the pros of this solution here

Sep 4, 2013 11:44 AM Jitendra Kumar Kansal

Shrikant Naidu

Thanks for mentioning my name. you have summerized all possible points in a single blog. really helpful.

Rgrds, Jitendra

Sep 10, 2013 11:35 AM Prerna Rathore

Very Informative... ll give a picture that what to use at what time..

Thanks...:)

Sep 11, 2013 11:05 AM Ramakrishna Dadi

Very Informative. Great Job Shrikant Naidu

Thanks,

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Rama

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