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Building integrated Power Platform applications for SAP consultants

As an SAP consultant, you can leverage Microsoft Power Platform to build applications that integrate seamlessly with SAP systems, including copilots, apps, workflows, and websites to enhance business processes using SAP data.

Microsoft Power Platform connectors

Microsoft Power Platform offers connectors, including the SAP ERP and SAP OData connectors, for streamlined SAP integration. These connectors encapsulate APIs needed for data exchange, supporting RFC-based and HTTP-based connectivity. App makers can perform actions like creating, updating, or retrieving SAP data, making integrated solutions simpler to build.

Capabilities of Power Platform products

  • Power Apps: Power Apps is a visual development tool that allows users to build custom applications including mobile apps with little to no code. It connects to various data sources, including SAP, and runs on any device. Power Apps can be used to create forms, dashboards, and interactive applications that streamline business processes.
  • Power Automate (Cloud Flows): Power Automate is a cloud-based automation platform that enables users to create workflows that automate repetitive tasks. It provides powerful AI, RPA, and process mining capabilities. With Power Automate, users can create flows that interact with SAP data, automate data entry, and trigger actions based on specific events.
  • Copilot Studio: Copilot Studio is a visual design tool for creating a custom chatbot (referred to as an agent) and autonomous agents (completes processes on behalf of a person, team, or organization). You can publish agents to Microsoft Teams, Power Apps, web portals, and public websites. Copilot Studio also integrates with Azure AI services to enable agents to use resources including powerful language models and Azure AI Search.
  • Power Pages: Power Pages enables organizations to quickly design, configure, and publish secure, data-driven enterprise-grade websites. These websites can be integrated with SAP to provide users with access to SAP data and services through a web interface.

Templates for a quick start

Microsoft offers Enterprise templates for Power Platform, including a customizable SAP Procurement template to accelerate SAP-integrated solution development on Power Platform. The templates provide essential techniques, building blocks, and sample apps and flows for specific use cases.

Example workflow structure

  • Trigger: A Power App triggers a Power Automate flow to create a sales order in SAP.
  • Construct JSON: The flow constructs a JSON payload with the sales order details.
  • Call BAPI: The flow calls the BAPI BAPI_SALESORDER_CREATEFROMDAT2 using the SAP ERP Connector.
  • Parse the flow Response: The flow parses the JSON response to extract the sales order number.
  • Update App: Updates the canvas or model-driven app with the sales order number for user reference.

App-building tips

Here are some tips and resources to help you get started building canvas and model-driven apps that work with SAP.

Using Power Automate flows with other applications

Power Automate flows that integrate with SAP can be triggered by custom applications or any software capable of REST integration.

Error handling

Errors in SAP are displayed to users in Power Apps similarly to SAP, with red text detailing the error. Users can correct data-related errors in Power Apps and resubmit their work to SAP.

File attachment handling

Power Automate can attach files to objects in SAP using Generic Object Services (GOS) and/or ArchiveLink based on your requirements.

Adding custom fields

Adding custom fields to a canvas or model-driven app is straightforward. Fields can be inserted and copy-pasted in the editor.

Calling custom function modules

The Power Platform can call custom function modules if they are remote-enabled. However, SAP will not support custom function modules if they do not work correctly, as they are considered custom code.

Handling completely custom processes in SAP

Custom database tables can be read using the "Read SAP Table with Parsing" action for all read operations. For create and update operations, remote-enable the custom function modules used to maintain this data. Once remote-enabled, these function modules can be called by the SAP connector.

User requirements for Power Apps

No installation is required on users' PCs. All apps are accessed through a web browser.

Deployment time for Power Apps on SAP

Prebuilt Power Apps on SAP can transact against your SAP system immediately. However, you may need to modify these app templates by adding custom fields or SAP-standard fields not included in the template. Typically, you can have something ready for business users to test within a few weeks.

Building mobile Power Apps on SAP

Power Apps is responsive to mobile devices, and native apps can also be built on the Power Platform.

Coexistence of Fiori Apps and Power Apps

Fiori Apps can be embedded in Power Apps menus, and Power Apps can also be embedded in the Fiori launchpad.

Upgrading from SAP ECC to S4/HANA

Upgrading from SAP ECC to S4/HANA should not break integrations. SAP ensures their published APIs are carried over to new versions.

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