Lesson 4 of 6
App types and navigation
8 min
Not every Fiori app is a list report. SAP groups apps into a few broad types, and knowing which type you are in tells you what to expect: whether you can change data, whether numbers are aggregated, and how to drill into details.
Three app types
| Type | Purpose | Contoso example |
|---|---|---|
| Transactional | Create, change, approve or process business documents and master data | Dana creates and changes sales orders; Luis creates purchase orders |
| Analytical | Show key figures, trends and drill-downs on live data | The sales manager reviews incoming orders by customer for sales organization 1710 |
| Fact sheet | Show a 360-degree summary of one business object and its related objects, found through search | A quick view of a customer with open orders, deliveries and invoices |
The three classic Fiori app types
In SAP’s apps reference library you will also see the technology behind an app, for example SAP Fiori elements, SAP GUI or Web Dynpro. Apps marked SAP GUI or Web Dynpro are classic screens launched from the launchpad. They are perfectly valid apps, but they look and behave like the older user interface.
Page types inside apps
Most modern apps are built from a small set of page types. A list report finds records. An object page shows one record in detail, with sections and tabs for header data, items, partners and related documents. A worklist presents items that need your action. An overview page shows several cards of information for one role, and an analytical list page combines charts with a list for drill-down.
Moving between related objects
Fiori apps are connected. On an object page, many fields are links: the customer, the material, a preceding document. Select one and a small popover appears listing what you can do with that object, such as display the customer or open the related sales order. These are navigation targets, and which ones you see depends again on your roles.
- Manage Sales OrdersDana finds order for customer Fleetline Logistics.
- Sales order object pageHeader, items, and a section for related documents.
- Link to the outbound deliveryOpens the delivery shipped from plant 1710.
- Link to the billing documentShows the invoice and its accounting status.
- BackThe shell bar back arrow returns along the same path.
Many document apps also offer a process flow or document flow view that shows the order, delivery, goods issue, billing and accounting documents as a chain. This is the Fiori version of the document flow you met in sap-fnd-101, and it is one of the fastest ways to collect evidence for an end-to-end test.
What would you do?
A test step says: "Confirm that the billing document for sales order 12345 posted to accounting." Dana is in Manage Sales Orders. What is the quickest reliable route?
- Transactional apps change data, analytical apps show key figures, fact sheets summarize one object.
- Apps are built from page types: list report, object page, worklist, overview page, analytical list page.
- Links on object pages open related objects; available targets depend on your roles.
- Document or process flow views are the fastest route to end-to-end test evidence.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which app type is mainly used to create and change business documents?
2. What appears when you select a linked field such as a customer on an object page?
3. Which page type shows one record in detail with sections and tabs?