Lesson 5 of 5
SAP GUI in an S/4HANA world
8 min
If Fiori is the future, why learn SAP GUI at all? Because in on-premise and Private Edition systems, SAP GUI is very much the present. This lesson explains where the two interfaces meet, how to tell whether a Fiori app has replaced a transaction, and why Public Edition is different.
Where SAP GUI still matters
- Many transactions remain fully supported in S/4HANA on-premise and Private Edition, and power users often prefer them for speed.
- Some tasks, especially in configuration, technical administration and certain specialist areas, are still done mainly in SAP GUI.
- Older test scripts, training materials and work instructions are written in T-codes.
- Long-standing key users carry deep know-how in classic transactions that is valuable during migrations.
Three ways to reach a classic transaction
A classic transaction can be reached through SAP GUI for Windows, through SAP GUI for HTML in a browser, or from a tile on the Fiori launchpad that opens the transaction using SAP GUI for HTML. The business logic is the same. The look can differ slightly, and with newer visual themes the classic screens can look much more like Fiori.
- Does a Fiori app cover this task in your release?Yes → check the reference library and your roles · No → use the transaction
- Is the transaction still supported in S/4HANA?Yes → it can be used alongside the app · No → it redirects or shows an obsolete message; use the successor
- Which one will production users actually use?App → test the app · Transaction → test the transaction · Both → test both
- Are you on Public Edition?Yes → business users work in Fiori apps only · No → SAP GUI remains available
Checking for a Fiori successor
Use the SAP Fiori apps reference library. Search for the transaction code; classic transactions appear as SAP GUI apps, and the library shows related Fiori apps. Select your release first, because availability changes. For migrations, project teams also use SAP’s analysis tools, which compare the transactions your users actually run with recommended Fiori apps.
| Task at Contoso | Classic transaction | Fiori app often used instead |
|---|---|---|
| Find and work with sales orders | VA05 (list of sales orders) | Manage Sales Orders |
| Monitor purchase orders | ME2N (purchase orders by number) | Manage Purchase Orders |
| Review customer open items | FBL5N (customer line items) | Manage Customer Line Items |
| Check stock for a material | MMBE (stock overview) | Stock – Single Material |
Examples of classic transactions and Fiori apps that cover similar tasks; check the library for your release
During a migration from ECC, expect a mixed picture for a few years. Some users will move to Fiori apps quickly, while others keep using transactions that remain supported. A sensible test plan covers what each user group will really do on day one after go-live, and flags any planned switch from transaction to app as a change that needs its own testing and training.
Public Edition: Fiori only
In SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, business users do not get SAP GUI. Every business task runs through Fiori apps in the browser, and configuration uses SAP’s self-service tools. If your company is on Public Edition, the T-codes in this course are background knowledge; the Fiori course sap-fnd-103 is your daily reference.
Personal settings in SAP GUI
Two more habits help testers. First, check System → User Profile → Own Data (transaction SU3), where date and number formats and parameters live. Parameters such as VKO (sales organization), WRK (plant) or BUK (company code) prefill fields in transactions, just as Default Values do in Fiori. Second, check the status bar system information to confirm the system and client before you start.
What would you do?
A Contoso tester sets her plant parameter WRK to 1710 for convenience. The next test case asks for a goods receipt in Chicago plant 1720. What could go wrong?
- SAP GUI remains widely used on-premise and in Private Edition; Public Edition business users use Fiori only.
- Classic transactions can run in SAP GUI for Windows, SAP GUI for HTML, or from a launchpad tile.
- Check the Fiori apps reference library for a transaction’s related or successor apps in your release.
- User parameters (SU3) prefill org units such as plant WRK and sales organization VKO; check them before testing.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Can business users in Public Edition use SAP GUI?
2. Where can you check whether a Fiori app relates to or replaces a transaction?
3. Which user parameter prefills the plant in transactions?