What Are the Different SAP Development Tools?

SAP has a laundry list of development tools that are used for efficient customization, enhanced integration capabilities, accelerated development timelines, and scalability (among many other necessities) when it comes to working in your SAP system. In this post, we’ll provide an overview of some of the main development tools used in SAP landscapes.

What Are SAP Development Tools?

SAP development tools fulfill a variety of purposes for the different stages of the software development lifecycle. They offer frameworks and environments for application development, integration, and application management, catering to a wide range of functionalities such as programming, data modeling, user interface (UI) design, and more. They’re used by all sorts of professionals like developers, data analysts, integration specialists, UI or user experience (UX) designers, and system administrators working in SAP systems.

SAP HANA Tools

SAP HANA is an in-memory database that provides capabilities for processing and analyzing large amounts of data in real time. The provided tools support various programming languages, data modeling techniques, and application development paradigms for different development needs.

SAP HANA Studio is an IDE that provides a comprehensive set of tools for designing, modeling, and managing data. It includes capabilities for data modeling, SQL scripting, administration, and more. SAP Web IDE for SAP HANA is used for web-based development, offering a user-friendly interface. It provides features for UI design, server-side JavaScript coding, and integration with SAP HANA databases.

Other SAP HANA tools include:

• SAP HANA Cockpit – A web-based administration and monitoring tool. It provides a central dashboard for monitoring system health, performance, and resource utilization. Its capabilities support the managing of users, roles, and security settings.
• SAP HANA XSA – An application server for building and deploying applications directly on SAP HANA. It supports both database-side and application-side development using languages like JavaScript, Node.js, and SQLScript.
• SAP HANA XS Classic – A runtime environment for developing and deploying applications. It supports server-side JavaScript programming and allows developers to build applications that directly interact with the database.
• SAP HANA Deployment Infrastructure – A runtime and development environment used to create and manage database artifacts in SAP HANA. It allows developers to package database objects, application logic, and configuration files as deployable units.
• SAP HANA Development Perspective in SAP Business Application Studio – A development environment for SAP HANA that includes tools for tasks like designing tables, creating calculation views, and writing SQLScript.
• SAP HANA Data Warehousing Foundation – A set of tools and frameworks that enable the development of data warehousing solutions on SAP HANA. It provides capabilities for data provisioning, data modeling, and data lifecycle management.
• SAP HANA Data Modeling Tools – A set of tools that allow developers to create and manage data models, including attribute, calculation, and analytical views. These tools include the SAP HANA Modeling perspective in SAP HANA Studio and the SAP Web IDE for SAP HANA.
• SAP HANA Graph Processing Tools – A set of tools that allow developers to create applications that leverage graph-data processing capabilities in SAP HANA. They offer features for creating and querying graph data models.

SAP Cloud Business Application Tools

SAP cloud-based business application tools support cloud-based application development and deployment. These tools empower developers to build applications that run on SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), a collection of tools and services for building and extending SAP applications and solutions. It offers capabilities for workflow automation, document generation, and external-system integration.

The web-based IDE, SAP Business Application Studio, supports cloud-native application development. This open-enterprise platform includes built-in governance, security, and DevOps, and allows users to leverage integration with services, technologies, and systems from SAP. It provides features for designing, coding, and deploying applications using various programming languages.

The SAP Cloud Application Programming Model offers guidelines and tools for building multi-cloud enterprise-grade applications that run on SAP BTP. In addition, SAP Fiori tools provide capabilities for designing and deploying user-friendly interfaces. Other features for mobile application development and management are offered through SAP Mobile Services. The collection of tools allows developers and business users to create tailored solutions that meet specific business requirements.

Other SAP cloud-based business application tools include:

• SAP Cloud Application Programming Model Tools for Visual Studio Code – An extension for Visual Studio Code that provides additional tools for modeling and developing applications.
• SAP Extension Suite – A collection of tools and services for building and extending SAP. applications and solutions. It offers capabilities for workflow automation, document generation, and external-system integration.
• SAP BTP, ABAP Environment – An environment for building ABAP-based cloud applications on SAP BTP.

ABAP Development Tools

ABAP is SAP’s proprietary programming language, offering development tools to create, modify, and manage ABAP code. ABAP Development Tools (ADT) provide a comprehensive IDE equipped with features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and a powerful debugger for efficient code development and debugging. It also includes a repository browser for easy navigation through SAP’s repository objects and a transport organizer for managing software requests between systems. The code inspector is a tool for conducting static code analysis, ensuring the quality and efficiency of ABAP code.

There are various ADT components that can be installed, such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, ABAP environment and SAP BTP, ABAP environment. Developers use these components for customizing standard SAP functionalities, creating custom reports and interfaces, implementing business logic and workflows, and integrating external systems with SAP.

SAP Business Warehouse (BW) Modeling Tools

SAP BW/4HANA is a warehousing solution that runs on the SAP HANA database, used for consolidating, transforming, and analyzing data from various sources. The modeling tools offered in SAP BW/4HANA are used for designing data models, defining data sources, and creating data transformations.

These tools support the creation of InfoProviders and InfoObjects, which enable businesses to structure and manage their data efficiently. SAP BW/4HANA offers capabilities for data staging, storage optimization, data compression, and aggregation – all crucial for optimizing performance in reporting and analysis. Data analysts and developers rely on these tools to create a structured and effective warehouse environment.

Integrating SAP BW/4HANA with ABAP Development Tools and SAP HANA modeling provides SAP HANA views that you can use in BW metadata objects, such as the CompositeProvider. This integration also enables flexible and efficient execution of modeling projects.

SAP Cloud Integration Tools

SAP Cloud Integration tools are vital for successful integrations across applications and systems. SAP Cloud Integration is a major component of SAP Integration Suite, which is an enterprise landscape that allows businesses to share and exchange data with internal and external stakeholders. It encompasses tools and capabilities like SAP API Management and Open Connectors to support quick implementations, optimization, and repeatability. There are various technical tools to cover the different data sources and transactions that are required in your integration landscape.

Included in the SAP Cloud Integration toolset is the integration flow designer, which allows users to design and configure integration flows visually. There’s also the integration directory, a central repository for managing integration artifacts, offering a comprehensive view of integration objects and configurations.

Developers can leverage the Adapter Development Kit to create custom adapters for integrating SAP Cloud Integration with various external systems. Security materials like certificates, key stores, and trust stores ensure secure connections, while monitoring and error handling tools help maintain the integrity of integration processes.

SAP Identity Management (IdM) Configuration Lifecycle Tools

SAP IdM tools are used to manage user identities, access rights, and roles with an organization. The capabilities ensure secure and efficient access to systems and applications. Identity Center is used for managing user identities and attributes. Administrators can use these tools to create, modify, and delete user accounts, in addition to defining user rolls and access policies.

The Role Management tools help define and manage roles within an organization. They enable administrators to group together sets of permissions and assign them to users based on their job functions. Another key tool related to identity management processes is the Workflow Designer, a graphical interface for creating and customizing workflows. It allows administrators to define the flow of approval and notification tasks.

Other SAP IdM tools include:

• Access Policies and Rules – The Identity Center encompasses configuration tools that allow administrators to define and enforce access policies, password policies, and compliance rules. These policies ensure that user access aligns with organization security requirements.
• Policy Editor – A feature used to customize and define policies for identity and access management. Administrators can specify rules and conditions for password policies, user account lockouts, and more.
• Access Request and Approval Workflows – Administrators can use configuration tools to define and customize access request workflows. Actions such as approval steps, notification rules, and decision logic for access requests can be specified.

SAP Mobile Tools

SAP offers various tools and technologies for developing, deploying, and managing mobile applications. Organizations can use these tools to build mobile solutions that integrate with their existing SAP systems and provide a high-quality user experience.

The Mobile Development Kit provides a set of tools that allows developers to create enterprise-grade mobile applications. Programmers can leverage the low-code/no-code approach to building mobile apps with advanced features and integration capabilities.

SDKs for iOS and Android, along with other tools like the Hybrid App Toolkit, cater to various development approaches, ensuring a seamless and engaging mobile experience. They offer pre-built UI components, libraries, and tools for developing native iOS and Android applications that integrate with SAP systems.

SAPUI5 Tools

SAPUI5 is the SAP UI for HTML5. It incorporates a suite of tools for developing modern, responsive web applications, leveraging SAP Fiori design principles and efficient development workflows. It offers a collection of JavaScript libraries and resources that provide pre-built UI controls and elements. Developers can create consistent and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces with extensive theming and styling options.

SAP Fiori elements offers predefined page types and smart controls. This is useful for developers who are looking to approach their development with minimal coding. Additionally, the SAPUI5 Command Line Interface empowers developers with command-line capabilities like project initialization, building, bundling, and local development server management.

UI5 flexibility for key users adds a layer of runtime customization, enabling users to personalize their experience by adapting UI layouts and settings. These services seamlessly integrate with the SAP Fiori launchpad, a central access point for SAP Fiori and SAPUI5 applications. Beyond this, SAP Business Application Studio provides a dedicated environment for SAPUI5 development, offering a range of tools for designing, coding, and testing applications.

SAP Build Tools

SAP Build is a development solution hosted on SAP BTP. It houses low-code/no-code tools used to create applications, automate business processes, and collaborate with teams. The solution offers pre-built connectors and business content for SAP and non-SAP systems, which is beneficial for accelerated development.

SAP Build tools include:

• SAP Build Process Automation – Offers a way to automate workflow processes and tasks using pre-built workflows, bots, and connectors.
• SAP Build Apps – An application development solution for building low-code/no-code apps using drag-and-drop features.
• SAP Build Code – A generative AI-based code development tool for Java and JavaScript development.

Conclusion

As businesses journey through the complexities of digital transformation, SAP development tools act as catalysts, empowering you to adapt, innovate, and create solutions that align with industry demands. This blog post only scratches the surface of the applications SAP provides to optimize your system and there’s far more to uncover! Whether you’re an ABAP developer, SAPUI5 designer, data analyst, integration specialist, or system administrator, you have a plethora of tools to leverage for your development needs.