Low Code Development on SAP cloud platform (low code development) Solutions

Jerry had previously written some articles in succession, SAP introduced a variety of development tools and development platforms:

After the lists are so many development tools and platforms, Jerry suddenly miss the days of yourself ten years ago just joined the SAP. At that time, the installation of a SAPGUI, can be done almost daily work on a laptop all development tasks.

Today we take a brief rapid application development on SAP cloud platform (Rapid Application Development, referred to as RAD) solutions, and Mendix, Siemens's an important one, is the leader in Low Code Development (low code development) field, its representative Mendix Studio Pro.

The so-called low-source development platform / tool refers to the code without coding or only rarely (No Code or Low Code) allows you to build applications platform / tool usually provides a visual interface to quickly build application interfaces, design data model, create application business logic and workflow.

Low source development platform for the technical requirements of users is much lower than traditional software development projects programmers. With the deepening of the wave of digital transformation of business conduct, in particular small and medium enterprises digital information is increasing, the use of low-source development platform to quickly build out in a short time frame application, delivery to customers, based on customer fast iterative feedback, and therefore occupies an important place in the development of the digital transformation of the way enterprises, especially SMEs information construction projects.

Precisely because of the low source development platform in the enterprise application development can play its unique advantages, making many software vendors have set foot in this area, such as SAP Intelligent Robotic Process Automation Desktop Studio the development of intelligent robots, one of SAP Process Automation Solutions tool, can also be seen as one of the low code development tools.

How Jerry in the previous article using SAP Intelligent Robotic Process Automation automate Excel, have introduced their usage.

The RAD solutions on the SAP cloud platform also integrates a leader in low-code development areas, from development tools Mendix provides Mendix Studio Pro. Released from the Gartner 2019 Nian evaluation report enterprise-class low-source development platform, we can see Mendix in the magic quadrant leaders (leader) area.

Here we have to try, using Rapid Application Development on SAP Cloud Platform, combined with Mendix Studio Pro application to develop a Fiori, display data OData services provided in read-only mode, learn about the so-called low-code development with the use of SAP WebIDE development experience any different.

Find the RAD by Mendix services:

Enter the service page, click Sign in with SAP, using SAP logon credential information cloud platform.

After login, click Create App:

Choose to create applications based on the template. SAP WebIDE used to create Fiori friends may find this template selection and WebIDE in the Create from Template function is very similar.

Select the application template with SAP Fiori design style highlighted on the map, create a new application:

Fiori is created in the same application WebIDE like After selecting a template, the tool will automatically create a lot of applications related to the resource file.

Next select a SAP Cloud Platform of the Region, in the end of this article we will use the Mendix Studio Pro directly to develop a good application to deploy SAP cloud platform.

I created an empty application JerryHelloWorldProject, tips Edit App where you can use Mendix Studio Pro application development.

Mendix from the official website to download the free development tools:
https://appstore.home.mendix.com/index.html
After installation, click on Edit in Mendix Studio Pro:

Recall that create Fiori application with SAP WebIDE, we have to specify a OData service as a data source, either the OData metadata download into local file, into WebIDE inside; or directly to the metadata OData services url set to create WebIDE of Wizard in.

Mendix Studio Pro in the creation step is similar. First download the metadata OData services to local, save it as a xml file. Mendix is using SAP tailored SAP OData Model Creator, this xml file into:

SAP OData Model Creator is an online application:
https://sapodatamodelcreator.mendixcloud.com/

It will parse xml metadata OData contains the extracted name GWSAMPLE_BASIC and detailed information OData services and convert files Mendix Studio Pro can recognize and import mpk format:

After SAP OData Model Creator generate mpk file to download to a local, you can import into Mendix Studio Pro Lane.

After introducing mpk, OData Mendix Studio Pro generated models can be identified as shown below. This example I chose to display Sales Order OData data service returns.

Jerry business logic of this example is very simple, OData transmits a service request, displayed on the page after Fiori acquired data.

This sequence as a single line service logic, may be encapsulated in Mendix Microflow. Create a Microflow, named GetSalesOrder:

After Microflow created, in the editing interface is presented in a straight line, green and red endpoints represent the beginning and end of business processes.

iFlow edit pages on the editing interface and SAP Cloud Platform like. We can put this Microflow analogy to SAP Cloud Integration in the iFlow.

Select Insert-> Activity from the context menu:

Select SAP OData Connector following Create request params, the first step is to send a representative of the Microflow OData service request.

The request named JerryRequestParams:

Access SAP OData service requires the use of Basic Authorization for authentication, so add a second Activity, type Add basic Authorization:

New ES5UserName and ES5Password two constants in the project, to access SAP OData service requires a user name and password in the constant maintenance in:

Then use these two constants in basic Authorization activity in:

Add a third Activity, type Get list of this step is to initiate the actual meaning of course OData requests:

Specify the type Microflow end of the event returned for the List, Entity for the OData service in the SalesOrder model.

After Microflow developed, means that the business logic of the application design has come to an end, and the rest is processed front interface. Create a new page, select the type of layout Fiori_MasterDetail from the drop-down menu:

After clicking OK, we get a Master-Detail template page layout, all that remains is to fine-tune this template, such as adjusting the font, change the title, decide which fields should be displayed or hidden, and so on.

They want to show the selected field from the list SalesOrder development in the right panel, you can drag onto the page editing area on the left. Data binding is done automatically, without manual intervention.

I choose to show the following figure represents the three fields in the Master List in the left side of the application: Customer ID, Customer Name and Created At.

Details page on the right, I chose to display the Sales Order ID, Currency Code and Gross Amount three fields.

Click Run Locally, locally run application:

Results as shown below:

If you choose Run, because SAP Cloud Platform Region information before beginning to set in over the Mendix Studio Pro, so the application will be automatically deployed to the cloud platform to run SAP:

From this simple example can be found, Low Code Development of this concept is actually not a new thing, such as SAP WebIDE Fiori template created in a large number of applications, as well as the concept itself Fiori Elements in SAP development field, behind all reflect on development details and complexity of the package, techniques used to reduce the threshold of the tool.

On the other hand, I personally think, Low Code Development of Low should never be interpreted as "low", "lower" - the concept of these well-designed low-source development platform, can the average person find it very difficult to understand the profound packaged to be converted into non-professional programmers after a simple learning can accept the entity, thereby expanding the use of community tools, which in itself is a very great thing.

Choose from application creation wizard in many types of applications can be seen, the power of Mendix Studio Pro, much more than this little bit of content in this article. Especially for the SAP Mendix "Personal Tailor" features a series of full SAP application templates, interested friends Mendix can be downloaded from the official website, check it out.

I hope this can let everyone on Low on SAP Cloud Platform Code Development solutions have a basic understanding, thanks for reading.

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Low Code Development on SAP cloud platform (low code development) Solutions

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