Which versions of NWBC are available?
The initial version of NWBC, SAP NetWeaver Business Client for ERP (NWBC 1.0), was released in 2007 exclusively for SAP Business All-in-One and the SAP Business Suite. It was soon followed by NWBC 2.0 based on new Microsoft .NET technology with the new Signature Design supporting a multi-window paradigm. This version was limited for use only with SAP Business ByDesign. The next version of NWBC, the 3.0 version, builds on the Signature Design, reintroducing SAP GUI support, and is available for all SAP business lines as one product providing universal access to SAP applications. With NWBC 3.0, a light-weight HTML-based version is also available specifically for single SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP/ABAP system scenarios.
NWBC 3.5 comes with enhanced navigation features, new menus, and a side panel, which shows additional context information that relates to the main application. The latest child of the NWBC family, NWBC for Desktop 4.0, has been released with the user interface add-on 1.0 SPS01 for SAP NetWeaver for SAP NetWeaver 7.0/7.01/7.02/7.03/7.31 (a direct shipment). It follows the tabbed browsing paradigm known from modern browsers such as Internet Explorer 9 and Google Chrome.
All client-related sections in this documentation relate to SAP NetWeaver Business Client 3.5. For more information about SAP NetWeaver Business Client 4.0, see SAP Help Portal at .
The following table provides an overview of the NWBC release versions and the related patches:
NWBC Client Version |
NWBC Server Runtime Patch |
---|---|
NWBC for Desktop 4.0 For more information and relevant prerequisites, see SAP Note 1754946 . |
Apply the highest patch level of SAP Note 1707626 . |
NWBC 3.5 (for Desktop and for HTML) For more information and relevant prerequisites, see SAP Notes 1620514 and 1620576 . |
Apply the highest patch level of SAP Note 1763401 . |
NWBC 3.0 (for Desktop and for HTML) For more information and relevant prerequisites, see SAP Note 1368177 . |
Apply the highest patch level of SAP Note 1353538 . |
As a successor of NWBC 3.0, NWBC 3.5 can also run against the back-end systems supported by NWBC 3.0. However, some features supported by NWBC 3.5 depend on functionality in the SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP3/7.31 back end and are not available when you connect to an older system (see What Is New in NWBC 3.5 ).
Which SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP release is required to run a specific NWBC client version?
NWBC client requires a server runtime, which is a bundle of all the services that NWBC uses in the SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP. The NWBC server version is the version of the NWBC server runtime. The NWBC server runtime provides role navigation information and navigation resolving services.
NWBC for HTML is a browser-based shell for which a desktop installation is not needed. NWBC for HTML relates to the SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP on which it is running.
The following table provides an overview of the different back ends to which all the versions of NWBC for Desktop (NWBC 3.0, NWBC 3.5, and SAP NWBC 4.0) can connect:
SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP with NWBC Server Version <3.5 (*) |
SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP with NWBC Server Version 3.5 or higher (*) |
SAP NetWeaver Portal |
Can be Used by Customers |
---|---|---|---|
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 SP21 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 SP28 |
Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)
SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SAP SRM)
SAP ERP Central Component
BAiO SAP Solution Manager 7.1 |
|
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP1 SP06 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP1 SP12 |
||
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP2 SP02 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP2 SP12 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP2 |
|
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP3 = SAP NetWeaver 7.3 EHP1 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.3 EHP1 |
||
Future releases (for example, SAP NetWeaver 7.4) |
Future releases |
||
SAP NetWeaver 7.1 EHP1 SP12 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.1 EHP1 SP11 |
FS Platform 400 |
|
SAP NetWeaver 7.2 SP01 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.2 SP08 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.2 |
SAP NetWeaver |
SAP NetWeaver 7.3 SP01 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.3 SP09 |
SAP NetWeaver 7.3 |
SAP NetWeaver |
(*) You can find the NWBC server version in NWBC for Desktop by choosing
.Besides functional enhancements supported by NWBC for Desktop 3.5 and higher, the NWBC server version 3.5 provides performance enhancements through server-side caching of navigation menus.
With SAP NetWeaver Business Client 4.0, you can also connect to SAP NetWeaver 7.0x and 7.40 based systems using the server runtime for SAP NetWeaver user interface services. The server runtime for SAP NetWeaver user interface services provides a release-independent way to quickly deliver new features like theming capabilities to your system landscape.
Which features are available for which SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP for NWBC 3.5 or Higher?
Some features in NWBC for Desktop 3.5 and higher depend on functionality in the back end. They are disabled when running with back ends that are not suitable. Not all SAP NetWeaver releases support the NWBC runtime that is required to use a specific feature.
The following table provides an overview of which feature is available with which SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP version:
Feature |
Required SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP |
NWBC Client Version |
---|---|---|
Context-specific side panel and usage of data context More information: |
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP3 = SAP NetWeaver 7.3 EHP1 or higher |
NWBC 3.5 client or higher |
PFCG/Launch Application For more information, see 5.5 Navigation Tree . |
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP3 = SAP NetWeaver 7.3 EHP1 or higher |
NWBC 3.5 client or higher |
PFCG/Visibility For more information, see 5.5 Navigation Tree . |
SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP3 = SAP NetWeaver 7.3 EHP1 or higher |
NWBC 3.5 client or higher |
Personalization: Easy Access favorites in the Favorites menu or as a work center For more information, see 3.4.4 Configuring Personalization Settings . |
NWBC server version 3.5 or higher |
NWBC 3.5 client or higher |
Personalization: Display the SAP menu instead of the user menu For more information, see 3.4.4 Configuring Personalization Settings . |
NWBC server version 3.5 or higher |
NWBC 3.5 client or higher |
Configuration parameter WELCOME_MESSAGE For more information, see 4.6 Configuration in Table NWBC_CFG . |
NWBC server version 3.5 or higher |
NWBC 3.5 client or higher |
Whitelist defined in back end For more information, see 7.9 Whitelist . |
NWBC server version 3.5 or higher |
NWBC 3.5 client or higher |