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This document walks you through the steps of a minimal setup of Side Panels for Business Suite. To meet additional requirements, such as security configurations, see other topics about configuring Side Panels for Business Suite.

Prerequisites

This configuration requires the following prerequisites.

Server Environment

The following table describes the availability of side panels in different server environments.

Server Environment

Supported Features

SAP Enhancement Package 6 for SAP ERP 6.0 SP03

More than 500 transactions from ERP Financials are available with a side panel.

SAP Enhancement Package 6 for SAP ERP 6.0 SP04 or higher

More than 900 transactions from ERP are available with a side panel.

Earlier Enhancement Package versions

For earlier Enhancement Package versions, you can use side panels in a side-by-side scenario. For more information, see SAP Note 1691206 and the corresponding RDS package on SAP Service Marketplace.

SAP GUI Client

This configuration requires either of the following SAP GUI versions:

  • SAP GUI 7.20 Patch Level 9 or higher

  • SAP GUI 7.30 Patch Level 0 or higher

NetWeaver Business Client

This configuration requires either of the following versions of NetWeaver Business Client:

  • SAP NetWeaver Business Client Desktop Version 3.5 Patch Level 5 or higher.

  • SAP NetWeaver Business Client Desktop Version 4.0

Procedure

Configuring the Backend

Complete the following configurations on the backend system.

Activating ICF Services

For testing purposes, activate the ICF services under the sap/bc/nwbc node. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Log in to SAP GUI.

  2. Use transaction SICF with default settings.

  3. Select the sap/bc/nwbc service node, and then choose Activate.

On a production system, follow the security recommendations in SAP Library for SAP NetWeaver on SAP Help Portal under http://help.sap.com/nw731. Choose   Application Help   Function-Oriented View   Application Server   Application Server ABAP   UI Technologies in ABAP   SAP NetWeaver Business Client   7 Security Aspects   7.6 ICF Configuration  .

Enabling Side Panels

You must enable communication with side panels in your system. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Log in to SAP GUI.

  2. Choose   Favorites   Add other objects  .

  3. Choose Web Dynpro Application.

  4. Type WD_GLOBAL_SETTING in the Web Dynpro Applicat. field, write a description in the Description field, and then choose Continue.

  5. Double-click the new entry in your Favorites folder to run the Web Dynrpo application.

  6. Choose Change.

  7. Activate the following parameters:

    • WDSIDEPANELREMOTECONSUMER

    • WDSIDEPANELREMOTEPRODUCER

  8. Choose Save Data to save the changes.

You must enable SAP GUI Read-Only Scripting in your system. To do this, use transaction RZ11 to activate the sapgui/user_scripting_set_readonly parameter. For more information, contact your system administrator.

Setting Up Roles and Authorizations

To use the standard side panels and test your configurations, assign your user the following roles:

  • SAP_BSSP_FI_CO_FSCM

    This side panel role defines meaningful associations between transactions and side panels for Financials (FI, CO, and FSCM). Other roles named like SAP_BSSP_* are also available and should all be assigned to the side panel users in a production environment.

  • SAP_EP_RW_FDMN

    This user role provides a menu that contains some transactions from Financials (AC - FI - Customers). In a production environment, you need to assign user roles that contain an NWBC menu with transactions appropriately to the needs of your users.

Configuring the Frontend

Complete the following configurations on the frontend.

Updating SAP GUI on Client Computers

You must make sure that your SAP GUI is either of the following versions:

  • SAP GUI 7.20 Patch Level 9 or higher

  • SAP GUI 7.30 Patch Level 0 or higher

To check the currently installed version, start SAP GUI, click the SAP icon on the title bar, and then choose About SAP Logon. If the version does not meet the SAP GUI requirements, follow your organization’s standard procedure to update the client.

Installing NetWeaver Business Client on Client Computers

You must install the NetWeaver Business Client (NWBC) Desktop version 3.5 Patch Level 5 or higher on your computers. The most recent versions of NWBC are available on SAP Marketplace under http://www.service.sap.com/. Choose   SAP Support Portal   Software Downloads   Support Packages and Patches   A - Z Index   N   NETWEAVER BUSINESS CLIENT   NWBC NW BUSINESS CLIENT <X.X>   Win32  .

After the installation, configure your system connections. For more information, see the application help under http://help.sap.com/nw731. Choose   Application Help   SAP Library   SAP NetWeaver   SAP NetWeaver Library: Function-Oriented View   Application Server   Application Server ABAP   UI Technologies in ABAP   SAP NetWeaver Business   3 Installation and Client Configuration   3.4.1 Configuring System Connections  .

Testing Your Configurations

You can test your configurations by opening side panels in NetWeaver Business Client Desktop Version. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Log on to NetWeaver Business Client Desktop Version.

  2. Run transaction code FD03.

  3. Specify a customer and a valid company code by using the search help (F4), and then choose Continue.

  4. Click the leftward arrow icon on the right-hand side of the window.

  5. Verify that you can create Notes and Attachments by using the side panel.

You can explore the side panels provided by other transactions. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Run transaction code PFCG.

  2. Specify the SAP_BSSP_FI_CO_FSCM role, and then choose Display.

  3. Choose the Menu tab page, and then find the transactions that are available with a side panel in the role menu tree. In the SAP delivered roles, the bottom-level nodes of the role menu tree are named after the transactions where a side panel is available.

  4. Run these transaction codes to view more side panels.

More Information

For more information about other related configurations, see the following documentation and additional resources.

SAP Business Suite Documentation on Side Panels
  • Setting up the Side Panel (note the restrictions of side panels in different Enhancement Package versions.)

  • Roles for Side Panel

SAP NetWeaver Documentation on NetWeaver Business Client

See http://help.sap.com/nw731. Choose   Application Help   Function Oriented View   Application Server   Application Server ABAP   UI Technologies in ABAP   SAP NetWeaver Business Client  .

See in particular the following chapters and SAP Notes 900000, 1029940, and 1620514:

  •   2 Using NetWeaver Business Client   2.9 Side Panel  

  •   3 Installation and Client Configuration   3.4.1 Configuring System Connections  

  •   4 Server Configuration   4.2 Active Services in the ICF   (see also SAP Note 1611298 for configuration in earlier versions)

  •   5 Role Maintenance in PFCG   5.10 Side Panel   (for information about how to assign side panels to transactions)

  •   6 Programming Aspects   6.7 Integrating the Context-Sensitive Side Panel  

  •   7 Security Aspects   7.6 ICF Configuration   (note the security recommendations)

SAP NetWeaver Page Builder Documentation

See http://help.sap.com/nw731. Choose   Application Help   Function Oriented View   Application Server   Application Server ABAP   UI Technologies in ABAP   Creating Mashups with the Page Builder   Page Builder Concepts  .

See in particular the following chapters:

  • CHIPs (see also SAP Note 1718873 on CHIP documentation)

  • CHIP Catalog

  • Authorizations

SAP Business Suite Documentation on Adding Side Panels to Additional Transactions and Creating Own CHIPs

See Enhancing the Side Panel

SAP Ramp-Up Knowledge Transfer (RKT) Content on Side Panels

RKT content can be purchased on SAP Service Marketplace. See http://service.sap.com/rkt-erp. Choose   SAP Enhancement Package 6 for SAP ERP 6.0   FI: Financial and Management Accounting   Side Panel  .

The following learning units are available:

  • Update Your Core Competence – Must Know

    • Using the Side Panel

    • Adapting the Side Panel’s Content: Personalization

    • Examples for the Side Panel Adaptations (video)

  • Extend Your Competence – Nice to Know

    • Adapting the Side Panel’s Content: Customizing

    • Creating Side Panels and Assigning Them to Transactions

    • Examples for the Side Panel Adaptations (video)