Business Client Versions

SAP Business Client 6.0 is the latest child in the Business Client family. This version of the Business Client integrates the SAP Fiori launchpad; it acts as a Windows-based desktop browser for the SAP Fiori launchpad with the ability to launch classic Dynpro applications (SAP GUI transactions). It does this by using an embedded SAP GUI for Windows.

For more information on how the Business Client has developed over the last few years, see Evolution of SAP Business Client.

The following table outlines the release versions and the related patches:

As successors of SAP NWBC 3.5, SAP NWBC 4.0, and SAP NWBC 5.0, SAP Business Client can also run with the back-end systems supported by former versions. However, some features supported by SAP Business Client, SAP NWBC 4.0 and 5.0 depend on functionality in the SAP NetWeaver 7.0 EHP3/7.31, 7.40 and 7.50 back end respectively, or in the user interface add-on for SAP NetWeaver, and are not available when you connect to an older system.

The following points provide you with some background information on this topic:

• For a more advanced user experience offering role-based access to SAP applications including web-based applications, search provider integration in Quick Launch, and so on, SAP Business Client requires a server runtime that is a bundle of all the services that the system uses in the SAP NetWeaver Application Server for ABAP (SAP NetWeaver AS for ABAP). The SAP Business Client server version is the version of the server runtime for SAP Business Client. The server runtime for SAP Business Client provides role navigation information and navigation-resolving services.

• For full functionality of the SAP Fiori launchpad within SAP Business Client, the following are required: User Interface Add-on 2.0 (SP01) for SAP NetWeaver or component SAP_UI 750 SP01.

• With NWBC for Desktop 5.0 and SAP Business Client, embedding pure SAP GUI system connections, you can connect to any SAP NetWeaver AS for ABAP release. For more information, see System Connections.

• NWBC for HTML is a browser-based shell for which a desktop installation is not needed. NWBC for HTML runs as a program on the SAP NetWeaver AS for ABAP generating HTML code; it is therefore related to the AS for ABAP server on which it is running. NWBC for HTML version 3.5 is available on SAP NetWeaver AS for ABAP with NWBC Server Version 3.5 (see table below), NWBC for HTML version 3.6 is available with the server runtime for SAP NetWeaver user interface services as of SAP User Interface Add-On 1.0 SPS 04 for SAP NetWeaver and SAP NetWeaver 7.4 SPS 03. For more information, see Server Configuration.

The following table provides an overview of the different back ends which all the versions of NWBC for Desktop (NWBC 3.5, SAP NWBC 4.0, SAP NWBC 5.0 and SAP Business Client) can connect to:

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 Business Client, you can connect to SAP NetWeaver 7.4-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.

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 SAP Business Client runtime that is required to use a specific feature.

The following table provides an overview of the features that are available for NWBC connection types with each SAP NetWeaver AS for ABAP version: