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SAP Mobile Developer Announcement FAQ

Ian_Thain
Developer Advocate
Developer Advocate
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General


1.    What is the news you are announcing?

As part of its commitment to mobile developers, SAP is announcing the following news:

  • A free mobile developer license using AWS (Amazon Web services) - offering developers a hosted development environment with hourly fee paid directly to the cloud provider (Amazon Web Services). The environment provides the server hosted infrastructure and requires a download (for free) of the Sybase Unwired Platform SDK to the developer’s client machine.
  • New integration options leveraging OData and Hybrid development - connecting Adobe PhoneGap (Apache Cordova), Appcelerator Titanium and Sencha Touch with the SAP mobile platform. As part of the partnership around development tools Sencha and Appcelerator have development libraries using the OData protocol and connecting the SAP OData channel. SAP has embedded Phonegap API’s in its Mobile Platform Hybrid web container to enable PhoneGap apps run within the SAP Mobile Platform and take advantage of its enterprise scale capabilities.
  • A new Mobile Apps Partner program – the program offers an effective engagement model for partners via an easy to access, attractive and fair program.  One contract serves to get access to all required developer licenses, partner engagement and enablement, monetization of apps via the SAP Store, transparency into SAP solution roadmaps and protection of IP via enforceable ownership rights against a low revenue share.

2.    What is SAP’s strategy for mobile developers?

Developers are a corner stone for the success of SAP platforms and SAP’s Mobile Enterprise Platform is a core part of SAP’s Strategy. Therefore, SAP is making high investments to deliver tools and programs that will enable developer’s on-boarding, engagement and success.

SAP’s new developer program to enhance the developer experience for its eco-system, has many key elements:

  • Free access to tools - Provide easy access to SAP platforms and tools at no or minimal cost. The goal is to remove all barriers to enable developer to learn and develop with SAP platforms.
  • Technical enablement - Documentation, code samples and tutorials for a fast and efficient learning experience
  • Monetization - Provide developers with channels to bring their innovations to market such as the SAP Store.
  • Community and events - Drive Community engagement leveraging the SAP Community Network, other developer communities and SAP global events including SAP InnoJam and CodeJam.

3.    What programs SAP offers for Developers? How much does it cost?

SAP is offering a tiered program offers that help developers through their engagement: from prototyping and learning using the 30 days trial, to development of productive apps using the free developer license on AWS and onto the mobile apps partner program providing enterprise scale support and routes to monetize apps:

  • 30 days free trial - enabling developer to on-board on SAP technologies. As part of this program, developers are granted an access to a hosted development landscape that includes the client SDKs. The current landscapes are for SAP HANA development and for the SAP Mobile Platform. Access to this program is available through SAP Developer Center (http://developers.sap.com/mobile).
  • A new free mobile SAP developer license on AWS (Amazon Web services) - offering developers a hosted Sybase Unwired Server with hourly fee paid directly to the cloud provider (Amazon Web Services). The environment provides the server hosted infrastructure and requires a download (for free) of the Sybase Unwired Platform SDK to the developer’s client machine. The support of developer is provided through SAP Community Network.
  • SAP Partner programs – enables partners: independent software vendors, solutions integrators and value added resellers to develop mobile solutions leveraging SAP products and bring them to market through the SAP store. The program provides flexible licensing costs with lower start up costs, community engagement and certification and showcase of the apps on the SAP Store for mobile apps.
  • SAP Developer Center – the SAP Developer Center is the one stop shop for developer to learn and try SAP Mobile, real time and cloud platform. It offers documentation, ‘how to’ guides and code samples to enable accelerated experiences. It also offers access to Development tools and landscapes for both the Trial and developer programs as well as the community support for developers.
  • SAP Community Network – with over 2 million subscribers, the SCN is the prime technical member network to gain knowledge, share experience and practices and collaborates with experts covering the entire spectrum of SAP solutions and technologies.
  • SAP Store – The SAP Store for mobile apps is our own enterprise app store where customers can discover, evaluate and buy mobile apps from SAP and partners. This channel provides partners and developers with an opportunity to reach the 176K+ SAP customer base to promote and sell their solutions alongside SAP. Check out store.sap.com/mobile or download SAP Store app for iPhone or download SAP Store app for Android

Mobile Platform and 3rd party integration


4.    Which development capabilities are offered with SAP Mobile Platform?

Part of the SAP Mobile platform, Sybase Unwired Platform offers the following capabilities:

  • Heterogeneous back-end integration – Sybase Unwired Platform offers seamless integration with a variety of back-end data sources, including databases, web services, SAP® applications and any enterprise application that leverages Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).
  • Heterogeneous device support – Sybase Unwired Platform enables rapid deployment of mobile applications across multiple device types, including iPhone/iPad, BlackBerry, Windows 32 (laptops/tablets) and Windows Mobile devices.
  • Proven enterprise-grade mobile technologies – Sybase Unwired Platform is an enterprise-grade development and deployment solution built on Sybase’s industry-leading device management, data security and mobile database solutions.
  • Ease of development – Sybase Unwired Platform lowers the cost of creating mobility solutions by enabling developers to leverage existing tools and expertise.

5.    What are the current development capabilities with Sencha Touch and SAP? What is the roadmap?

  • SAP has worked with Sencha to create a special connector for Sencha Touch that simplifies its integration with business data exposed via OData channel of the SAP Mobile Platform and SAP NetWeaver Gateway. This connector is free, available now and supported by the Sencha community.
  • Future versions of SAP’s Sybase Unwired Platform will offer additional integration points for Sencha Touch applications, allowing them to more easily leverage the capabilities and services for enterprise scale apps provided by the Sybase Unwired Platform.
  • To learn more, watch SAP CodeTalk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBVq5iIWo6E&feature=youtu.be

6.    What are the current development capabilities with Appcelerator Titanium and SAP? What is the roadmap?

  • SAP has worked with Appcelerator to create a special connector for Appcelerator Titanium that simplifies its integration with business data exposed through the OData channel of the SAP Mobile Platform and SAP NetWeaver Gateway. This connector is available now and offered as for fee product for Appcelerator’s enterprise customers.
  • Future versions of SAP’s Sybase Unwired Platform will offer additional integration points for Appcelerator Titanium applications, allowing them to more easily leverage the capabilities and services for enterprise scale apps provided by the Sybase Unwired Platform.
  • To learn more, watch SAP CodeTalk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xzPE2feV4w&feature=youtu.be

7.    What are the current development capabilities with PhoneGap and SAP? What is the roadmap?

  • With Sybase Unwired Platform 2.1.3 version, SAP has included the PhoneGap API libraries with the SUP Hybrid Web Container (HWC) application. Existing PhoneGap applications can even run unmodified within the HWC.
  • The PhoneGap community produces many extensions to PhoneGap which provide functionality not currently available with the PhoneGap APIs. With the PhoneGap libraries included in the HWC, HWC applications can now be extended using these same PhoneGap extensions. This dramatically enhances the capabilities provided to HWC developers.
  • To learn more, refer to: http://scn.sap.com/community/mobile/blog/2012/07/05/sup-phonegap

SAP Partner Program and SAP Store


8.    What is provided through the SAP Mobile Apps Partner Program?

The SAP Mobile Apps Partner program provides partners who develop packaged mobile applications with a comprehensive set of enablement tools, benefits, and end-to-end support to help them quickly and efficiently develop, market, and sell mobile apps that meet the needs of SAP customers.

  • The program’s starter package offers full developer licenses for 10 users (for packaged application development), mobile platform support and basic onboarding service.
  • Packaging and certification of the applications
  • GTM support: Publishing and listing on SAP Store, SAP branding and promotion best practices

For more information, visit the Mobile Apps Partner Center: http://www.sapmobileappspartnercenter.com/

9.    What types of benefits does the partner program provide?  

The program delivers a comprehensive set of benefits from flexible, cost effective starter packages for development licenses to hosted sandboxes and development environments, access to a rich and vibrant community of developers, SAP-certification of mobile apps, as well as the ability for partners to market and sell their apps via the SAP Store.

Included are also the rights to use the SAP partner logo branding for the partner company as well as the "SAP Certified"-logo branding for the Store-listed mobile apps according to the current usage guidelines. Upon certification of the first app, the partner will be granted the right to use both a logo indicating the partner status as well as a certification logo for each app.

10.    What is the SAP Store?

The SAP Store for Mobile Apps is the enterprise app store where customers can discover, evaluate and buy mobile apps from SAP and partners. Listing a mobile app on the store will provide our partners with broad access to our installed base, prospective customers, as well as the SAP field. The SAP Store is available via website as well as on device with native mobile application for iOS ("SAP Mobile Apps" in iTunes) and Android ("SAP Store" in Google Play Store).  Additionally, there is also an HTML5 version of SAP Store for iPad, tablets and desktop now available. Over 80+ mobile apps from SAP and partners are available on the SAP Store today across industries and line of business.

Check out store.sap.com/mobile or download SAP Store app for iPhone or download SAP Store app for Android

11.    How can partners and developers get engaged for the partner program?

Partners and developers can visit the SAP Mobile Apps Partner Center to find out more about the program and how to get their apps certified and on the SAP Store. Through the SAP Mobile Apps Partner Center, partners and developers can also sign up to take the SAP Mobile Apps Partner Challenge to receive access to special enablement benefits including SAP coaching expertise, quicker time to market for their mobile apps and valuable co-marketing opportunities and media exposure for winners of the challenge to be presented at various SAP events including TechEd and SAPPHIRE.

12.    Can individual developer working on the basis of the AWS-hosted developer image (option 2) get an app certified?

Yes, but the developer needs to do this via a legal entity  (contract partner needs to be a  company - a full merchant at least)

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Answers (2)

Answers (2)

cyclingfisch_
Active Contributor
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Thanks for the great summary! I'm really looking forward to SAP CodeJam in Stuttgart

http://scn.sap.com/community/events/blog/2012/06/20/sap-codejam-stuttgart

and hope we will get the chance to do some hands on coding with the new stuff. It's cool to start with new technologies together with the real experts around.

Former Member
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Ian, Thanks for the great FAQ Summary, however your youtube link for the Appcelerator Titanium implementation is for the Sencha demo, can you update the link to the Titanium demo @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBVq5iIWo6E Thanks !!

Ian_Thain
Developer Advocate
Developer Advocate
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Sorry the links on 5 & 6 have been transposed