The latest update of SAP Service and Asset Manager, version 2310, is all about enhancing the user experience, with a host of improvements designed to make interactions smoother and more efficient. Among the key highlights are user-friendly quick action buttons, faster filtering capabilities, and editable tabonles, all geared towards simplifying the user experience.
Our journey to this update has been a collaborative effort, fueled by insights gathered from various sources. We’ve delved into bback from our internal teams, conducted comprehensive competitive analyses through our sales networks, engaged in valuable discussions with our partners, and held immersive user experience workshops with our customers. These efforts have provided us with invaluable insights into enhancing worker efficiency on mobile devices.
This release represents our commitment to directly incorporating these insights into tangible enhancements. It’s the first step in our ongoing dedication to listening, learning, and continuously improving to meet your needs better.
We also introduce noteworthy customer-requested features for all maintenance execution personas, and bring significant reporting and configuration enhancements to the backend.
Please read on to learn more.
The updated user interface introduces critical action buttons that are strategically positioned at the top of detail pages. These context-aware buttons are adjusted based on the specific context, ensuring relevant actions are prominently available. Users experience a more intuitive interface that minimizes unnecessary navigation and reduces the number of clicks required to perform essential tasks.
Further, the buttons are customizable to accommodate diverse customer-specific use cases. This customization capability ensures that the system aligns with the operational needs of individual users or organizations, enhancing flexibility and usability.
The new editable data table functionality transforms data input by enabling direct value entry and swift handling of multiple records. Users now can seamlessly input values directly into the table, significantly expediting workflows, especially when dealing with tasks involving multiple records, such as recording results in checklists.
This table supports various input controls — text, lists, numbers, switches, and buttons — providing a versatile toolkit for efficient data handling, and the option to designate a sticky column facilitates smooth horizontal and vertical scrolling while ensuring crucial data remains visible regardless of navigation.
Across the application, list pages now include the intuitive filter feedback bar, offering users a convenient way to manage filters. Positioned above the object list, this horizontal scroll area hosts interactive chips that display applied filters and available options.
These quick filters empower users with one-click sorting and filtering, allowing for swift application of multiple filters simultaneously. This capability enhances usability by streamlining the process of refining and narrowing down extensive lists to precisely desired subsets of data.
The side navigation menu, accessible via the menu icon, undergoes a subtle yet impactful enhancement. Previously restricted to the home page, the menu icon is now conveniently accessible across all sections of the app, ensuring effortless navigation from anywhere within the interface.
The update also introduces additional quick actions conveniently positioned at the top of the menu for easier access to essential pages without requiring extensive navigation.
The Mobile Transaction History introduces essential tracking for mobile-based changes via the System Administration & Monitoring Portal. This functionality offers a comprehensive overview of successful CREATE and UPDATE transactions, detailing the user and timestamp for each action.
The comprehensive overview of mobile-based changes will be useful for customers seeking visibility into mobile-centric operations and a significant asset in understanding mobile-driven operational dynamics.
Reports generated from this feature can be exported, providing users the convenience of utilizing this data beyond the system for additional analysis or archival purposes.
Customizing object detail screens in SAP Service and Asset Manager just got more versatile. Based on business requirements, now customers have the power to modify these screens — to fine-tune object details — showing or hiding properties not initially part of the default detail layout.
This no-code/low-code flexibility allows for configuration without the need for extensive coding. Using the Mobile Application Integration Framework (MAIF), customers can toggle the visibility of properties from the oData entity set. A simple backend configuration change followed by synchronization with the mobile client suffices, and the user will see the updates in the application.
The latest release introduces updates designed to streamline the synchronization process. This enhancement refines the delta synchronization workflow by identifying and targeting only entities that have undergone changes since the last synchronization.
By default, when users trigger delta synchronization, the application initiates an upload of locally created transactions. Subsequently, an interactive call efficiently identifies entities requiring updates or modifications since the previous synchronization. Delta synchronization then exclusively targets these altered entities, eliminating redundant sync actions and significantly optimizing the duration required for the synchronization process.
This optimization ensures that only pertinent data is synchronized, enhancing efficiency, and minimizing the time and resources required for delta synchronization.
With modern devices capturing high-resolution images that often result in large file sizes, setting size limits proves instrumental in conserving both bandwidth during synchronization and storage space on the backend.
Customers can now configure the maximum image size permissible for uploads, and the application will automatically resize images that exceed the set limit per the Mobile Application Configuration. Proactive management of image sizes ensures an efficient synchronization process while mitigating the strain on network resources caused by needlessly oversized images.
The newly designed home screen prioritizes an action-oriented experience. The layout rearrangement improves task management and worker efficiency, quick action buttons expedite common tasks, while key performance indicators (KPIs) offer insights into work progress and recorded time.
Assigned work orders are displayed as object cards with each card showing a preview of crucial information; tapping the card navigates to the complete object detail page. Significantly, technicians may initiate actions directly from the card, prominent buttons allow the technician to start, hold, and complete an order, and a menu provides more actions without having to navigate from the home screen.
Users can personalize their experience by setting a preferred view — whether the “New” or “Classic” layout — via personalization settings.
Technicians enjoy flexibility in how they like to work, e.g., completing confirmations at the end of a shift rather than throughout the day. Bulk confirmation is a time-saving capability, enabling users to select and confirm multiple operations simultaneously.
This customer-requested feature is available on the operations list page by activating the multi-selection mode. The technician may choose one or more operations, edit time confirmation data for the selected operations, then do the final confirmation for all the selected operations.
The updated checklists and inspection results functionality integrates the editable data table, empowering users to swiftly record results and manage multiple records within the new table view. The checklists now also support control indicators, attachments, comments, and long text input.
Users can personalize their experience by selecting a preferred view — either the “Table” or “List” format — via personalization settings.
The equipment and functional location entity sets now support a construction type property, which contains the material number with a bill of materials (BOM). Leveraging this property, the system searches available material specifications within the Material BOMs entity set.
Users can view the material BOM on the mobile device from the relevant equipment and functional location pages.
The inventory clerk may now use the mobile device to execute ad-hoc goods issue for sales order transactions. This facilitates the removal of goods from inventory stock to fulfill sales orders, designated by the movement type 231.
Users have the flexibility to input sales order and order item numbers manually or through scanning.
This release introduces label printing capabilities synchronized with goods movements posted in SAP, facilitated through output determination. Users can specify the number of labels required for goods issue and receipt processes, ensuring accurate and customizable labeling.
Automated label printing streamlines the printing process, eliminating manual intervention and ensuring swift label generation aligned with goods movements in the system.
Safety technicians now have visibility into objects specifically assigned to them through filtering capabilities. They may conveniently access and view their assignments for operational items, isolation certificates, work permits, work orders, and work approvals.
The assignment is also displayed on the relevant object detail pages.
Work permit approvals may now be completed directly on the mobile device. Access approval details from the work permit detail screen to view work permit approval information and act on the approval.
Additionally, the work permit list may be filtered by approval status, streamlining the management of permit approvals.
The integration of Field Service Management (FSM) with S/4HANA Service extends critical capabilities previously only available for SAP Customer Service.
FSM Smartforms are now integrated with S/4 Service and are assigned to service items. These dynamic, multi-chapter scripts for service execution can be conveniently downloaded, completed, and managed within SAP Service and Asset Manager, enhancing the service workflow.
Status updates originating from the app are transmitted to the FSM Planning and Dispatching Tool, and the technician’s location is updated on the FSM Service Map.
Customers can configure the automatic release of S/4HANA Service orders and items created in SAP Service and Asset Manager immediately upon publication in SAP. This configuration streamlines the workflow, ensuring seamless and prompt release of service orders based on specific process requirements.
Features described above may be optional and not be default-enabled, and integrations with other SAP products may require additional licensing.
Please refer to the updated blog post Configuring Features and Personas in SAP Service and Asset Manager to learn about assigning personas and supported features for each persona.
The application is publicly available and includes an offline demo mode for viewing and testing the extensive functionality with maintenance technician, field service technician, safety technician, and inventory clerk personas included.
The application metadata is now available on the SAP Support Portal Software Center and the mobile client may be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
We encourage you to learn more about How Customers and Partners Can Submit Improvement Requests and Influence Future Releases of SAP Service and Asset Manager.
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† Safety Technician persona requires SAP Work Clearance Management which is licensed separately and not included with SAP Service and Asset Manager.
‡ SAP Field Service Management is licensed separately; Smartforms is not included with SAP Service and Asset Manager.