Expert Insights

Navigating Fiori Adoption During S/4HANA Conversions and Greenfield Implementations: Key Lessons and Technical Considerations

March 9, 2026 By Dudley Cartwright

As organisations accelerate their digital transformation journeys, the move to SAP S/4HANA has become a major focus for IT, security and business process teams. Whether transitioning through a system conversion or embarking on a full Greenfield implementation, many organisations are looking to adopt SAP Fiori to modernise the user experience, leverage improved functionality, and streamline operational processes. 

However, as highlighted in a recent episode of the SAP Security & GRC Podcast featuring Soterion’s Emile Steyn and Ross Robertson, the journey to successful Fiori adoption is far from straightforward. Organisations often underestimate the complexity involved in selecting the right Fiori applications, integrating them with existing or newly designed role structures, and ensuring that risk, licensing, and user experience considerations are addressed holistically. 

This article provides a detailed breakdown of the key insights from the discussion—summarising the main challenges, technical decisions, and practical guidance for organisations navigating Fiori adoption as part of their S/4HANA programme. 

The Growing Need for a Guided Approach to Fiori Adoption 

Organisations undertaking S/4HANA conversions or new Greenfield S/4HANA implementations are increasingly aiming to incorporate SAP Fiori from the outset. The intention is clear: harness modern UX, simplify workflows, enable mobility, and gain efficiencies. 

But identifying which Fiori apps should be implemented—and which ones truly add business value—has proven challenging.

16,500+ Available Fiori Apps: A Selection Challenge 

SAP currently provides access to over 16,500 Fiori applications, making it unrealistic for technical teams—particularly security or Basis administrators—to manually determine which apps are relevant to the organisation’s business processes. 

To assist with this, SAP offers the Fiori App Recommendation (FAR) Tool within the Fiori Apps Library. 

This tool analyses: 

  • A list of transaction codes currently used in the SAP system 
  • SAP component usage 
  • Matching or related Fiori apps based on functional equivalence 

In a typical organisation using around 1,500 unique transaction codes, the FAR tool may return a similar number of recommended Fiori apps. While this narrows the scope, the functional evaluation of these 1,500 apps remains a significant undertaking. 

Functional Insight vs Security Data: Shared Ownership Is Essential

Security teams can assist with the initial analysis by leveraging audit logs to identify:

  • Frequency of transaction usage 
  • Number of users relying on each transaction 
  • Business criticality 

This allows the organisation to prioritise Fiori apps that support the highest-value or most widely used processes—such as purchase order approval, requisition management, or goods receipt. 

However, security teams cannot determine business value or process impact. The final decision rests with functional consultants and process owners who can evaluate questions such as: 

  • Does the Fiori app provide enhanced functionality? 
  • Will it improve efficiency or accuracy? 
  • Does it support mobile use cases or remote processing? 
  • Does the Fiori app provide meaningful improvement over the SAP GUI equivalent? 

This shared responsibility ensures that organisations adopt Fiori apps that truly enhance the business, rather than implementing Fiori merely for the sake of modernisation. 

Greenfield vs Conversion: Different Challenges, Different Starting Points 

1. S/4HANA Conversion Projects 

Organisations undergoing S/4HANA conversions typically have: 

  • Well-established SAP GUI usage patterns 
  • Detailed transaction usage history 
  • Mature role structures and embedded business processes 

While this provides valuable reference data for Fiori adoption, it also introduces challenges: 

Resistance to Change

Users are often accustomed to SAP GUI workflows and may continue using them—even after Fiori apps have been deployed—because: 

  • GUI is familiar 
  • It continues to function 
  • It is accessible from the Fiori Launchpad 
  • This can result in low Fiori adoption rates despite significant investment. 

Role Complexity and Licensing Impact

Existing roles may not easily support the integration of new Fiori authorisations, catalogues, and UI elements. Additionally, S/4HANA introduces a new licensing model, making it essential that roles do not unintentionally escalate users into higher licence categories due to Fiori app assignments.

2. Greenfield Implementations 

Greenfield scenarios remove many of the legacy constraints. 

Because there is no previous transaction history, organisations must rely heavily on: 

  • SAP Fiori App Library filters 
  • SAP component scope 
  • Line-of-business solutions 
  • Functional consultant guidance 

In this setting, end users have no preconditioned habits, making full adoption of the Fiori UX far more likely. It also allows for streamlined role design aligned with SAP best practices from the outset. 

Role Design Considerations for Fiori Integration

Integrating Fiori apps into an existing or new authorisation framework is highly technical and requires careful planning. There are several important considerations for both conversion and Greenfield projects such as: 

1. Flexibility and Modularity 

Role design must support: 

  • Modular access allocation 
  • Clear separation of duties 
  • Ability to adjust licensing assignments 
  • Easy remediation of risk or over-allocated access 

This modular approach ensures that access remains clean, maintainable, and easy to audit over time. 

2. Managing Fiori-Specific Authorisations 

Fiori introduces additional layers of authorisation complexity beyond traditional SAP transaction-based access. These include: 

  • Fiori Catalogues
  • Fiori Groups (or Spaces and Pages)
  • OData service authorisations
  • Underlying SAP GUI transaction authorisations (where required) 

These must be managed carefully to avoid creating roles that are difficult to maintain or troubleshoot. 

3. Separating Fiori and Traditional SAP GUI Access 

It is recommended to keep Fiori access separate from traditional SAP GUI access where practical. Benefits include: 

  • Clearer visibility into which roles contribute specific types of access 
  • Simplified risk management 
  • Easier troubleshooting 
  • Better alignment with licensing requirements 

This separation supports improved governance and reduces the risk of unintentionally introducing SoD conflicts or over-consuming licences. 

Risk Management, Licencing, and User Experience: A Balanced Approach

Organisations often design role structures that work well at go-live, but struggle to support ongoing access risk management activities such as: 

  • Segregation of Duties (SoD) remediation 
  • Critical access reviews 
  • Licence optimisation 
  • Ongoing user access reviews 
  • Continuous access requests 

A sustainable role design must support these activities, not constrain them. 

Licensing Complexity in S/4HANA

Every Fiori app has an associated license classification. If roles are not designed with this in mind, organisations may find themselves unintentionally over-consuming expensive licence types. 

SoD and Access Risk

Introducing new Fiori apps without evaluating underlying access permissions can inadvertently create new segregation of duties conflicts—especially when combined with legacy transaction access. 

Key Recommendations for Organisations Adopting Fiori 

Based on the insights shared in the podcast, here are the essential guidelines for organisations planning S/4HANA conversions or Greenfield implementations: 

1. Conduct a Thorough Discovery Phase

Evaluate: 

  • Transaction usage patterns 
  • Business criticality 
  • Frequency of use 
  • Process needs 

Security teams can assist with usage data, but functional experts must determine business value. 

2. Use SAP Tools to Your Advantage 

Leverage: 

  • SAP Fiori App Recommendation (FAR) Tool 
  • SAP Fiori Apps Library filters 
  • Audit logs 
  • SAP component scoping 

These tools significantly reduce the manual analysis burden. 

3. Build a Modular, Flexible Role Design

Ensure roles: 

  • Are risk-aware 
  • Support licensing compliance 
  • Allow easy remediation 
  • Align to user responsibilities 
  • Can scale over time

4. Evaluate the Balance Between GUI and Fiori 

Avoid forcing change that yields no value. If the Fiori app does not materially improve the process, the SAP GUI transaction may remain the better option. 

5. Prepare for Continuous Maintenance 

Fiori authorisations require ongoing management of:

  • Catalogues 
  • OData services 
  • Spaces and pages 
  • Role assignments 

Organisations should ensure they have the right skills and governance processes in place. 

Conclusion

Fiori adoption during S/4HANA conversions or Greenfield implementations is a complex but highly rewarding transformation step when approached strategically. By applying data-driven analysis, engaging both technical and functional teams, and designing a flexible and risk-aware authorisation model, organisations can maximise the benefits of SAP Fiori while ensuring compliance, efficiency, and long-term sustainability. 

If your organisation is planning or navigating an S/4HANA transition and needs support with Fiori adoption, authorisation design, access risk management, or licensing optimisation, the Soterion team is ready to help. Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]  

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