Why SAP Fiori Apps Run Slow After Go-Live (and How to Fix It)
Introduction: The Frustration of Slow Fiori Apps
One of the most common complaints after an SAP S/4HANA go-live is:
“Why are my Fiori apps so slow?”
Users expect Fiori to be modern, intuitive, and lightning fast — but instead, tiles spin, screens take forever to load, and business productivity takes a hit.
This isn’t just annoying; slow Fiori performance can erode user adoption, frustrate business teams, and make executives question the ROI of their SAP investment.
At the root of these issues? A mix of poor design, missing optimization, and lack of tuning across the SAP Gateway, OData services, and back-end logic.
Common Causes of Slow SAP Fiori Apps
1. Heavy OData Services
- Returning full datasets instead of only required fields.
- Over-fetching data across multiple entities, leading to unnecessary payload sizes.
2. Too Many Roundtrips Between Front-End and Back-End
- Inefficient service calls requiring multiple back-and-forth requests.
- Poorly designed Fiori apps that don’t minimize communication overhead.
3. CDS Views Not Optimized for Analytics
- Complex joins and deep nesting.
- Filters applied in the UI instead of the database layer.
4. SAP Gateway & Network Bottlenecks
- Misconfigured SAP Gateway hubs.
- Latency issues in cloud or hybrid network setups.
5. Custom Enhancements (Z-Code) Slowing Things Down
- Legacy ABAP logic not adapted for SAP HANA.
- Excessive data processing in the ABAP layer instead of the HANA DB.
How to Optimize Fiori App Performance
At Infranext, we’ve built a proven methodology to diagnose and fix Fiori app slowness:
Step 1: Measure with Standard SAP Tools
- Use ST05 SQL Trace and ST12 to detect slow queries.
- Check Gateway Error/Performance Logs for OData bottlenecks.
- Run Fiori App Performance Analysis (SAP Fiori Apps Reference Library + STAD records).
Step 2: Streamline OData Services
- Reduce payload by exposing only required fields.
- Use $select and $filter options effectively.
- Minimize expand operations to avoid huge response sizes.
Step 3: Push Processing to HANA
- Optimize CDS views for Fiori apps with proper indexing and filtering.
- Pre-aggregate data instead of fetching raw detail-level records.
Step 4: Tune the SAP Gateway & Network
- Apply SAP’s recommended Gateway performance notes.
- Implement caching strategies where possible.
- Work with Basis/network teams to reduce latency.
Step 5: Review & Refactor Custom Code
- Use ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC) and SCI checks for HANA optimization.
- Refactor loops, nested selects, and other legacy code patterns.
Post-Go-Live Fiori Performance Checklist
To prevent ongoing slowdowns, adopt these best practices:
- Monthly OData Trace Review: Identify and resolve heavy calls.
- App Usage Analytics: Decommission unused Fiori apps to reduce load.
- Automated Regression Testing: Validate performance after transport deployments.
- Developer Training: Ensure Fiori/ABAP teams follow HANA-first design principles.
Conclusion: Make Fiori as Fast as It Looks
Slow Fiori apps aren’t just a technical nuisance — they directly impact user satisfaction, business processes, and SAP adoption rates.
The good news? With the right optimization steps, Fiori can deliver the modern, fast, and intuitive experience SAP promised.
At Infranext, we specialize in SAP S/4HANA performance optimization, including Fiori app tuning, CDS view optimization, and post-go-live performance audits.
If your SAP Fiori apps are spinning longer than they should, our experts can help you diagnose, fix, and future-proof performance issues — so your business runs at the speed of HANA.
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