Build it, hire it, or buy it.
Three honest paths to getting custom screens inside SAP Field Service and Asset Management (formerly SAP FSM). Here's how they compare on the dimensions that matter once you're past the demo.
| Dimension | Build it yourself | Hire a consulting firm | Altiwerk Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first working screen | Weeks to months | Weeks (after kickoff + scoping) | Under an hour |
| Skills required | Full-stack JS + FSA Shell SDK + CQL | Project manager on your side | FSA admin access |
| Maintenance burden | On you forever — object-version bumps, SDK changes, browser updates | Ongoing retainer or pay-per-change | We maintain it. Updates ship automatically. |
| Cost predictability | Engineering hours, hard to estimate | Variable — scope creep is the norm | Fixed annual SKU price |
| Cross-customer improvements | None — you're alone | Rarely — each engagement is bespoke | Every customer gets every fix |
| Custom layouts (bespoke screens) | Full control | Full control | Available on Complete SKU |
| Source code access | Yes | Usually yes | No — it's a product |
| Vendor lock-in risk | None | Depends on contract | Low — screens stored in your FSA tenant as your data |
| Security review surface | Whatever you build | Whatever the consultant builds | One reviewable architecture, shared across customers |
We're biased — we built ESV. The rows we don't call out as a win are the ones where ESV genuinely trades something away.
Build it yourself, if…
You have FSA Shell SDK expertise on staff, a screen need that's wildly unique to your business, and the maintenance bandwidth to keep up with platform changes year after year. The control is real — so is the ongoing cost.
Hire a consulting firm, if…
You need one specific, complex workflow and you'd rather pay a fixed engagement fee than learn FSA extensions in-house. Just budget for the ongoing retainer — extensions break when the underlying platform changes.
Use Altiwerk Studio, if…
You want custom screens up and running this week, you don't want to maintain extension code, and your screens fit one of our templates (Standard / UDO / SAP) — or you upgrade to Complete for custom layouts.
Common objections
Tell us. We prioritize customer requests over speculative features. If it's reasonable scope and would help other customers, it goes on the roadmap. If it's truly one-off, hire a consultant — we'll be honest about that.
The screens you built are stored in your FSA tenant as FSA data, not on our servers. Worst case, the license stops validating and you lose the gating — but your screens, configurations, and data stay yours.
We don't sell consulting. Our edge is that we ship the same product to multiple customers, so every fix benefits everyone. A custom fork breaks that math for both of us.
Skip the build/buy debate — try ESV first.
14-day trial license bound to your tenant. If it doesn't fit your needs, you've lost an afternoon.