ERP and SAP

Historical Overview

 SAP was started in 1972 by five former IBM employees with a vision of creating a
standard application software for real-time business processing.
 SAP stands for Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing.
 Since its inception SAP has issued several releases, such as SAP R/1, SAP R/2, and SAP
R/3.
 The R in these releases stands for “Real-Time” data processing. The 3 in the R/3 stands
for three-tier client-server architecture.

Version History:

Versions Year Enhancement Packages

 
SAP R/1 System 1972 EHP 1 2006
SAP R/2 Mainframe System 1979 EHP 2 2007
SAP R/3 Enterprise Edition 1992 EHP 3 2007
R/3 Enterprise Edition 4.6C 2001 EHP 4 2008
R/3 Enterprise Edition 4.6F 2002 EHP 5 2010
R/3 Enterprise Edition 4.7 2003 EHP 6 2011
SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) 5.
2004 EHP 7 2014
0
SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) 6.
2005 EHP 8 2016
0
SAP Netweaver 7.1 2006  
SAP Netweaver 7.3 2011  
SAP Netweaver 7.4 2013  
SAP Netweaver 7.5 2015      

Understanding an ERP System

SAP provides enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, and ABAP is the programming
language used to develop applications in SAP systems. Understanding how an SAP ERP system
works is vital to understanding ABAP programming. In this section, we will look at what ERP
software encompasses, ERP vs. non-ERP systems, and the advantages of using ERP software.

What is ERP?

 SAP provides enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.

 ERP business management software integrates various functions of a business.

 An ERP system typically implements a common database in which all the data from
various business functions of an organization are stored. This allows applications to
access the data seamlessly across business processes.

 ABAP is the programming language used to develop applications in SAP systems.

ERP vs Non-ERP Systems

Non ERP -> Individual Database Per Module with no connectivity

ERP -> Common Database for all Modules exists in organization

Advantages of an ERP System

Introduction to SAP

Modules in SAP:

 Functional Modules

 FI(Finance)

 CO(Costing)

 MM (Material Management)

 SD (Sales and Distribution)

 HCM (Human Capital Management)

 PP (Production Planning)

 QM (Quality Management) …. and More

 Technical Modules

 ABAP

 BASIS
  BI/BW

 XI/PI

 Enterprise Portal

 SAP HANA and More

Types of Users:

 End Users

 Role: The Person who can access and enter the data into the system without any
technical skills

 Functional Consultants

Role:

 Analyze and study the business requirements

 Provide the solutions from existing SAP Product

 Functional specification preparation for custom development

 Training to End users

 Technical Consultants

BASIS:

 Installs the Software, User creations, Role creations, Transport Management

ABAP:

 Analysis of FS, Prepare Technical document for proposed solution

  Develop the source code as per naming conventions

Role of an ABAP Consultant:

Develops the solutions(Programs/Processes) according to the business requirements given by

Functional Consultants.

Changing and adapting the Data structure

SAP system software is business software delivered with predefined standard SAP applications
and configurations to meet the needs of various industry sectors. It is not necessary to change
the repository objects (programs, applications, etc.) to use an SAP system.

However, every company within an industry sector may have its own company-specific
requirements. During implementation, SAP software needs to be adapted to fit these enterprise
requirements. We refer to this process as customization.

There are three types of customization:

Modification: The standard SAP code is modified per specific business requirements.

Customer enhancement: The standard SAP applications are enhanced without changing the
source code of the standard SAP program.
Customer development: Customers develop applications in the SAP system.

ABAP Overview

ABAP is a programming language used to develop applications in SAP. To work with

modifications, enhancements, or customer developments, you need knowledge of application
development within ABAP.

Types of Applications

 Originally designed for report development within SAP, ABAP has been extended
enormously.
 Currently, we can develop a wide variety of applications in ABAP, both in the traditional
SAP GUI environment and in the web environment.
 These typical developments include reports, forms, interfaces, transactions, and more.
 ABAP is a hybrid programming language that supports both procedural and object-
oriented programming techniques to meet any complex business requirement.

RICEF

Reports, interfaces, conversions, extensions, and forms (RICEF) is the general acronym used to
highlight the different kinds of objects developed in ABAP.
Architecture of an SAP System

-Three Tier Architecture

Presentation Layer:
This tier is the means by which a user views data, for example via a web browser (Google
Chrome, Internet Explorer and many others) or a graphical user interface.

Application Layer:
This layer is where the data from the database layer is processed, and it also defines what
permissions a user has.  This is where logical processes occur and the result are sent to the
presentation layer.

Database Layer:
The is a central repository for all the data stored and required by the application layer.
There are significant merits to this form of architecture.  The application can be re-scaled easily
and data integrity can be maintained by only having one source for the data.

Data Structures:

The SAP system typically contains various data, such as master data, user data, and transaction
data.

Each SAP system further consists of multiple clients.

A client represents an organizational unit in an SAP system.

In SAP systems, the following terms must be differentiated with regard to the data structure:

Client-specific data:

Data that exists within a specific client of the system

Ex:

Cross-client (client-independent) data:

Data that exists across all the clients of the system.

In other words, when we store any data in an SAP system, the data can be specific to a client or
it can be accessed centrally from any client.

Client Overview:

Each SAP system can be divided into multiple clients, and each client is identified by a three-
digit numeric value.

Each client has its own master data, user data, and transactional data.

The data in a client is known as client-specific data.

Client ID on Logon Screen

Repository:

The repository is a central store for all ABAP Workbench development objects, such as ABAP
programs, screens, menus, function modules, and ABAP Data Dictionary objects.

Packages:

Repository objects are organized into packages. Packages contain related development objects,
like programs or tables.
Packages can be broadly classified as transportable or non-transportable.

Transportable Package:

A transportable package is a package in which transport attributes are defined. The objects in
the transport package can be transported to the target system.

Non-Transportable package:

A package with no defined transport attributes is called a non-transportable package. The

objects in a non-transportable package can’t be transported between clients and are called
local objects.

** Package can be created using Transaction code: SE21

Steps to Create a New Package:

Open Transaction SE21 or SPACKAGE to access Package Builder Tool.

Select the Package radio button and enter name of Package.

Click on Create Button.

Package: Provide Package name (Starts with Z)

Short Description: Provide Short Description.

Application Component: Use F4 on the field and select Appropriate Application Component.

Provide Package Type.

Click on Save

Then it will ask you for Transport Request as below:

And save it.

Transport Organizer:
Objects are transported between clients using CTS. The Transport Organizer is a tool within CTS
for managing the objects that change during the development and customization phases.

The Transport Organizer delivers the changed objects to the target client (Quality or
Production).

Important Transaction Codes of Transport Organizer:

SE01 - Transport Organizer (Extended View)

SE09 / SE10 - Search Transport Request by user

STMS - Transport Management System

SE03 - Transport Organizer Tools

KEYWORDS:
1. Declarative Keywords:
To Declare Variables and Constants inside the program.
Ex: DATA, TYPE, TABLES, CONSTANTS, TYPE.
2. Database Keywords:
To perform Database Operations.
EX: SELECT, UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE.
3. Controlling Keywords. -- > To Control the default flow of Program execution.
DO-ENDDO.
WHILE-ENDWHILE.
By default, each statement is executed once and un conditionally.
and can be controlled through conditional Keywords (or) techniques.

4. Definition Keywords:
To define reusable blocks {Reusable Functions}.
Ex: FORM.ENDFORM
FUNCTION...ENDFUNCTION
MODULE...ENDMODULE.
5. Calling Keywords:
To call the reusable blocks which are already defined.
EX:
PERFROM -> CALL FORM - ENDFORM
CALL FUNCTION -> CALL FUNCTION - ENDFUNCTION
MODULE -> CALL MODULE - ENDMODULE
Note: Both Definition and Calling Key words are called as Modularization Techniques.
6. Operational Keywords:
These are used to operate the data with declarative statements.
Ex: WRITE, MOVE, ADD

7.Event Keywords:
These keywords are used define event blocks:
EX:
TOP-OF-PAGE: Used to print the same heading on top of every page
END-OF-PAGE: Used to print the same footer on every page of output list.
SAP ABAP Operators:

The source code of SAP ABAP consists of either statement or comment. Statement is a
combination of operators, operands, variables, and keywords.

 Operands: – Operands are the variables which you need to perform particular
operation.
 Variables: – Variables is the name given to the memory location.

Ex:

Z = X + Y. (Z, Y, X -> Operands & = + -> Operators)/

SAP ABAP operators are of different types of operators, they are

1. Arithmetic Operators
2. Comparative Operators
3. Logical Operators.

Note: There should be at least one space between any type of operator

1. Comparative Operators.
=====================

Operator Description Example

< or LT Less than A < B or A LT B
<= or LE Less than or equal A <= B or A LE B
> or GT Greater than A > B or A GT B
>= or GE Greater than or equal A >= B or A GE B

= or EQ Equal A = B or A = B

<> or NE Not Equal A <> B or A NE B

2. Arithmetic Operators:
===================

Operator Description Example

 + (Addition) operator is used to add the
+ 5+3 = 9
values
 – (Subtraction) operator is used to subtract
– 5-3  = 9
the values
* (Multiplication) operator is used to multiply
* 5*3 = 15
the values
** ** operator is used for exponential of values 5**3 = 125
MOD operator is used for reminder of division
MOD 5 mod 2
of two integer
/ / (Division) is used to divide the values 5/3 = 1.66

3. Logical Operators.
=================
To Check the result of more than one statement Combination.
EX: a. if a > b and a > c.
a is bigger.
b. if sub marks < Pass marks or sub marks < Pass marks.
Failed.

Statemen Stateme AN O
tA nt B D R
T T T T
T F F T
F T F T
F F F F
ABAP Elementary Predefined Datatypes
Initial Field Valid Field Initial
  DataType Length Length Value
i 4 4 0
int8 8 8 0
f 8 8 0
Numeric Types p 8 1-16 0
decfloat1
6 8 8 0
decfloat3
4 16 16 0
         
c 1 1-65535 SPACE
"00000000
Character Types d 8 8 "
n 1 1-65535 "0….0"
t 6 6 "000000"
         
Hexa decimal
Type x 1 1-65535 X'0…0'

Syntax to declare variables:

DATA <Variable name> TYPE <Datatype>.
Ex: Data var1 TYPE i.
Syntax to declare Constants:
CONSTANTS <variable name> TYPE <Datatype> VALUE <Constant Value>.
Ex: CONSTANTS var2 TYPE of VALUE ‘1.12’.

CHAIN OPERATOR:
Group of statements starts with Same Keywords.
ABAP Program Sections:

 Header
 Global declarations
 Processing logic and Reusable blocks
 Display
Control Structures
1.Branching Techniques
A. IF-ENDIF, IF-ELSE-ENDIF, IF-ELSEIF-ELSEIF-ENDIF.
B. CASE-WHEN-ENDCASE.
2.Looping Techniques
A. Do-Enddo (un Conditional)
Ex: Print 100 Numbers
B. While-endwhile (Conditional)
Ex: constants Var type I value ‘0’.
While var1 < 1.
Write: true.
Endwhile.
String Operations:

Strings are widely used in ABAP programming, are a sequence of characters.

Difference Between Characters and Strings:

CHAR

We use data type C variables for holding alphanumeric characters, with a minimum of 1
character and a maximum of 65,535 characters.

STRING
Memory allocation is dynamic.
Operations:
1. STRLEN
2. TRANSLATE -> To UPPER CASE/LOWER CASE.
3. CONDENCE -> NO-GAPS.
4. CONCATENATE
5. SPLIT
6. REPLACE
7. SHIFT -> LEFT/RIGHT/CIRCULAR BY <N> PLACES.
8. SEARCH
Comparing Strings:
OPERATOR MEANING
CO Contains Only
CN Contains Not Only
CA Contains Any
NA Contains Not any
CS Contains String
NS Contains No String
CP Matches pattern
NP Does not Match pattern