Unlocking the Power of ALV in

ABAP: A Comprehensive Guide

ALV :-
Application List Viewer or ABAP List Viewer

When displaying data, ALV (ABAP List Viewer) offers a more organized and user-
friendly method than utilizing write statements in ABAP. ALV is recommended for
the following reasons:

1. Flexibility: ALV provides a number of layout choices, including list, grid, and
tree layouts. Users are able to alter the arrangement to suit their tastes.

2. Sorting and Filtering: Without adding extra code, ALV enables users to quickly
and simply sort and filter data. This improves the application's usability.

3. Column Resizing and Rearranging: By using ALV, users can dynamically

resize and rearrange columns to improve data readability.

4. Exporting Data: The built-in functionality of ALV allows for the exportation of
data to multiple formats, including Excel, PDF, and CSV. This feature is useful
when creating reports.

5. Interactive Features: To improve user experience, ALV offers interactive

features including drill-down functionality and the ability to double-click on a
row to navigate to detailed information.

6. Performance Optimization: With performance optimizations built right in, ALV

manages massive amounts of data with ease.

7. Standardization: ALV adheres to accepted SAP design guidelines, ensuring

uniformity throughout various SAP ecosystem apps.

Compared to write statements, ALV improves the functionality, streamlines the

development process, and improves the user experience of ABAP programs.

Steps to Create ALV :-

Unlocking the Power of ALV in ABAP: A Comprehensive Guide 1

 1. Create a Field Catalog:

The format of the ALV output is specified in the field catalog. It has details
about the fields (columns) that will be shown, including field names,
descriptions, data types, and formatting choices.

When it comes to making a field catalog, you have two choices:

a) Utilizing the REUSE_ALV_FIELDCATALOG_MERGE SAP Function Module:
The structure of the internal table that is supplied to this function module
determines how a field catalog is automatically generated. It generates the
relevant field catalog entries after analyzing the internal table's structure.
b) Manually Define a Field Catalog: As an alternative, you can directly
specify the fields and their attributes to manually define the field catalog.

2. Bind Data with Field Catalog:

You must tie the field catalog with the real data that will be shown in the
ALV after it has been created.

For presenting ALV output, there are various function modules available, each
with unique characteristics and functionalities:
a) REUSE_ALV_LIST_DISPLAY: The ALV output is shown in a straightforward
list manner by this function module. It works well for tabular data display.

b) REUSE_ALV_GRID_DISPLAY: Compared to list display, this function module

offers greater layout and navigation freedom by displaying the ALV output in a
grid format.
c) REUSE_ALV_HIERSEQ_LIST_DISPLAY: Hierarchical sequential lists are
displayed using this function module. It is helpful for displaying master-detail
connections or tree-like data since it enables you to display data in a
hierarchical manner.

These steps are crucial for configuring an ALV in an ABAP program because they
give the data binding and structure needed to produce the required output format.

Displaying data in Reuse ALV List Display :-

Unlocking the Power of ALV in ABAP: A Comprehensive Guide 2

 Requirement :-
Take few fields of VBAK and VBAP table.

Create a final structure to show this fields.

Use function module REUSE_ALV_FIELDCATALOG_MERGE to create field

catalog manually.

Use function module REUSE_ALV_LIST_DISPLAY to display the data in form of

ALV list.

Solution :-
Step 1 :- Go to ABAP Editor {SE38} and create a executable program.

Unlocking the Power of ALV in ABAP: A Comprehensive Guide 3

 Step 2 :- Create a type structure for both header and item table.

Step 3 :- Create the type structure for final table.

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 Step 4 :- Declare the internal table and work area for all the three type
structure.

Step 5 :- Declare a select option to take data in range.

Step 6 :- Write the select queries to fetch data from VBAK and VBAP table.

Unlocking the Power of ALV in ABAP: A Comprehensive Guide 5

 Step 7 :- fill data in final internal table.

Step 8 :- Call the function module REUSE_ALV FEILDCATALOG_MERGE.

Unlocking the Power of ALV in ABAP: A Comprehensive Guide 6

 Create a global structure from SE11 to pass into the above function
module.

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 Declare a internal table for field catalog.

Step 9 :- Call the function module REUSE_ALV_LIST_DISPLAY.

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 Code :-
*************************************************
*Start of Program
*Type Strcuture fo Both header and Item table
TYPES : BEGIN OF ty_vbak,
vbeln TYPE vbeln_va,
erdat TYPE erdat,
erzet TYPE erzet,
ernam TYPE ernam,
vbtyp TYPE vbtypl,
END OF ty_vbak.
TYPES : BEGIN OF ty_vbap,
vbeln TYPE vbeln_va,
posnr TYPE posnr_va,
matnr TYPE matnr,
END OF ty_vbap.

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 ********************************************
*Type structure for final table.
TYPES : BEGIN OF ty_final,
vbeln TYPE vbeln_va,
erdat TYPE erdat,
erzet TYPE erzet,
ernam TYPE ernam,
vbtyp TYPE vbtypl,
posnr TYPE posnr_va,
matnr TYPE matnr,
END OF ty_final.

*************************************************
*Declaring the internal table and work area
DATA : lt_vbak type table of ty_vbak,
ls_vbak type ty_vbak,
lt_vbap type table of ty_vbap,
ls_vbap type ty_vbap,
lt_final type table of ty_final,
ls_final type ty_final,
lv_vbeln type vbeln_va.

DATA : lt_fieldcat type table of slis_fieldcat_alv.

***************
*Declaring a select option.
SELECT-OPTIONS : s_vbeln for lv_vbeln.

START-OF-SELECTION.
SELECT vbeln erdat erzet ernam vbtyp
from vbak into table lt_vbak
where vbeln in s_vbeln.

if lt_vbak is not INITIAL.

select vbeln posnr matnr

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 from vbap
into table lt_vbap
FOR ALL ENTRIES IN lt_vbak
where vbeln = lt_vbak-vbeln.

loop at lt_vbap into ls_vbap.

ls_final-posnr = ls_vbap-posnr.
ls_final-matnr = ls_vbap-matnr.

Read table lt_vbak into ls_vbak with KEY vbeln = ls_vbap

if sy-subrc eq 0.
ls_final-vbeln = ls_vbak-vbeln.
ls_final-erdat = ls_vbak-erdat.
ls_final-erzet = ls_vbak-erzet.
ls_final-ernam = ls_vbak-ernam.
ls_final-vbtyp = ls_vbak-vbtyp.
endif.

append ls_final to lt_final.

clear : ls_final, ls_vbak, ls_vbap.
ENDLOOP.

***************************************
*Call REUSE ALV fieldcatalog merge
CALL FUNCTION 'REUSE_ALV_FIELDCATALOG_MERGE'
EXPORTING
I_STRUCTURE_NAME = 'ZAR_ORDER_DETAILS'
CHANGING
ct_fieldcat = lt_fieldcat
EXCEPTIONS
INCONSISTENT_INTERFACE = 1
PROGRAM_ERROR = 2
OTHERS = 3
.
CALL FUNCTION 'REUSE_ALV_LIST_DISPLAY'
EXPORTING

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 IT_FIELDCAT = lt_fieldcat
TABLES
t_outtab = lt_final
EXCEPTIONS
PROGRAM_ERROR = 1
OTHERS = 2
.

endif.

*****************
*End of Program
*****************************************************

Execute the Code :-

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 You can see the output as a list of values.

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