SAP (System Application & Production in Data Processing)

Systems, Applications & Products (SAP) is an ERP system by SAP AG, a company based in Walldorf, Germany. The
various products and modules offered by SAP ERP enable customers to perform day-to-day business processes,
such as accounting, sales, production, HR, and finance

ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming)

ABAP is the fourth-generation programming language and technical module of SAP, which is used to
develop the applications related to SAP. With the help of ABAP, one can customize SAP according to
the requirement. It is now used along with Java as the main programming language for the SAP
application server.
Our ABAP tutorial explains the key concepts of ABAP, such as ABAP workbench, ABAP
Dictionary, ABAP Editor, Internal Tables, Objects, Classes, Operators, Variables, etc.

Process of ABAP in SAP kernel

We can understand the process of ABAP in SAP by using 3 tier architecture of SAP.
Consider the below image:

The ABAP application server is present on the Application layer of the SAP architecture. The
application layer is the most important component of the SAP architecture as ABAP programs
execute in this layer, and it communicates with both layers.

The application server is responsible for interpreting the ABAP/4 programs. An ABAP program
can start on the presentation server, but it can only execute at the application server

Each ABAP program is stored in the SAP database tables of the database layer, unlike the
other C or Java, where programs are stored in other large files.

The SAP database stores program in two forms, which are source code and generated
code. The source code can be viewed and edited by the Workbench editing tools such
as ABAP Editor, and the generated code is the binary representation of the source code.
Each program in ABAP has its type that specifies how that program will run. There are mainly
two types of ABAP programs, which are:

o Executable Programs: The executable programs can run directly or can start directly
by entering the name of the program. These are of two types:
o Reports
o Module Pools
o Non-executable Programs: The non-executable programs cannot be run directly.
These programs contain the source code that can only be used by the other application
programs. These are of following types:
o Interface Pools
o Include Programs
o Function Groups
o Subroutine Pools
o Object Classes
o Class Pools

Transactions/Transaction code in ABAP

The execution of a program in SAP is known as the transaction. The SAP system provides a specific
four-character code for all the transactions that take place in SAP, and these codes are known as
the transaction codes or TCode.

Introduction to SAP ABAP Workbench

SAP ABAP Workbench is the collection of tools that are used by the ABAP developers to create
various applications using ABAP language in the SAP ERP system. All the workbench tools are
integrated with each other. The various tools are given as:

o ABAP Editor
o Data Dictionary
o Menu Painter
o Screen Painter
o Function Builder
o Debugger
o Object Navigator

ABAP Data Dictionary: It is one of the most important tools of the workbench, which is used to
create and manage the tables without redundancies. It can be directly accessed using
the SE11 transaction code.

ABAP Editor: It is another important component of the ABAP Workbench, which is a source-code
editing tool. The ABAP developers spend lots of time on this ABAP editor. It is the tool where we build
all the logics and write/edit the code. It can be directly accessed using the SE38 transaction code
Object Navigator: It is the main entry point of the ABAP workbench as it brings all the tools
together and also creates an efficient environment for us to develop the programs. It can be
used to organize programming applications in an integrated environment. It is the best-used
tool when we need to develop large programs with many function modules and many screens
as it provides an easy way to navigate between the applications. We can directly access it
using the transaction code SE80

Function Builder: It is most similar to the ABAP editor and allows us to access the entire SAP
standard module. But its primary function is to define some specific tasks that can be accessed from
other programs also. Such as, we can create interfaces using function builder. It can be directly
accessed by using the SE37 transaction code
Screen Painter: It is used to define the input screen, such as by using this, we can create our own
GUI screen for the programs. It allows us to create the dictionary objects such as views, database
table, etc. It can be accessed using the SE51 transaction code.
Menu Painter: Menu Painter is a tool, which is used to create the user interface for our program. It
can generate the buttons, menu bar, icons, etc., or can customize the user menus which are given by
default. We can also define whether a menu event should be triggered through the double mouse
click or by pressing the enter key. It can be accessed directly by using the SE41 transaction code.
Class Builder: It is the same as a function builder and used to create class Objects. It can be directly
accessed using the SE24 transaction code

ABAP RICEFW
RICEFW stands for Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Enhancements, Forms, and Workflows. These are the six
categories of development work that are commonly carried out in SAP projects

1. Reports: Reports are used to retrieve data from the SAP system and present it in a user-friendly format.
Reports can be simple or complex, and can range from a few lines of code to hundreds of pages. A report
could be a simple list of customer names and addresses or a complex analytical report showing financial
performance. Example: Sale Report, Purchase reports, Vendor master reports, Customer report etc.

2. Interfaces: Interfaces are used to transfer data between the SAP system and other systems or
external parties. Interfaces can be inbound or outbound, and can be either real-time or batch. An
example of an interface is a daily upload of sales data from a legacy system into SAP.
3. Conversions: Conversions are used to convert data from one format to another. Conversions can
be used to convert data from a legacy system into SAP or to convert data from one SAP system to
another. For example, a conversion might be used to convert product descriptions from a legacy
system into SAP.
4. Enhancements: Enhancements are used to add functionality to the SAP system that is not available
out of the box. Enhancements can be small or large and can range from a simple screen
modification to a complex new module. An example of an enhancement is the addition of a custom
field to a standard SAP screen.
5. Forms: Forms are used to create printed or electronic documents in the SAP system. Forms can be
used to create invoices, purchase orders, or shipping documents. A form could be a simple layout of
customer information or a complex form with dynamic fields and images.
6. Workflows: Workflows are used to automate business processes in the SAP system. Workflows
can be used to route documents for approval, trigger events based on certain conditions, or send
notifications to users. An example of a workflow is the approval process for purchase orders.
Important T Code for ABAP

1. ABAP Package: SE21: - To Create Package.

2. Data Dictionary (DDIC-SE11): - To maintain central depository of the data & data Definition. DDIC is Independent to the
Database.
3. ABAP Editor (SE38): - To Maintain the different types of programs.
4. Function Builder (SE37): To Create the different types of Function modules.
5. Transport Organizer (SE09/SE01): - To Create request or manage the transport request
6. Short Dump (ST22): To analysis of short dump
7. BADI Definition (SE18): BADI
8. BADI Implementation (SE19): BADI Implementation
9. Massage Class (SE91): To maintain the global messages.
10. SAP Script (SE71): To Create script forms.
11. Manu Painter (SE41): To Maintain customer specific menu items and push buttons.

DATA Element: A dataelement in ABAP Dictionary defines an elementary data type or

a reference type and describes, alongside the technical type attributes, the semantic
meaning of an object defined with reference to the data element.

Data Type in SAP ABAP-Data types are the actual type definitions in ABAP Dictionary. They allow you to define elementary
types, reference types, and complex types of the ABAP type concept that are visible globally in the system. The data types of database
tables are a subset of all possible types, namely flat structures

ABAP Has three main data types:

1. Elementary Types
2. Complex types
3. Reference types

Elementary Types – The Elementary type is further divided into the fixed-length and variable-Length type.

The fixed length: This are fixed length types in ABAP are C, D, N, T, F, I, P and X
These types consist of:
 Numeric types: I,F,P.
 Character Types: C , D , N , T
 Hexadecimal Types: X

When you declare a data object that has a fixed length type, you must specify its length in the variable declaration for Example:

In this Example, the length of the gv_name variable is 50. You cannot store more than 50 Characters in the gv_name variable.

LV=Local Variable

GV=Global Variable

Example – GV_Name , GV_TITLE,

The Following table shows the characteristics of element types:

Dictionary Type Meaning Maximum Length n ABAP Type

DEC Calculation/amount field 1-31, in Tabellen 1-17 P((n+1)/2)

INT1 Single-byte integer 3 Internal only

INT2 Two-byte integer 5 Internal only

INT4 Four-byte integer 10 I

CURR Currency field 1-17 P((n+1)/2)

CUKY Currency key 5 C(5)

QUAN Quantity 1-17 P((n+1)/2)

UNIT Unit 2-3 C(n)

PREC Obsolete data type 2 Internal only

FLTP Floating point number 16 F(8)

NUMC Numeric text 1-255 N(n)

CHAR Character 1-255 C(n)

LCHR Long Character 256-max C(n)

STRING String of variable length 1-max STRING

RAWSTRING Byte string of variable length 1-max XSTRING

DATS Date 8 D

ACCP Accounting period YYYYMM 6 N(6)

TIMS Time HHMMSS 6 T

RAW Byte string 1-255 X(n)

LRAW Long byte string 256-max X(n)

CLNT Client 3 C(3)

LANG Language internal 1, external 2 C(1)

STRUCTER TYPES: A Group of fields is called as structure

Example: MATNR, WERKS, LGORT

1 Create Structure (SE11 Global)

2 Create structure in Program or report – SE38

TYPE: Begin of ……Structure Name

Field1 Type ……..,

Field2 Type ……..,

Field3 Type ……..,

 Fieldn…..Type…

End of Structure

A structure is an instance of a structure type. To define a structure type, you use the types statement.

For Example, the following defines a structure type called address_type

Here in below example: Address is the structure name.

Types: begin of address,

House_no type c(15),

Street type c(120),

City type c(50),

State type c(50),

Zip_code type c(6),

Country type c(100),

End of Address.

The Following declare two instances of the address type:

Data: gv_sold_to_address type address,

Gv_ship_to_address type address.

You can access the individual field of a structure using the following syntax:

Structure_name.Field_name

Go to T-code: SE16N

Type first two letters then put third letter as * then press F4

Will get list of tables which is related to a particular segment.

(given only daily used tables)

Customer KN*

Sales VB*,VA*,VK*

Shipping VT*,VB*,VE*

Delivery LI*

Material Master MA*, MB*, MK*, MS*, MV*

Billing VB*,VR*,VK*

Pricing KO*

Purchasing EK*,EI*

Vendor Master LF*

FI tables BS*

Cost centre Accounting CO*CS*

 Organisational elements T001*

Creation Data Dictionary & tables Process: -

Package- It’s like a Folder

Creation Package -SE21

Give the Package Name from start Z or Y

This is the rule imposed by SAP. SAP reserves all the other PROGRAM names starting with A to X for its
standard programs. Users are allowed to create programs starting with Y and Z only.

i.e. Programs Starting with A to X are STANDARD PROGRAMS

Programs Starting with Y and Z are CUSTOM GENERATED PROGRAMS generally created basing on the
user requirement with an additional functionality to the standard program.

Program name starts with: Y-- is used for Local Development.

Program name starts with: Z-- is used for Actual Development.

Workbench Request: - A workbench request is a technical request where any change in code is written
by an Abap Programmer and these are stored in the system as Workbench requests. Any change in code
is created in the ABAP workbench which is the reason why it is named so. Change requests are managed
by the transport organizer

SE80- Object Navigator

Custom Table Name – ZGPASSTYPE , zgstore