Overview of ABAP

Objectives

In this Chapter you will learn...

• Overview of ABAP Programming Language

• Basic Syntax of ABAP

Overview of ABAP

T he A B A P /4 P rog ram m ing Langu age

A d van ced
B u sin ess
A p p licatio n
P rog ram m in g
/
4

© S A P AG
Overview of ABAP

• ABAP 4 is a programming language developed by SAP for the

interactive development of application programming.

• ABAP 4 is a fourth generation language.

• ABAP 4 is tightly integrated across all the modules viz like SD,
MM, HR etc and most or all of the modules and transactions(like
screens are created using ABAP).

• All application programs, along with parts of the R/3 Basis

system, are written in the ABAP Workbench using ABAP, SAP’s
programming language. The individual components of application
programs are stored in a special section of the database called the
R/3 Repository. The R/3 Repository serves as a central store for all
of the development objects in the R/3 System
Overview of ABAP

• ABAP Programs are objects of R/3 Repository. You maintain

them using ABAP WorkBench Tool- in this case its ABAP
Editor(Transaction SE38).

Three-Tier Architecture Overview

Overview of ABAP

•R/3 applications are written in the ABAP programming language,

and run within the application layer of the R/3 System.
•ABAP programs communicate with the database management
system of the central relational database (RDBMS), and with the
graphical user interface (SAP GUI ) at presentation level.
Overview of ABAP

A B A P/4 D evelopm ent W orkbench A rchitecture

D evelopm ent

R untim e
© S A P AG
Overview of ABAP

„The ABAP/4 Development Workbench provides

access to Sap's development tools which cover the
entire software development cycle.
„These tools can be used both for customer-specific
developments and enhancements to R/3 applications
supplied by SAP.
„All applications created with the ABAP/4
Development Workbench can run without further
modifications on any platforms, database systems and
graphical user interfaces supported by SAP.
Overview of ABAP

• ABAP Development Work Bench

consists of many tools for like ABAP
Editor, Screen Painter, Function Builder,
Menu painter… for you to create or write
Programs like Reports or Screens or
Menus etc ...
•Typically as a ABAP Developer you will
be working on the above said Tools to
design, develop and test any programs
which include Reports, Screens, Menu
that you might want to implement in
SAP.
• During the Period of the Course you
will be guided and taken through the
tools one by one.
Overview of ABAP

ABAP/4 Program Objects.

A B A P /4 P r o g r a m O b je c t s
D e v e lo p m e n t c la s s

D e v . c la s s o b je c t t y p e s P ro g ra m

D ic tio n a r y o b je c ts G lo b a l d a ta

P ro g ra m s P B O m o d u le s

F u n c tio n g r o u p s P A I m o d u le s

In c lu d e s S u b r o u t in e s

T r a n s a c tio n s S c re e n s

L o g ic a l d a ta b a s e s G U I s ta tu s

M e s s a g e c la s s e s In c lu d e s

.
. T r a n s a c tio n s
.
© SAP AG
Overview of ABAP
•Development Class

• To create a program, you first specify a development class.

Development classes are containers for objects in the same area. A
common transport route is defined for all objects within a
development class. Customer-specific development classes begin
with Y or Z.

• If you are creating a test object which you do not want to be

transported, choose local private objects. The development class is
then set to $TMP.

• You then specify the name of the new program. To proceed, click
the radio button Program and choose Display.
Overview of ABAP
•Development Class

• If you are creating a object which needs to be transported to

production System from Development System, then choose the
appropriate development class and then Click Save, then the
system will ask for the “request No” under which your program
needs to stored. At this point you can either specify the transport
request number provided by system administrators or create your
own request.
Overview of ABAP/ Transport Organizer
Overview of ABAP/ Transport Organizer

•Workbench requests record changes made to ABAP Workbench

objects.

• There are local and transportable Workbench requests.

(Local Workbench requests have the target system <space>.)

• The development class of the object and the transport route

settings in the Transport Management System determine whether
changes are recorded in a local or a transportable Workbench
request.
Overview of ABAP/ Transport Organizer

Transaction se09
Overview of ABAP

• ABAP/4 Interfaces

A B A P /4 In te r fa c e s
N o n -S A P s y s te m
S A P R /2
S A P R /3 S A P R /3

CCoommmmuunnicicaat itoi onnss

i ni nt et er rf af acceess

G e n e r a tio n p r o g r a m D a ta tra n s fe r p ro g ra m

DDaat at a i ni nt et er fr a
f acceess

s e q u e n tia l d a ta s e t

© SAP AG
Overview of ABAP
• ABAP/4 Interfaces Uses:

• When you use ABAP/4 Data interfaces, a

sequential dataset is generated in the source
system . This is read into the target system by the
data transfer program and imported automatically
into the R/3 database using batch input, call
transaction or direct input.

• ABAP/4 contains statements for the

implementation of Communication interfaces like
RFC/BAPI, OLE which typically connects R/3 with
Non R/3 system for establishing a transaction
over the Net.
Overview of ABAP
• As a ABAP Developer

• Majority of the work during and after implementation of

R/3 will be Report programming, Dialog programming,
BDC, Enhancements using ABAP/4 Programming
Language.

•In reporting you use the ABAP/4 Open SQL to read data
from the R/3 database. A report consists of a selection
screen, on which you define the dataset you wish to
display, and a list, which displays the data itself. In
interactive reporting, the user can navigate from the
(basic) list to details lists at runtime. Typically, reports
merely read data from the database. However, it is also
possible to make changes in the database using a report.
Overview of ABAP
•Dialog Programming
• In dialog programming you use the Screen Painter to create
screens and program the sequence in which they appear. You
write an ABAP/4 program (ABAP/4 module pool) for your
screens. This is a collection of dialog modules which are called
by the flow logic of your screens. You use dialog programs for
both reading and changing database tables.

R e p o rtin g a n d D ia lo g P ro g ra m m in g
R e p o rt D ia lo g p ro g ra m (S A P tra n s a c tio n )

S e le c tio n L is t S c re e n S c re e n
s c re e n s c re e n 0100 0200

AABBAAPP/4
/4 OOppeenn SSQQLL

© SAP AG
Overview of ABAP
• Batch Data Communication (BDC)

•Batch Data Communication (BDC) offers transferring of data into

the SAP System from other SAP Systems and non-SAP Systems
(legacy systems).

•For example, the data collection in some areas of your company is

still performed by a non-SAP system like VB-SQL or Java-Oracle
etc. You can still consolidate all of your data in the SAP System by
exporting the data from the other system and reading it into the SAP
System with batch input.
Overview of ABAP
• SAP Scripts

•SAP script is the tightly integrated text management system of

the SAP R/3 System.

•It will therefore be used for many different text-processing tasks

all over the SAP System.
•Example:
•SAP script is used for incorporating the
company logo in forms sets.
• SAP Script can be used for printing the Sales order or the
purchase order in the company given pre printed format.
Overview of ABAP
• Enhancements

• SAP offers a broad range of functionality

within its business application suite.

•If standard applications do not offer some

of the functionality you need, You don’t have to Panic!!

•R/3 provides the flexibility to Add-on/Bolt-on

any application to its standard functionality
This facility is called “Enhancement” and called as “User
Exits”, “Menu Exits”, “Screen Exits” and “Function Exits”.

• Enhancement offers better alternative to the

problem-ridden modification approach.
Overview of ABAP
Before going to Next topic, Lets browse some important
transactions in ABAP Development Workbench like

•ABAP Editor(se38) : used for Writing Report programs..etc

•Object Navigator(se80) : used for Creating Screens and/or

Transactions or Development Class or navigation purpose ..etc

•Function Builder(se37): used for Writing Functions which can be

further used in Report programs or Screen programming.. etc.

• Data Dictionary(se11) : Used for Database Table handling.. etc.

Overview of ABAP/ Basic Syntax of ABAP

ABAP/4 Syntax
DATA COUNTER TYPE I.
DATA NAME(20).

MOVE 1 TO COUNTER.
MOVE 'ABC' TO NAME.
. ABAP/4 program
.
. statem ent
WRITE NAME.
WRITE COUNTER.
w ord 1
word word
w ord 2 w ord 3

w ord 4
word .

key w ord param eter, field,

constant
© SAP AG
Overview of ABAP/ Basic Syntax of ABAP
• ABAP/4 Syntax

•An ABAP/4 program consists of individual statements.

Each statement must end with a period.

•The first word of a statement is known as the key word.

• Words are separated from each other by at least one blank.

•Statements can be indented.

•Statements can extend over several lines.

Overview of ABAP/ Basic Syntax of ABAP

• ABAP/4 Syntax/ Chain Statements.

C h a in S ta tem e n ts

WRITE 'XYZ'.
WRITE NAME.
WRITE COUNTER.

WRITE: 'XYZ', NAME,

COUNTER.

ADD 1 TO COUNTER1.
ADD 1 TO COUNTER2.
ADD 1 TO COUNTER3.

ADD 1 TO: COUNTER1,

COUNTER2,
COUNTER3.

© S A P AG
Overview of ABAP/ Basic Syntax of ABAP
• You can concatenate several consecutive statements with an
identical first part into a chain statement.

• When doing this, conclude the identical first part with a colon.
After the colon, separate each concatenated part from the next with
a comma.

• Blanks can appear before and after the separators (colon, comma
or period).

• Commenting a ABAP Statement

•You can insert comments into a program in two ways:
- An asterisk (*) in column 1 flags the whole line
as a comment.
- A quotation mark (") within a line flags the
remainder of the line as a comment.
Overview of ABAP/ Basic Syntax of ABAP

C o m m e n ts

DATA: SUM TYPE P, " Totals field

COUNTER TYPE P.

* New account
* Initialize totals field

CLEAR SUM.

© SAP AG
Overview of ABAP/ Basic Syntax of ABAP

S ystem Field s

for table structure SY

S ystem fields

N am e Type Len g th M eaning

S Y-D AT UM D ATE 8 D ate
S Y-U ZE IT T IME 6 Tim e
S Y-U NA ME C HAR 12 U ser ID
S Y-S UB RC H EX 2 R eturn code
S Y-R EP ID C HAR 8 P rogram nam e
S Y-L AN GU C HAR 1 Log on language
.
.
.

© S A P AG
Overview of ABAP/ Basic Syntax of ABAP

W R IT E S ta te m e n t
REPORT RSAAA02C.
WRITE: '******************************'.

SKIP 2.

WRITE: 'Date', SY-DATUM.

WRITE: 'Time', SY-UZEIT.
SKIP 2.
WRITE: '******************************'.

A B A P /4 P ro g ra m m A ttrib u te

W R IT E : In tro d u c tio n 1

**********************************************
D a te 0 1 .0 1 .1 9 9 6 T im e 1 4 :4 6 :1 0

**********************************************

© SAP AG
Overview of ABAP/ Basic Syntax of ABAP

•Write Statement

• WRITE outputs the contents of a field or constant in the

format appropriate for the type.

• Consecutive WRITE statements output data on the same

line. If there is no more space on one line, the output
continues on the next line.

•SKIP generates blank lines.

•The ABAP/4 processor generates a standard header for

each line. This consists of the list title, page number and an
underline.