What is ABAP?

 ABAP is a high level programming language created by SAP that helps large corporations to customize the SAP ERP. ABAP can help customize workflows for financial accounting, materials management, asset management, and all other modules of SAP. SAP’s current development platform NetWeaver also supports both ABAP and Java. The ABAP full form in SAP is Advanced Business Application. know more at SAP ABAP online training

Why SAP ABAP?

Here are the reasons for using SAP ABAP:

  • SAP ABAP is used by developers to develop the SAP R3 Platform.
  • It is a simple language that is easy to learn when it comes to programming.
  • It allows you to choose from procedural and object-oriented programming.
  • It also helps SAP customers to improve their SAP-based applications.
  • It allows you to create custom reports and interfaces.
  • ABAP language is quite easy for programmers. However, it is not a right tool that can be used by non-programmers.

History of SAP ABAP

Here are important landmarks from the history of ABAP

  • ABAP is a 4/GL( Fourth generation) language developed in the 1980s.
  • ABAP becomes a language for developing a program for the client-server, which was first released in the year 1992.
  • In the year 1999, SAP introduced an object-oriented extension known as ABAP Objects
  • In 2006, 7.0 version released which offer switch framework feature
  • In, 2012, The version released with Table expressions feature
  • In 2015, with version 7.5 start supporting Open SQL expressions.
  • With version 7.52 in 2017, virtual sorting of the internal table feature introduced.

ABAP Runtime Environment

All ABAP programs stored in SAP database. However, they are never stored in external files like C++ and Java programs.

In the database, all the code is written in ABAP present in two different forms:

Source code, which can be view and edit with the help of ABAP Workbench tools, and generated code. It is a binary representation that is quite similar to Java byte code.

ABAP programs allow you to control the runtime system, which is part of the SAP kernel. The runtime system also allows a process for ABAP statements. It controls the logic of screens and responds to user events like user click or mouse hover.

Types of ABAP Programs

SAP ABAP program is either an executable unit or a library, which is a reusable code. However, it is not separately enforceable. know more at sap abap training

ABAP executable programs are divided into two types:

  • Reports
  • Module pools

The Non-Executable Program types are:

  • INCLUDE modules
  • Subroutine pools
  • Function groups
  • Object classes
  • Interfaces Type pools

SAP ABAP Workbench

The ABAP Workbench is a vital part of the ABAP system and is accessed via SAP GUI. It contains various tools for editing programs.

ABAP WorkBench

It is widely used by SAP for the development of standard custom applications. The ABAP Workbench is also used for creating dictionary objects.

SAP ABAP has the following components:

  • ABAP Editor: It is mainly used to maintain programs.
  • ABAP Dictionary: It is is used to maintain Dictionary objects.
  • Repository Browser It is used to display a hierarchical structure of the components in a package.
  • Menu Painter: It is used to developing GUI, including menu bars and toolbars.
  • Screen Painter: It is used to maintain screen components for online programs.
  • Repository Information System: stores information about development and runtime objects, like data models, table structures, programs, and functions.
  • Function Builder: This component helps you to create and maintain function groups and function modules.
  • Test and Analysis Tools, like Syntax Check and the Debugger.
  • Data Modeler: This tool supports graphical modeling.
  • Workbench Organizer: It helps you to maintain multiple development projects that are manages by developers for distribution.
  • Reporting

    Report programs produce lists and can be divided into classical reports and interactive reports.

    • Classical reports do not allow interaction by the user; therefore, the basic list contains extensive information that the user must often sort through to find relevant data.

    • Interactive reports allow interaction by the user; therefore, the user can produce secondary, detailed lists of the basic list by choosing the relevant data and requesting more information.

    • SAP Query or Ad-hoc Query or InfoSet Query is a tool that allows the end-user to design different queries based on different input and output parameters in the SAP system according to the requirement. This is one of the reporting tools majorly used in the HR Module to pull data from relational databases. InfoSet Query is suitable for reporting in all areas of the SAP R/3 system.

    Ad-Hoc query provides three different kinds of reports −

    • Basic List − Simple reports.

    • Statistics − Reports with statistical functions such as average, percentage, etc.

    • Ranked List − For analytical reports.

    Transaction code used to access ad-hoc Queries −

    • SQ01 − Maintain Queries

    • SQ02 − Display InfoSet

    • SQ03 − Maintain User Groups

    Data Entry

    The SAP database has to be filled before the end-users can start working over the business process for analyzing and reporting purpose. Various methods are used to transfer data into the system at various stages depending upon the complexity and data volume to be transferred.

    Data can be transferred from SAP to SAP or SAP to non-SAP systems (legacy system). Data can also be transferred through manual entries. The tools used for data transfer are as follows −

    • BDC (Batch Data Communication)
    • IDOC (Intermediate Document)
    • LSMW (Legacy System Migration Workbench)
    • Interfaces through upload of .txt or Excel files holding data
    • Manual data entry using transaction codes

    Printing

    SAP generates a variety of documents such as purchase orders, sales orders, invoices, pay-slips, etc. You can take a print of these documents whenever required. The following illustration shows how the printing process works in a SAP system. know more at SAP ABAP online course

    Different kinds of print methods are needed in a SAP system, such as −

    • Local printing
    • Remote printing (network)
    • Front-end printing (SAP GUI for Windows)
    • Front-end printing (SAP GUI for HTML)
    Front-end Printing

    After the user triggers the print process, the print requests are sent to the spool server, which contains the dialog and spool work processes required for the processing.

    General Programming

    Programs can be written interactively using the capabilities of the R/3 system. Programs can be executed both online and in the background. Background jobs can also be scheduled to run at specific intervals.

    General Programming
    • Module pool programming (or online programming) involves the creation of a module pool (a collection of ABAP modules) and one or more screens. The modules are called by the screen processor during program execution.

    • Batch input processing is used to ensure the safe transfer of data into the SAP system. This process is an automatic, protected data transfer to the SAP system which uses SAP transactions to validate data as it populates the SAP database. know more at SAP ABAP online training in hyderabad

    • ABAP contains statements that conform to CPI-C standards (Common Program Interface - Communications). These are used for programming communications programs.

    • ABAP can read and write sequential datasets.

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