ABAP Programming

Introduction to the ABAP

Workbench
 Objectives
 to introduce
 the ABAP integrated development
environment
 the two main ABAP application types
 reporting
 dialog programming
 Order of Presentation
 Purpose and Function of the ABAP Workbench
 Workbench Tools:
 Object Navigator (Repository Browser)
 The ABAP Language
 The Repository Information System
 Test and Analysis Tools
 Menu & Screen Painter
 The Data Modeler
 ABAP Query
 The Workbench Organizer
 The Class Builder
 ABAP Workbench
Purpose & Function
 SAP’s Integrated Graphical Programming
Development Environment:
 Used to create/change ABAP application programs
 Each ABAP application program is either a report or a
transaction:
 Reports are applications that retrieve and display information from
database with little or no user interaction
 Transactions accepts inputs/data from users and then perform one
or more relevant actions, usually involving updating databases
 ABAP Workbench
Purpose & Function
 The Workbench can be used to
 write ABAP code
 design dialogs/screens with a graphical editor
 create menus with a menu editor
 debug an application
 test an application for efficiency
 control access to objects under development
 create new or access predefined database
information
 ABAP Workbench
Purpose & Function
 Comprises the following tools
 The Object Navigator (aka Repository Browser)
 the ABAP Language
 the Screen and Menu Painters
 the Repository Information System
 the Data Modeler
 various test and analysis tools
 the ABAP Query
 the Workbench Organizer
 ABAP Workbench Architecture
Transport System
AB Reporting e e n
AP r
Sc er
Edi t
to r Pain
ABAP Organizer

ABAP Function
R/3
Dictionary Modules
Repository
M
at a le r
D ode Pa enu
int
M ABAP er
Processor
Debugging Trace Test Tuning
 The Workbench Screen
 All R/3 screens have a similar ‘look and feel’
 screens consist of
 screen titlebar
 menu bar
 standard toolbar
 application toolbar
 screen body
 message line
 Menubar

Standard toolbar

Screen title-bar

Application toolbar

Message line Client Server

 The Object Navigator (The
Repository Browser)
 central tool for organizing and managing your
personal development objects
 used to navigate through development object lists
 where development objects are the components used to
construct an application
 automatically calls other workbench tools
 if you create a new data definition the browser calls the
Data Dictionary, and then returns to the browser after the
definition is created
 The ABAP Language
 Advanced Business Application Programming
 developed by SAP for the interactive development of
application programs
 4th Generation Language (with some OO features)
 main uses for ABAP programs include
 creation of new reports
 development of new user dialog programs (transactions)
 customisation of R/3 to meet individual client needs
 Reporting
 uses ABAP Open SQL to extract data
from the R/3 database
 Open SQL is a subset of ANSI SQL
 report consists of a [selection screen]
and a list screen
 selection screen allows the user to enter
selection criteria
 list screen displays the report data
Report

Selection List
Screen Screen

ABAP Open SQL

R/3 Database
 Dialog Programming
 Dialog Programs (Transactions) are used for
both reading and changing the database
 Main Components of a Dialog Program are
 screen & menus
 processing logic defined in an ABAP program
(module pool)
 for each screen, interaction and control flow from
one module to another is defined in DYNPRO
 data structures defined in the ABAP dictionary
Development Environment

ABAP Screen Menu

ABAP
Dictionary Painter Painter

Runtime Environment

Dialog Processor ABAP Processor

 Dialog Programming -
Overview
Transaction
Code Module Pool

0100

0200

0300

Screen
Flow
Logic
DIALOG Communication ABAP

PROCESS BEFORE OUTPUT. MODULE INITIALISE

MODULE INITIALISE.
1 Clear ITAB.
ENDMODULE.
2
MODULE READ-ITAB.
Select * From ITAB

3 Where...

PROCESS AFTER INPUT. ENDMODULE.

MODULE READ-ITAB.
4 MODULE......
MODULE .... :
:
ENDMODULE.
 Graphical Screen Painter

Currently Edited Field

Graphical Elements Toolbar

Menu Painter
 The Repository Information
System
 The Repository Information System is used to search
for objects in the R/3 system and provides
 list of all objects X with attribute/s Y
 the Where Used List which gives a list of every place that
object X is used throughout the R/3 system
 information about foreign key relationships between tables
 display of data (all records in table X with attribute Y)
 Test and Analysis Tools
 ABAP Editor
 syntax checker
 tests for coding and syntactical correctness
 provides automatic ‘correct’ facility
 in case of an error, provides a detailed (although
sometimes obscure) reason for the error
 extended syntax check
 searches out situations that might possibly result
in a runtime error (eg, inconsistent interface
parameters)
 warns about use of literals instead of text
elements
Test and Analysis Tools
 Debugger
 finds logic errors
 provides ability to
 stop the program anywhere during runtime
 continue statement by statement
 skip over subroutines
 check or change the contents of variables and
internal tables on the fly
Test and Analysis Tools
 Runtime analysis
 used to determine the performance,
(absolute and relative) of the various parts
of an ABAP program
 can provide statistics on the efficiency of
 code
 database accesses
 R/3 system itself
 The Data Modeler
 graphical tool that utilises E-R modelling
 tightly coupled to the data dictionary
 possible to click on an object in the model (ie,
an entity), and retrieve related data from the
dictionary, (ie table - structure, contents)
 create the data model and the dictionary can
create the table automatically
 ABAP Query
 Automated report generator
 user not required to know ABAP language
 can generate
 basic lists, statistics, ranked lists
 To define a report
 enter individual texts, such as titles
 select the fields and options which determine the report layout
 assign a particular sequence by numbering the fields.
 The system generates each query in the form of an
ABAP program.
Workbench Organizer
 records and controls changes to objects
 ABAP Programs, Dictionary Objects,
Screens, User Interface Definitions, …
 provides assistance for organizing
development projects
 by allowing you to distribute project work
for individual developers or teams among
different change requests
Workbench Organizer
 interface to the Transport mechanism
 movement of applications from
development  test  production
environments
 prevents parallel, uncoordinated
changes to the same object, (version
control)
 even when many copies of the object exist
in several, connected SAP systems
 Summary & Conclusion
 this lecture provided an overview of the tools that
comprise the ABAP Development Workbench
 of these the editor /syntax checker/debugger is
the combination that we will use most frequently
 it is essential that you be able to use the tools to
 navigate around the workbench
 find,execute,change development objects
 Related Reading
 OnLine Help
 R/3 Library ... Basis Components ... ABAP
Workbench
 BC ABAP User’s Guide
 ABAP Basics
 Overview of the Components of Application

Programs
 ABAP Workbench Tools
Recommended ABAP Texts
 ABAP/4: Programming the SAP R/3 System,
Bernd Matzke
 Developing SAP’s R/3 applications with ABAP/4,
Rudiger Kretschmer, and Wolfgang Weiss
 Introduction to ABAP/4 Programming for SAP,
Revised and Expanded Edition by Gareth M. De
Bruyn, Robert Lyfareff