SAP ABAP Questions and Answers TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTION This book, SAP* ABAP™ Questions and Answers, is designed to suit the needs of students and professionals preparing for certification exams or interviews that will include Advanced Business Application Programming (ABAP) questions. This book covers many specific and practical questions concerning ABAP and is compiled in an easy- to-understand and self-explanatory format. This book provides brief but thorough explanations of ABAP technology and its features, ane covers the following topics: + SAPERP landscape, SAP ERP architecture, Internet Transaction. Server (ITS), Logical Unit of Work (LUW), ABAP Workbench Objects, tables, foreign keys, domains, search help, data classes, aggregate objects + Programming concepts of ABAP + Internal table concepts + Techniques of modularization, parameters, macros + Logical databases + SAPscript and Smart Forms + Dialog programming events, components, screens, messages, transaction codes, and input checks + Batch Data Communication (BDC) and Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW) + Classical, interactive, and ALV reports + System variables, transaction codes, and functional modules Thisbookis divided into 11 chapters, and each chaptercontainsinformation in an easy-to-understand question /answer format, addressing different aspects of ABAP. Chapter 1 covers the basic fundamentals of SAP ERP needed to understand the ABAP language and includes concepts such as the SAP ERP landscape, different layersin the SAP ERP architecture, the message server, user context, roll area, dialog steps, dispatcher, work processes, multiple sessions, Internet Transaction Server (ITS), and Logical Unit of Work (LUW). This chapter also covers ABAP features, ABAP memory, SAP memory, and the ABAP Workbench.IntRODUCTION Chapter 2 discusses the data dictionary andi related topics such as objects, tables, buffering, foreign keys, FL help, domains, search help, data classes, the append structure and conversion routine. Italso includes aggregate objects, such as views, lock objects, and match codes. Chapter3 deals with programming concepts, such as data types, data objects, ABAP debugger functions, runtime analysis, break points, and swatch points. I also covers program types, operators, control structures, loops, program structures, text elements, formatting options, and the selection screen. Chapter introduces internal table concepts, such as types, commands, rules used to insert lines into internal tables, and control break statements. Chapter 5 covers modularization concepts, such as techniques of ‘modularization, parameter types, and methods of passing parameters, inchicing programs and macros. Chapter 6 discusses logical database concepts, such a5 components, selection views, events, and authorization checks. This chapter also covers parameters of the LD=_PROCESS, such as import and table parameters. Chapter 7 covers SAPscript and Smart Forms, including SAP script components, objects, layout sets, subroutines, window types, control commands, symbols, formatting options, functions, and parameters. This chapteralso includes Smart Form architecture, migration methods, pages, windows, system fields, and formatting options Chapter 8 covers dialog programming concepts, such as events, components, Dynpro, screens, messages, transaction codes, GUI status, input checks, tabstrip control, and creation of various transactions. Chapter 9 covers data-transfer techniques, such as direct input, call transaction, and batch input sessions. I also covers the Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW). Chapter 10 discusses reporting and includes classical, interactive, andl ALV reports. Chapter 11 providesa list of system variables and transaction codes used in ABAP as well as functional modules.GAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION To SAP ERP AND ABAPINTRODUCTION To SAP ERP ano ABAP What is SAP ERP? SAP is a German public company, System Applications and. Products in Data Processing, that was founded in 1972 in Mannheim. SAP’s two main products are SAP Business Suite and SAP NetWeaver. The most important product in the business suite is SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Explain the origin of SAP ERP. The first version of SAP ERP was R/1, which came into existence in 1973. The SAP R/1 (R/1 also ran on a mainframe) version was used to perform financial accounting. In 1980, with the introduction of mainframe-based applications, SAP R/2 came into existence. SAP R/2 was helpful to multinational European companies that required business applications with soft real-time capability. These companies also required software with multilanguage and multicurrency capabilities. In 1992, SAP R/3 introduced the distributed client-server model, the client version of the software. It was officially Iaunched on July 6, 1992. In 2005, the R/3 name was dropped. in favor of the more commonly used name “ERP”4 SAP ABAP Questions ano ANsWes 3.__ What are the application areas of SAP ERP? ‘The application areas of SAP ERP are also called furtctional areas or functional modules. The following are the application areas P ERP: Sales and distribution lm Human resources management Production planning Fixed assets management Material management Financial management Industry solution 1m Work flow m Plant maintenance Quality management Controlling Project system What are the advantages of SAP ERI = Functionality—The SAP ERP system provides software solutions that cover all of thte commercial processes and transactions used in a company. User friendliness—The SAP ERP system provides a uniform graphical user interface for all application areas. Flexible structure—The SAP ERP system provides flexible system structure, a5 flexibility isan important aspect in every department Real-time integration —The SAP ERP system providesall infor- ‘mation related to real-time integration required by the ser. Enterprise-wide integration—The SAP ERP system fulfills the demand for continuous change in organizations, The SAP. ERP application components are fully integrated and provide increased flexibility and productivity im Three-tiered architecture—The SAP ERP system provides an enterprise-wide, three-tiered architecture that includes(Ghapren 1 Ivteopuction 70 SAP ERP ano ABAP presentation, application, and database interfaces. This architecture provides flexibility and the ability to make changes according to organizational needs. Concurrent engineering —Flexibility and integration in the SAP ERP system help build the real-time workilow application links that are essential for concurrent engineering. Desktop integration —Desktop integration in the SAP ERP tem includes exporting data to the desktop by using the export utility provided by SAP. Individual solitons —To fulfill individual requirements, the SAP ERP system provides system-controlled customizing procedures to build solutions How does SAP ERP integrate all of the application modules? Integration of all application modules is done by the ERP basis system. The SAP basis system helps to integrate the various modules in the following manner: | By providing a runtime environment By providing administration tools for the entire system, By providing an equilibrium architectural framework to enhance the system By providing portability of the complete system What are the features of SAP ERP? Integration —The SAP ERP system provides complete integration of the various data transfers, which in turn is helpful for creating high-quality reports. The consolidated software helps to reduce the time needed to close the books of accounts. Automation of consolidation procedure—This process helps to save time and money. There is no need to enter all documents manually, & Customization—New programs can be easily created as needed, 56 SAP ABAP QuesTions ako Avswess 1 Costefectioe audits —Auditors can perform interactive analysis of special information Easy to lear and uise—The SAP ERP system is user friendly. It provides context-sensitive functions and extensive online documentation that is easy to understand and learn. Information system—The SAP ERP system includes functions for creating reports and provides information through excep- tional and interactive reporting, International accounting —The SAP ERP system allows parallel valuation approaches at all levels for external and internal accounting purposes using different currencies. ‘What is the SAP landscape? ‘The SAP landscape is the architecture of servers. It isa collec- tion of SAP instances that have a development-cycle relationship. Itnormally consists of a development, quality assurance, and pro- duction instance. The servers incluce the following: 1 Decelopmert—Ina development server, a technical /functional [person creates the programs or configures the system per the company’s requirementsand sendis i to the quality server. = Quality—In this server, team members test the development/ configuration with various parameters and then send itto the production server. Production This server runs the functionality that is accessed and used by business end-users ‘What are the different layers in the SAP ERP architecture? SAP ERP is based on client-server technology. The old name was SAP R/3 (real-time three-tier client-server system). The SAP ERP architecture contains the following layers Presentation layer Application layer Database layer Internet communication layer Figure 1.1 depicts the different layers in the SAPERP architecture diagrammatically,Charter 1 InrRoDucTON To SAP ERP avo ABAP. tT Message Server Apptication Layer atin Managoncat Son @ Darn Layer Database Figure 1: Layers in the SAP ERP Architecture Explain the SAP ERP system architecture lay Presentation layer—The presentation layer provides the interface for interaction between the SAP ERP system and, its users. It provides the SAP graphical user interface (GUD. The SAP GUL is used by the ERP system for entering and displaying data. This layer receives the user request as input, forwards it to the application layer, and in turn receives the data from the application layer requested by the user. Then itsends the data to the user asa result Application layer—The application layer provides the interface between the presentation layer and the database layer. It pro~ vides the set of executables that is used to interpret the ABAP programs and manage the input and output. These executa~ bles begin at the time the application server starts. All of the executables shut down wien the application server stops. Database layer—The database layer is a centralized database system that comprises all of the data in the SAP ERP system. ‘This layer accepts the requests from the application layer and passes them on to the relational database management system, which sends the requested data to the database layer, Which in tum sends it back to the application server.8 SAP ABAP Questions aNO ANSWERS Internet communication layer—This layer is implemented using ICM or ITS and is used to connect browser-based users to the SAP ERP system. 10. What are the databases supported by SAP ERP? SAP ERP supports the following databases: MaxDB DB2/400 DB2/UDB DB? for 08/390 Microsoft SQL Server Oracle 11, __Whatis the role of the message server? ‘The function of the message server in ABAP isto transfer requests between the application servers. Its role is to transfer the request from one application server to another within the system. It also includes information about application server groups. What is a user context? A.user context is defined asa temporary memory area that con- tains information about the user. It is used throughout program processing. When a user logs on,a user context is allocated for that log-on. When the user logs off, the memory area assigned to that individual is released. The user context contains the following information about the user: Current settings of the user User's authorizations | Names of the programs the user is currently running, What is a roll area? A roll area isa memory area that is allocated by work processes for program instances. Each time a user starts a program, a(Chuorex 1 IvrRonucTiON To SAPERP AND ABAP 9 roll area is created for that instance of the program. If two users run the same program at the same time, then two roll areas will be created, one for each user. The memory in the roll area becomes free when the program ends its execution. It contains the following information about the programs execution: Dynamic memory allocations Variables’ values Current pointer of the program. 14. What is a dialog step? A dialog step isthe processing used to navigate from one screen to another screen. It includes the processing that takes place after the user issues a request. It also involves the processing, needed to display the next screen. Itis important for an ABAP. programmer to understand dialog steps because they form a discrete unit of processing for an ABAP program. Figure 1.2 depicts a dialog step diagrammatically. One Dialog Step Cn ‘ares Screen Inia Screen * Begioning of bialog10 SAPABAP Questions avo Answers 15._What are the different ways to initiate a dialog step? There are four ways a user can initiate a dialog step: © Click on a button on the screen, Press Enter Press function key m Select a menu item, 16. Explain the role of the SAP dispatcher. ‘The SAP dispatcher is an agent that controls the resources of the ERP application. Every application server has a dispatcher that serves as a link between the work processes and the user ‘who logged in. Its main role is to receive requests from the SAP GUL and to send it to work processes that are available, It also displays the dialog step output to the user. 17._What are the functions of a dispatcher? The following are the main functions of a dispatcher: 1 Makinga connection with the presentation layer Properly managing the buffer in the main memory Assigning work processes & Ensuring equal assignment of work processes = Properly organizing communication processes 18. How does the GUI manage the output screen? The SAP GUI can run on either the same system or different systems, Front-end input by a user is accepted! by the SAP terminal program and the SAP GUI and is converted to SAP proprietary format and sent to the SAP dispatcher. The dispatcher coordinates the sharing of information between the SAP GUI and the work processes. The dispatcher sends the requests one after another to the available work processes. The actual processing takes place in the work process, After completion of processing, the results of the19. Chapter 1 IvTRODUCTION 10 SAP ERP AND ABAP ‘work processes are sent to the SAP GUI through the dispatcher, ‘TheSAPGUl interprets the received data and generates the output screen for the user. Explain a work process. Awork process executes the individual dialog steps of an appli- cation program in the SAP ERP system. There are two software processors and a database interface in every work process. The structure of a work process includes the following: © Seren processor 1 ABAP processor Database interface Figure 1.3 shows thestructure of a work process, Work Paces + [/ ABAPProcesor ‘Context Database Intrace i Dams fo Database Figure 1.3: Work Process Structure Explain the structure of a work process. Awork process consists of a screen processor, an ABAP processor, anda data interface, which are explained as follows: Screen processor—In the SAP ERP system, a special language for programming screen flow logic is available. Screen flow logic is executed by the screen processor through the dispatcher. The dispatcher makes communication possible between the SAP GUI calling modules and work WProcesses. Thus field contents are transferred from the screen to the flow logic. The screen processor passes the screen flow logic module to be processed by the ABAP, processor, 1 ABAP processor—The ABAP processor helps in the execution of the processing logic of an application program and estab- lishes communication with the database interface. It receives, the module of sereen flow logic from the screen processor that is to be processed, Database interface—This interface is used to establish and terminate the connection between the work process and the database. It is also used to access the ABAP dictionary, programs, screens, and database tables. Ithandles the commit and rollback transactions as well. 21. What are the different types of work processes of the SAP ERP system? ‘The various type of work processes are as follows: Dialog work process—This process deals with active us requests for executing dialog steps. These processes deal wit only one request at a time. Update work process—This process helpsin executing database update requests. These requests are part of a logical unit of work (LUW). Background work process—Background work processes help in processing programs that can be executed without the involvement of a user. These processes begin at a particular time. lm ENQUEUE work process—This process deals with the lock ‘mechanism. It uses the lock table to perform lock functions, in the shared memory area. The lock table is the main part of the LUW, and it stores the locks for the logical database in the SAP ERP framework. Spool work process—These work processes send datasets to a printer in regular sessions. Online or background processing, isalso generated by spool work processes. There is only one spool request for each spool work process.22. What are multiple SAP sessions? More than one SAP instance on screen is called a multiple SAP 23. Describe the features of multiple sessions. Six sessions ata time can be opened for doing either different tasks or the same task in each session, Any session can be closed without logging off from the system, Multiple sessions reduce the time needed to move from screen to screen 24, How do you create a new session? ‘There are three ways to create a new session: From the menu bar, choose Create Session. From the menu bar, select the El icon Ml Use/o preceded by the transaction code, 25. __How do you end a session? Before ending the session, data must be saved. If there is only one session open, then by closing it, the system will log off. You can end a session by Choosing from the menu bar System > Log Off Using tcode/nex in the command field 26. Whats ITS? ITS stands for Internet Transaction Server. It provides an interface between a web server and SAP Internet application components. It changes the data on the screen of the SAP ERP system into HTML format, and vice versa. It is very helpful for developing and testing full-fledged web transactions. All14 SAPABAP Quésrions ano Answers components of the transaction can be stored in the SAP ERP. system, including those used at runtime. ITS supports auto- matic processing of language and converts it into an HTML- dependent language at runtime. As of ERP 6.0, the ITS instances are integrated in the SAP ERP basis system. 27. _Whatis an LUW? An LUW isa logical unit of work, which is used to process the integration of a transaction. This transaction acts as a locking technique. It involves a series of steps in the transaction, 28. What are the types of LUWs? In the SAP ERP system, there are two types of LUWs: Database LUW—This LUW ensures the consistency of data in thedatabase, The LUW isan inseparable sequence of database operations that ends witha database commit command. After a database LUW is executed successfully, the database will become consistent. A database LUW is either fully executed or not executed at all. If any error occurs within the database LUW, the database will go back to its original state, SAP LUW—This LUW is a logical unit consisting of various dlialog steps in which the changes are written to the data-~ base in a single database LUW, which can be executed using, ‘a sequence of different work processes and can span many dialog steps. 29. What are ABAP objects? ‘The original German meaning of ABAP was Generic Report Preparation Processor. It was later renamed Advanced Business Application Programming. The first generation of ABAP was just called ABAP. Later the number “4” was added to indi- ‘ate the fact that ABAP is based on the 4°" language principle. ‘The current version of ABAP is object oriented; therefore, the language is officially called ABAP Objects. All businessfunctionality used by SAP ERP is written in the ABAP Objects Ianguage. For simplicity reasons, the name “ABAP" is used 30.__What are the features of the ABAP language? The ABAP language is used to write the entire SAP ERP application. Its features are as follows @™ ABAP introduced logical databases, which are special ABAP programs that retrieve data and make it available to application programs. m Tt uses OpenSQL statements to interact with a database system. These statements help a programmer query, update, ‘or delete information from the database. _ABAPis also very useful for enhancing a SAP application— that is, designing custom reports and interfaces. | ABAP tools are available to design and process business requirements, such as Batch Data Communication (BDC), Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW), SAPscript, ‘Smart Forms, Screen Painter, Menu Painter, Business Appli- cation Programming Interface (BAPI), Application Link Enabling (ALE), and WebDynpro. 31,__Whatis SAP memory? SAP memory is the area where alll of the main sessions can access the SAP GUI. It is used to pass data either from one program to another within the same session or from one session to another session. The GE? and SET parameters are used to send data between the main sessions. 32._What is ABAP memory? ‘The area that is accessed by the entire ABAP program within the same internal session is called ABAP memory. It uses the EXPORT and IMPORT statements to pass data between internal sessions. Before the data is passed to the program, it must first be placed in the ABAP memory.33. ifferentiate between SAP memory and ABAP memory. Has global memory Has local memory Isavailable tothe user | Isavailable to the user throughout throughout the ending | the external session session What is the ABAP Workbench? ‘The ABAP Workbench is the central part of SAP ERP system business applications. It consists of a fully integrated set of devel- ‘opment tools, programming languages, data dictionaries, and functions. These tools are very helpful in supporting the entire software development life cycle. The ABAP Workbench forms the basis for the development of applications for client-server systems.35._Explain the features of the ABAP Workbench. ‘The main features of the ABAP Workbench are as follows Ensures integration of information, as it allows transfer of development among systems, © Provides support to common and standard graphical user Interfaces, Ensures communication among the other systems, with the help of the SAP middleware interface. 1 Allows easy distribution of applications among servers. Uses ABAP OpenSQL or NativeSQL for handling the cor- responding database. OpenSQL is a specific SQL used by SAP and is tightly integrated with ABAP. NativeSQL is an Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) speci ‘SQL statement that can be embedded in ABAP. NativeSQL is bound to a vendor RDBMS and therefore is not easy to migrate. Thus Oracle NativeSQL. statements do not work on Microsoft SQL Server. '& Supportsa remote functional call (RFC) to communicate with ‘external applications. 36. _ Explain the various ABAP Workbench tools. ‘Themain tools and utilities used to perform development-related tasks are as follows: Tool/Use ‘ABAP Editor—writes and maintains ABAP programs, edit screens, functional modules, and screens ABAP Dictionary—records and processes all objects, such as tables, their definitions, and relationships among them Screen Painter—dlesigns and maintains the GUI screen for a client-server environment Class Builder—displays and processes ABAP object classes ‘Menu Painter—designs the user interface elements, such as the menu bar, standard toolbar, application toolbar, and function key assignment Function Builder—defines, maintains, and processes the ABAP functional modulesCHAPTER 2 UNDERSTANDING ABAP Data UNDERSTANDING ABAP Data Define the ABAP dictionary. The central source of information for the data in a database management system is the ABAP Data Dictionary. The ABAP dictionary describes the logical structure of the objects used in application development. It provides the central descrip- tion of all data used in the system and manages all of the data definitions of the system. It is an integrated dictionary, as itis, completely embedded in the ABAP workbench. ABAP diction- ary definitions are easily accessed by the other components of the ABAP workbench,What are the functions of the ABAP ionary? ‘The ABAP dictionary has the following functions: Supports the definition of user-defined data types __Defés the structure of tables, indexes, and views 1 Provides a logical view of application data Provides tools for editing screen fields 21 What are the various options in a data type field in the Data Dictionary (SE11) screen? Data elements Structures 1 Tabletypes What are the various ABAP dictionary objects? ‘Tables Views Data elements Domains Structures Search help Lock objectsDomains Data elements Tables Technical settings for tables Secondary indexes for transparent tables Structures Views Match code objects Match code IDs. Lock objects Explain ABAP dictionary obje Data dictionary objects include the following: Tables—Tables are the entities whose information is stored in a database. Information is stored in a table in the form of rows and columns. The table name must start with either Y or Z and can be 16 characters long. In ABAP, tables are client independent or dependent on the field MANDT, Views—These are virtual tables, as they do not store the data physically. They reduce the need for creating new tables andl thus reduce the redundancy of tables. Data elements—A description of a field is provided by the data element. It is also called a semantic domain because it provides the semantic definition of the field Data elements provide meaningful information to users (FI Help). The data element also provides field headers (Field Label) Domains—The domain defines the set of possible values that canbe allocated toa field. [talso specifies the technical char- acteristics ofthe field. The type of field and the length are the technical characteristics of the field, Predefined domains exist in the SAP system. Structures—Structures are similar to tables but do not have entries. The difference between structures and tables is that a structure does not exist at the underlying database system level, but both tables and views do exist in the database. The structure holds data only at runtime, whereas tables hold data permanently in the database. The structure does not need activation, as it exists as a definition in the Data Dictionary.© Search help—Search help isa special dictionary object. It was developed to replace match codes. Search terms make up the contents of search help and are very helpful in finding records. Lock objects—These are virtual links to various SAP tables. They are used for synchronization of simultaneous access of the Same data by multiple users. What are the different types of tables in the ABAP dictionary? Transparent tables ® Pooled or cluster tables Explain the different types of tables in the ABAP ictionary. Transparent tables—In transparent tables, both transaction and master data are stored. In transparent tables, there is a 1:1 correlation between the ABAP dictionary and the physical database. In physical databases, the names of the transpar- cent tables are similar. For accessing transparent tables, either ‘OpenSQL or NativeSQL can be used, asitresicesin the physi- cal database. These tables are generated by default after speci- fying the technical setting of tables and activating them using, the Database Utility. When a table is activated, the Database Utility is automatically invoked. 1 Pooled or cluster tables—Pooled or cluster tables are special tables that are used to store data from different tables. Tables that are used in the table pool or table cluster are pooled tables or cluster tables. They are used to store internal control information, such as screen sequences, program parameters, temporary data, and documentation of textsExplain the step-by-step process used to create a table in the Data Dictionary. ‘The step-by-step process to create database tables is as follows: Goto transaction SEL. Specify the table name (starting with Y or 2). 1 Give a short description of the table. . Select delivery and maintenance. Fill the delivery class and table view, Select field column, Specify the name of the field, data type, or data element, or the built-in type can be used. = Data elements can be created using forward navigation. Double click on the name of the data element to be created © Similarly, fill all the fields that need to be created. Goto the technical setting column. Im Select the data class. m Select the size category. Select the buffering options. ae, check, and activate it. ‘Table attributes in a Data Dictionary table define the authority for table maintenance. They also specify the accessing capability of the table. The main attributes of a table are as follows: Delivery class Table maintenance allowed Activation type Adelivery class helps manage the transport of table data when installing or upgrading in a client copy and when transporting between customer systems. It is also used in extended table maintenance.12._What are the different types of delivery classes? ‘The following are the different types of delivery classes: A: Application table—Used to store master and transaction data 1 C: Customer table—Used to store the data of customers only. BL: Used to store temporary data, | G: Customer table—In this table, SAP may insert new data not overwrite or delete existing data records. The customer namespace must be defined in table TRESC. 1 E:System table—This table has its own namespaces for cus- tomer entries. The customer namespace must be defined in table TRESC. 1m S:System table—This table has the same status of data changes as program changes. 1 W:System table—A table ofthe development environment. Data of this table are transported with its own transport objects Explain the main function of the delivery class attribute. ‘The delivery class attribute allows transportation of table data when installing or upgrading in a client copy. Itis also used to transport data between customer systems as well asin extencled table maintenance, 14, What is the currency field used for in the Data Dictionary? ‘The currency field in the Data Dictionary is used to store numeric amounts. It has the following requirements: The data type must be CURR in the domain. 1m Itmust be linked to the currency key field, such as CUKY. 15. Whats the quantity field used for in the Data Dictionary’ ‘The quantity field in the Data Dictionary is used to store the numeric quantity values. It has the following requirements: Thedata type must be QUAN in the domain. | Itmust be linked to the quantity key field, such as UNIT.16. _Explain the importance of technical settings. Technical settings are used at the time of table creation. They help to create controls during the creation of tables and provide the following benefits: Access to the table behavior Specify the buffering requirement Specify the storage space requirement Upgrading of the logged entries, Data class—Specities the database physical area where the table is stored. Size cntegory—Specifies the space needed approximately. '™ Bulffering—Specifies the buffering needed for a permanent table. Buffering of a table can be full or partial. Log data changes (ON or OFF)—Helps in updating a table. Ifitis set to ON, data are saved both before and after changes are made, 18, _Why is table buffering used? You use table buffering to improve performance when access ing the data records contained in a table. The table buffers reside locally on each application server in the system. The data of buffered tables can be accessed directly from the buffer of the application server. This avoids the time-consuming process of accessing the database. The buffering status describes whether a table is buffered. This mainly depends on the accessing type and estimated volume of data in the table.19. What are the types of buffering? ‘The buffering type describes whether the table should be buff- cred and the methods of buffering the table, which include the following & Single-record buffering, Generic area buffering Full buffering 20. Explain the different types of buffering. 1 Single-record buffering—In single-record buffering, the records of tables that are actually accessed are loaded in this buffer, For loading the records, more organization and database accesses are needed, but single-recond buffering requires less storage space in the buffer compared with other buffering techniques. Generic buffering—In this type, all of the records in the left- ‘most field, which are part of the primary key, are loaded into, the buffer. The generic area must be defined by 1 number of key fields, The first key fields of the table then define the generic key. Full bufering—In full buffering, either the whole table or none of the table is loaded in the buffer. If read access is made to a record, all records of the table are loaded to the buffer. When should single-record buffering be selected? It should be used for large tables when there are few record accesses. The size of the records should be between 100 and 200 KB, 22. When should full buffering be used? '& It should be used for tables up to 30 KB. This value can be increased if the type of access is read-only and the table is, accessed frequently. IH It should be used in large tables that have frequent access to records, 1H Itshould be used in tables with frequent access to data not stored in the table. As the records are loaded in the buffer, it iseasy to find the specified key.23, When should generic buffering be used? '® It should be used for those tables where some of the fields of the table are needed, B Itis employed when a specified generic key is used to access a table. |B Itis used in language-specitic tables. The language key field isused as a generic key area What are control tables? Control tables are used for mapping values specified for the size category and data classes. 25. Differentiate between a table and a structure in the Data Dictionary. Table Structure Can have primary key No primary key Can store the data physically | No physical storage of data Has a technical attribute No technical attribute 26. Explain a foreign key. A foreign key is used to describe the relationship between different tables, Itis used to validate the data being entered in one table by checking it against a valid set of values in another table. The table that contains the foreign key is called the foreign key table, The table that contains the valid set of values is called the check table. The field that is validated and on which the foreign key relationship is created is the foreign key. It establishes a link between a check table and a foreign key table. Every primary key field from the check table is assigned a field from the foreign key table field27. For what is a foreign key used! 1 It supports data integration. ® It provides a base for defining lock objects, maintenance views, and help views. 28. Explain cardinality. When creating foreign key relationships, you should always specify the cardinality of that relationship. Here are the possible values for each side of the 7:m notation that SAP uses to specify cardinality For the left side: m=1 Each record in the foreign key table refers to exactly ‘one record in the check table, m=C Each record in the foreign key table refers to zero or ‘one record in the check table, For the right side: m=1 Each record in the check table has exactly one dependent record. m=C Each record in the check table has zero or one dependent record, m=N_ Each record in the check table has at least one dependent record, m=CN Each record in the check table has zero, one, or ‘many dependent enti 29. What are the prerequisites for constructing foreign key relationships? The foreign key field and the primary key of the check table must share the same domain, A value table for a domain should exist. 30.__How can you set the table spaces and extent sizes? You can set the extent sizes and the table spaces by setting the size category of the data class.31. 32. 33. 34, 35. 36. What is the maximum number of structures that can be included in a table or structure? A maximum of nine structures can be included in a table or structure. ‘What are the two ways of restricting the value range for adomain? By specifying fixed values i Bystipulating a value table What are base tables of an aggregate object? The tables making up an aggregate object (primary and secondary) are called base tables Can you include an append structure with pooled or cluster tables? No, you cannot include an append structure with pooled or cluster tables. What is F1 help? FI help is used to display the documentation of a data element. Ifa data element does not contain any documentation, then only a short description for the data element appears. Data elements that are used in templates should be documented. Can you delete data elements that are used by table fields? No, you cannot delete data elements that are used by table fields.Are data elements and domains reusable? ‘Yes, both data elements and domains can be reused. 38.__How can you create data elements without domains? Data elements can be created without domains by using the built-in type. 39. What are the functions of a domain? A domain describes the technical settings of a table field. 1 Adomain defines a value range, which is the permissible set of data values for the fields of this domain. A single domain can be used as the basis for any number of, fiolds that are identical in structure. Whatis the procedure for creating a domain? In the ABAP dictionary screen, select the radio button, Enter the domain name and select create. Givea short description in the short text field In the definition screen, fine the data type and number of characters and, ifnecessary, the decimal places. 5. Save and activate the domain. 41. Canyou delete a domain that is used by data element: No, you cannot delete a domain if it is used by any data clement, 42.__What are the types of search help? Elementary search help—The standard flow of input help is defined by the elementary search help, Collective search help—This is a combination of various elemen- tary search helps. It provides several alternative search paths. Append search help—This is an extension of collective search helps. It provides customer-specific search paths without modifying the data43. _What are the different parameters in search help? There are three parameters in search help: Import parameters Export parameters Internal parameters, 44. Explain the different parameters of search help. Import parameters—Import parameters contain the context information from the processed input screen, which can be copied to the help process. Export parameters—Export parameters contain the values from, the hit ist that can be returned to the input screen, Internal parameters—Internal parameters are used for the internal input help process. 45.__How is the type defined in search help? The type in search help is defined to the parameter. assigning a data clement 46._Whatis a two-level domain concept? Data elements and domains are used to define the table fields. ‘This is the main difference between SAP ERP and many other systems. In many other systems, a field is defined only by its type and length. These characteristics are assigned directly to cach field. In SAP ERP, a field is defined by being assigned to adata clement, which is, in turn, assigned to a domain. These assignments determine the field’s type and length. SAP ERP refers to this method of field definition as the two-level domain. concept. Field-type characteristics, such as data type, length, and a short description, are also assigned directly while defin- ing the table.47. 48. What are the various aggregate objects? Aggregate objects are those objects that are formed using various interrelated tables, which are as follows: = Views Lock objects Match codes Explain aggregate objects. 1 Views—A view isa table that exists virtually. A view does not contain any data physically. At the time a view is called by a program or transaction, there is dynamic generation of the content for the view. Views are helpful in reducing redundant tables because there is no need to create new tables for each application, and asa result, cost is also reduced. Lock objects—Lock objects are used to enforce data integration, which means two users are not allowed to update the same records at the same time. Not only a single record is locked by using it, but a complete logical object can also be locked, 1 Match cades—Match codes are used for searching the records in a system when the searching key is not known. For example, if a user wants to search for the employee ID of a particular employee, itis possible with the help of a match code (e,, just enter an employee's first or last name and the employee ID will be displayed), What are the different types of views in ABAP? There are four types of views in ABAP: Database view Projection view = Help view Maintenance view50. _ Explain the different types of views. Database view—The database view is generated by using one ‘or more tables that are related to each other. Only tables that are transparent in nature can create a database view. Joins, selection, and projection operators are used for creating a database view. Projection view—The projection view is used to hide some fields. It is applied only on a single table. The projection ‘operators only used to generate this view. Itsupportsinsert, update, delete, and select operators. © Help view—The help view is used to create an online help system for additional information. It supports all relational operators available in a relational database. The help view cannot be opened with NativeSQL or SAP OpenSQL. It can bbe accessed only through SAP help. A functional module is needed to create this view. Maintenance view—The maintenance view is used to generate a business-oriented view of data. A complete summary of data in various tables is created and maintained by this view. Special maintenance modules are used to access this view. st. rentiate between the projection view and the database view. Itmust be created using a single | Itcan be created using one ot table. more tables. Modifications to data can be Modifications are possible if a made. single table view is created.82. Which functional modules are generated using a lock object? ‘Two functional modules are generated using a lock object. These ‘modules are automatically generated when the lock objects are created in the ABAP dictionary, which are as follows: M ENQUBUE _—Used for locking. MM DEQUEUE _—Used for unlocking, 53.__How are lock objects created? ‘The following steps are required to create lock objects: 1. Goto transaction SEI 2. Select the lock object radio button and give it a name. The name of the lock object should begin with E. 3. Select the primary table 4, Select the type of lock mode. 5. Fill the lock parameter. 6. Save, check, and activate the lock objects 54, _Whatis lock mode? Lock mode is a synchronization method of accessing records by several users at the same time. There are three types of lock modes: Exclusive lock Shared or read lock Exclusive but not cumulative 55. Explain the different lock modes. Exclusive lock—Exclusive or write lock mode does not allow other users to change or modify the data while it is locked by one user. Only one user at a time can read or process the locked data, Further requests for an exclusive lock or shared lock are not accepted. Shared or read lock—In this mode, more than one user can read the same data at the same time. When the user changes the data, then another user can no longer access this data. Other users cannot set an exclusive lock when a shared lock is in effectExclusive but not cumulative lock—An exclusive but not cumulative lock can be allowed only once in the same transaction. It cannot be allowed more than once like an exclusive lock on the same transaction. Requests for this lock cannot be accepted if the exclusive lock is already set on the transaction. 56, _How are match codes defined? Match codes are defined on two levels: Match code object—The match code object is used to depict the broad logical view of various tables. It does not exist physically. To make the match code object, first an area of the database is defined with the help of corresponding tables and columns, 1 Match code ID—Match code IDs are formed from the match code object with the use of projection and selection. There are many match code IDs for a match code object. To dif- ferentiate the match code ID for a specific match code object, a single character letter or figure is used. There are 36 match code IDs (26 letters and 10 figures) available for every match code object. 57. What are the different ways of building a match code object A match object can be built in two ways: | Physical—In this method, match code records are stored as a physical table in the system. The pool table is used to store all the match code IDs of a match code object. The pool table is automatically generated and activated in the ABAP dictionary at the time of activation of a match code object. © Logical—in this method, match code records are not stored permanently. This method is also called transparent storage of match codes. In this method, the match code is shown as a database view.58. What are data classes? Data classes are the physical area of a database that records the logical view of a table. They are helpful for correctly assigning a table in a database, 59._What are the various types of data classes? Tables in the ABAP dictionary must be assigned to one of the following classes of data 1m APPLO Master data | APPLI Transaction data 1 APPL2 Organizational and Customizing data 60, Explain the various types of data classes. | APPLO master data—Large amounts of data that do not change often, These data are read frequently but rarely updated ‘An example of master data are the data contained in an address file, such as name, address, and telephone number. @ APPLI transaction data—Data that are changed very fre~ quently. An example of transaction data is the goods in a warehouse, which change after each purchase. APPL? organizational and customizing data—Specified when the system is configured and then not changed frequently. An example is a table with city codes. ‘Two more data classes are available, USRI and USR2. These es are used for user developments. Tables used for these classes are stored ina table space. 61, Define a dialog type, and give the three dialog typ. Adialog type contains the dialog steps that are executed for an input help. There are three types of a dialog types: Immediate value display Dialog with value restriction © Dialog depending on a value set62. _ Explain the different dialog types. Immediate value display—Used where there are few records in the list. The list is displayed immediately after calling input help. Dialog with alue restriction—Used where there are large numbers of records in the list. It also displays the list with restricted values immediately. In this type, restricting the set of data increases the clarity ofthe lis. It also helps in reducing, system load during selection of a value. Dialog depends on the value set—Used where the number of records in the list is less than 100,Explain an append structure. 65. routine? Anappend structure is used to add new features or enhancements that are not included in the standard table. Iti assigned to only one table or structure. The enhancements that can be made to a table or structure areas follows: Inserting new fields in the table Adding search helps to the fields of the table that already exist Adding foreign keys to the fields of an existing table What is a conversion routine? In a conversion routine, the contents of screen fields are con verted to SAP-internal format from display format, and vice versa. Conversion also takes place when using the WRITE statement. A conversion routine is identified by its name and. contains five characters. Itis stored as a group of two function modules, These modules have a fixed naming convention What are the functional modules assigned to a conversion There are two functional modules that can be assigned to a conversion routine eceec: CONVERSION_EXIT_cecec_INPUT —In this module, conversion from display format to SAP-internal format takes, place. ™ CONVERSION_EXIT_cccec_OUTPUT —In this module, conversion from SAP-internal format to display format takes place.CHAPTER 3 KOGRAMMING CONCEPTS RROGRAMMING CONCEPTS 1,__ What are the three data types in ABAP? 2.__Explain the different data types. hese are the smallest individual units, er divided as follows: ied length types—In this data type, there are eight = Numeric character (N) = Date (D) = Time(D)Byte field (0) = Integer () = Floating-point number (P) = Packed number (P) 43 © Variable-length types—In this type, there are two predefined types: = STRING—Used for character strings = XSTRING—Used for byte strings Reference types—This type describes those data objects that contain pointers to other objects, such as data objects and. “objects in ABAP objects. These reference types must be defined bya programmer, as they are not defined by default Complex type—This type is a combination of other types. It is also a user-defined type. It allows a programmer to manage and process the data that are related semantically under the same name. It must be defined either in the ABAP dictionary rin the ABAP program. This type is further divided into the following two categories: © Structures—A structure is used in ABAP programs for ‘grouping work areas that logically relate to each other. Structure elements can contain any data type. © Internal tables—These contain a series of lines that have the same data type. Internal tables are used where struc tured data is needed. Figure 3.1 shows the different data types.‘Numeric Types 8 a | To 6 Time field Hesadeial Type ee‘Variable ent STNG Tae OE “ible ore Data relerenoe ‘Object reference {terface ference ] ata Types in ABAP Figure, Describe the visibility of data types using types. The visibility of data types can be described as follows: The predefined ABAP types, such as C, D, FI,N,P,T,and X, are always visible. A data type name cannot be used for declar- ing types either in the ABAP dictionary or in the program. © Visibility oflocal and global data types must be differentiated in the procedures and global data types. Data types defined! ina procedure obscure other objects with thesame namethat are declared in the global declaration of the program. 1 There are different rules for stand-alone data types and the data types stored in the type groups; however, in some excep- tional cases, data types in type groups obscure data types wi the samenames. When you createa stand-alone data type, the system displays warning if the name begins with the name ofa type group followed by an underscore. A type group ‘cannot be created if there is already a stand-alone data type with the same name followed by an underscore.5, of data objects using types. LIE is used to refer to any object that has been declared using DATA ora similar statement and is visible in the current context. The local data objects in the same program are visible. As with the local data types, there is a difference between local data objects in procedures and global data objects. Data objects dlefined in a procedure obscure other objects with thesamename thatare declared in the global declaration of the program. Data objects of other ABAP programs can also be referred to. ‘These are the visible attributes of a global class in class pools. Ifa global cass has a public instance attri- bute or static attribute , then itis referred to in the following manner in an ABAP program: DATA TYPE REF T0 . DATA: £1 LIKE , £2 LIKE . What are data objects? Data objects store the data that are used by an ABAP program at runtime. They remain alive during the program execution. Data objects include the following types Literals Named data objects 1m Predefined data objects Dynamic data objects Explain data objects. Data objects can be explained as follows: 1 Literals—Literals are used in the program code. A declara- tive statement is not used to create them. They are also called unnamed data objects, as they have no name, They have technical attributes, such as field length, number of decimal places, and data types. Named data objects—These data objects are declared at runtime either dynamically or statically. These data objects have names. The following are the named data objects in ABAP: © Text symbols—Text symbols work as pointers to textin the ABAP program. Data objects are generated from the text pool atthe time of program creation.© Variables—Variables are data objects that use ABAP statements to change the contents. They are declared using statements, such as DATA, CLASS-DATA, STATICS, SELECT-OPTIONS, RANGES, and PARAMETERS. © Constants—Constants are data objects that are declared with the Cons7aivrs statement. After they are declared, their value cannot be changed. Predefined data objects—These data objects are automati- cally created at runtime, There is no need to declare them. explicitly. Dynamic data objects—These data objects are created dynamically with the use of references. They do not have names. 8. Describe the compatibility of all data types. Two data types or data objects are compatible when all oftheir technical attributes, such as field length, number of decimal places, and type, are the same. The compatibility in the case of different data types is as follows: © Elementary data types—They are compatible with other elementary data types if they are identical in type, field length, and number of decimal places. These data types are not compatible with references or aggregated types. © References—They are compatible with other references when their construction rules are the same. They are not compatible with elementary data types or aggregated types. © Aggregated data types—These data types are compatible with other aggregated data types when their construc- tion rules are the same. They are not compatible with elementary data types or aggregated types © Structures—They are compatible with other structures if their constructions are identical and their component are compatible. If two structures consist of the same sequence of elementary fields, but these fields are com- bined differently in substructures, the structures will not be compatible. Also, structures are not compatible with internal tables.© Internal tables—Internal tables are compatible with other internal tables if their line types are also the same for both tables. The compatibility of internal tables does not depend on the number of lines. Internal tables are not compatible with structures. What are the main events in the ABAP language? Initialization At selection-screen Start-of-selection End-of-selection ™ Top-of-page m End-of-page At Line-selection At user-command mat PF m cet 10. _ Explain the features of system fields. System fields consist of those values that are used to provide information about the current state of the system, They remain active in all the ABAP programs. They are filled and updated by the ABAP runtime environment by default. A user should. not assign any value, ast is possible to overwrite information that may be needed during normal running of the program. The following are examples of system fields: ™ SY-SUBRC—Return value, Return value after ABAP statements SY-UNAME—SAP system, user log-on name SY-REPID—Current ABAP program SY-TCODE—Current transaction code SY-INDEX—Loops, current loop pass ‘See Chapter TI fora list of all system fields.11,__ What are the different ways to debug an ABAP program? ‘To debug an ABAP program, an online debugging tool is used, Debugger is also used for checking specific variables. The diferent ‘ways of debugging an ABAP program areas follows: 1 Sclect the BREAKPOINT menu ito se the breakpoints and click SET. Daring the execution of program, enter“/H’ in thecommand field 1m Select from the object ist the “Execute! button and click debug- ging mode in the dialog box that follows. Code in the statement BREAKPOINT or BREAK Utilities > Runtime Analysis > Execute. From the ABAP Workbench initial screen, goto Test > Runtime Analysis. = From the initial screen of the ABAP Editor, go to Program > Execute > Runtime Analysis. ™ From the ABAP Editor screen, go to Utilities > More Utilities > Runtime Analysis or use transaction SE30. What is a breakp. A breakpoint isa signal within the program that at runtime tells, the ABAP runtime processor to stop the program execution and to start the ABAP Debugger. When the program reaches this, point, the Debugger is activated. What are the different breakpoints? The different types of breakpoints are as follows: & Static Dynamic Breakpoints at statements Breakpoints at subroutines Breakpoints at function modules Breakpoints at exceptions Breakpoints at methods18. Explain the different breakpoints and breakpoint variants. 1 Static—Static breakpoints use the keyword BREAK-POINT or BREAK. They are always user independent if a user name is not specified. A static breakpoint is inserted as an ABAPstate- ‘ment in the source code, Static breakpoints are always useful in the development phase of an application. 1 Dynamtic—These breakpoints are always user specific. They are used when users want to insert a break in the execu- tion carried out by themselves, not in the execution carried out by other users. When the user logs off from the sys- tem, this breakpoint is automatically deleted. It can be set in the ABAP Debugger or Editor by double clicking a line. ‘These breakpoints are more flexible than static ones, as a user can deactivate or delete them at runtime. Breakpoints a statements—In this type, the Debugger stops the execution of the program immediately before the execution of specified statements, 1 Breakpoints.at subroutines—In this type, the Debuggerstops the execution of the program immediately before the execution ‘ofa specified subroutine, 1 Breakpoints at function modules—In this type, the Debugger stops the execution of the program immediately before exe- ccuting the specified function modules. 1 Breakpoints at exceptions—When an exception occurs because ‘of aruntime error in the program, the Debugger immediately interrupts the program execution. Breakpoints at methods—The Debugger stops the execution of the program immediately before executing the specified method19._What are the benefits of a dynamic breakpoint? 1 Itcan be set by a user even when the program is locked by another programmer. ® Accounter can be defined that activates the breakpoint only after it has been reached. '& There is no need to change the code of the program. 20. What are the steps for setting breakpoints? 1. For the static type, in the ABAP Editor, enter the keyword BREAKPOINT. 2. Forthe dynamic type, in the ABAP Editor or Debugger, posi- tion the cursor over the source code line where you want to insert the breakpoint. 3. Select Utilities Breakpoint Set from the menu, 4. To display the breakpoints, from the menu, select Utilities Breakpoint Display. 5, From the breakpoint list, it can be deleted or navigated. 6, In debugging mode, execute a program. 7. Position the cursor over the source code line where you want to have the breakpoint. 8, Double click or select the function Breakpoint Set/delete, 21. What are watch poi Watch points are a special type of breakpoint; however, watch points do not get activated until the contents of a particu- lar field change. These are also user specific, as they are not affected by other users running the same program. They can only be defined in the Debugger. The Debugger is activated when the contents of the field change. Watch points help to ‘monitor the contents of individual variables.22. Describe the features of watch points. Ina program, up to five watch points can be set, including ‘watch points for strings. A logical link can be specified for a conditional watch point, | Conditions for setting the watch point can also be specified. Watch points can be either local or global. Local watch points are only valid in the specified program. Global watch points, are valid in the specified program and also in other called programs. | Watch points can be changed or deleted by a user. Watch points can be used to display changes to the references of strings, data, and object references. 23.__What are the steps for creating watch points: 1. Execute a program in debugging mode. 2. Position the cursor over the needed field in the source code 3. Click the Create Watch Point button on the application toolbar and the watch point dialog screen appears. 4, Select local watch point and, for conditional watch points, center the value or field to compare. 5. Click the Enter button. To display the active watch points, select Go to watch points, 7. You can delete watch points by clicking the Delete icon next to the watch points, 24, Whatis the structure of the processing logic for an ABAP program? An ABAP program consists of the following parts: Introduction of program—An introductory statement is used in each ABAP program. The type of program also decides, whether to include an introductory statement. Global declaration part—The declaration part comes after the introduction in every ABAP program. Itis used for global data, ‘lasses, and selection screens. It consists of the following, © All statements that are declarative in nature are used for global data, This type of data is visible in all internal pro- cessing blocks. It is defined with the use of declarative statements that appear before the dialog modules or in event blocks. The following are declared in dialog mod- ules or event blocks: = Definition of selection screen * Internal class definitions and interfaces,Container for processing blocks—The listing of an ABAP pro- ‘gram processing block in the source code can be done in any order. Source code in a statement block is executed in sequence. The RETURN statement is used to exit the following processing blocks: © Dialog modules © Event blocks © Procedures Anevent keyword is used to define event blocks, whereas ABAP keywords are used to define the dialog modules and procedure, 25. What are the different types of programs? Executable programs Module pools Includes ‘Subroutines Function groups Class pools 26. Explain the different types of programs. The different types of programs are as follows: Executable programs (1)—These programs are controlled by the invisible system program. They can be started withouta lrans- action code. These programs can be started either directly or in the background. Executable programs work with logical databases. Module pools (M)—These programs can only be executed with a transaction code or menu function. They contain a screen ‘modiule for processing steps, Includes ()—These programsare called using INCLUDE state ‘ments from another program. They contain program code that cannot run onSubroutines (S)\—They contain only parts of the program. The external PERFORM statement is used to call these programs. Function groups (F)—They contain function modules. They are managed by a function builder. 1 Interface pool (J) —They contain interfaces. A class builder is used to manage interfaces. Class pools (K)—They contain interfaces and are managed by a class builder. 27. Whatis a program type 1? Executable programs are called program type 1. 28. Whats the editor lock flag? ‘The editor lock does not allow other users to modify the program, It provides individual users the ability to lock the program. Itcon- tains attributes, documentation, and text elements. It also includes functions such as Rename and Delete. 29. Are ABAP programs objects of the SAP repository? Yes, ABAP programs are objects of the SAP repository. 30. _What are the naming rules for writing ABAP programs? Program names must start with either Y or Z. The name can be 1 to 30 characters long. The rest of the characters are used by SAP for naming standard programs. The following are some symbols and signs that cannot be used in program names: Period () = Comma () 1 Space() 1 Parentheses 0 1 Apostrophe(’)Inverted commas (") Equals sign (=) Asterisk (") Accented characters @, é 0, 8,8) Percentage sign (%) 31. What are the various types of comments used in ABAP programming? Line commenting —In line commenting, a comment is made by placing * before the first column of the code line. It can also be inserted by placing the cursor anywhere in the line and pressing CTRL+<. Itis removed by pressing CTRL+>. Block commenting —Select the block and press CTRL + <. It is removed by selecting the block and pressing CTRL +>, Partial commenting —If only a part ofthe lines tobe commented on, then you would put a double quotation mark (") before the comment 32. Whatare the different ways to open the Editor for writing a program? There are two different ways to open the Editor to write a program: The Object Navigator can be used to open the Editor. $E80 is used to open a program in the Object Navigator. Open SAP Easy Access and then select SAP Ment > Menu Path Tools > ABAP Workbench > Overview > Development > ABAP Editor 1 Itcan also be opened by transaction SE38 (ABAP Editor)33. What are the various operators used to compare strings? ‘The following operators are used to compare strings: CO (Contains Only)—The expression CO is true if contains only characters from . CN (Contains Not Only)—The expression CN func2> is true if also contains characters other than from , CA (Contains Any)—The expression CA is true if also contains at least one character from . NA (Contains Not Any)—The expression NA is true if does not contain any character from CS (Contains String)—The expression CS istrueif contains the string . The compari- son is not case sensitive. NS (Contains No String)—The expression NS <£une2> is true if does not contain the string . The comparison is not case sensitive. CP (Contains Pattern)—The expression CP is true if matches the pattern , NP (Contains No Pattern)—The expression NP is true if contains the string, 34, What are the various logical operators available in ABAP? [lagu 35. What are the various control structures available in ABAP? There are two control structures available for conditional branching: IF control structure CASE control structure36.__Explain the control structures available in ABAP. 1 IE control structure—The TP statement is used to jump to a particular statement block in the program, ELSE, ELSETF, or ENDIF is used to end the block. IF . ELSEIF . ELSEIF . ELSE. . ENDIF Any logical expression can be used in IF or ELSETF, statements. If the condition C1 is true, then all the state- ments up to the end of statement block: are executed. If the condition C1 is not true, then control moves on to the next ELSEIF statement and executes it. Ifnone of the IF or ELSEZF statements is true, then the ELSE block is executed. ENDIF must be used to end the last statement block. The CASE control structure—In the CASE control structure, processing of statement blocks is based on the contents of the data objec. cASE. WHEN [OR OR «1 WHEN [OR OR .] WHEN.. WHEN OTHERS. «statement block> ENDCASE.If the contents of are the same as any of «, then the statement block following the WHEN state- mentis executed. Ifthe contents of do not match any of , then optional HEN OTHERS statements are ‘executed, ENDCASE must be used in the last statement block, 37._What are the different types of loops in ABAP? ‘There are four types of loops in ABAP: © Unconditional loops such as the D0 statement © Conditional loops such as the WHILE statement The Loo? statement used in internal tables Using the SELECT statement from a database table 38.__Describe the program structure in ABAP. 1. The first statement— REPORT OPROGRAM 4s used in any. ABAP program as the firs statement. Both statements serve the same purpose. There is no need to specify the program name, but for documentation purposes, the correct name should be used. The system by default inserts the first ABAP. statement as the user creates a new program. For module pools— PROGRAM 1 For executable programs— REPORT 2. Datadeclaration Declaration of all variables, selection screen definition, declaration of local classes, interfaces, and global data declaration are done in this part. 3. Processing logic—Processing logic is written after the declara~ tion part. It contains a series of processing blocks. 4. Subroutines—At the end of a program, any internal procedure is included such as subroutines. 39. _How do you save, check, and activate programs? 1 Tosavea program—Press CTRL S or click the save button To check syntax—Press CTRL+F2 or click the # icon, To activate—Press CTRL+F3 or click the ll icon.40.__ Explain field symbols. 4. 42. Field symbols are symbolic names for various fields. They can point to any data object. They are the same as dereference pointers in the C programming language. They are identified in the program code. How do you declare a field symbol? ‘The syntax for declaring a field symbol is as follows: FIBLD-SIMBOLS [| STRUCTUR -<6> DEFAULT ] How can values be reset to their initial 43, Values can be reset to their initial values by using the CLEAR statement, How can we assign a value at the declaration level in Data and Parameter statements? 44, 1 To assign a value at the declaration level in the Data statement: Data name (15) values ‘ABAP! m To assign a value at the declaration level in the Parameter statement: Parameter name (15) default ‘SAP’. ‘What is the TRANSLATE statement used for? ‘The TRANSLATS statement is used to convert characters into lowercase or uppercase. It also converts all occurrences of one character to another character. Converting to lowercase or uppercase—This statement changes all lowercase letters in the field to uppercase, or vice versa,Syntax: TRANSLATE text TO UPPERCASE. TRANSLATE text TO LOWERCASE. In this code, text is the object on which opera performed DATA NAME (40). MOVE ‘Kingston Matthew" TO NAME ‘TRANSLATE NAME 10 UPPERCASE, WRITE : NAME Output: KINGSTON MATTHEW 1m Substituting characters—This statement replaces all characters in the textfield per the substitution rule stored in the pattern, ‘The pattern can be a variable. Syntax TRANSLATE text USING pattern. 45. What are offset and length specifications in a string operation? The following syntax is used to add a string in any statement: <£> [40>] [(<15)] £ is fleld name 0 is offset 1 is length The following example shows the use of offset and length: DATA NAME(20) TYPE C VALUE ‘Pedro Mastersons’ WRITE / NAME. WRITE / NAME+0(5) .WRITE / NAME+6 (10) WRITE / NAME Output: Pedro Nastersons Pedro Masterson Pedro Nastersons Describe the offset and length specifications in the MOVE statement. For the MOVE statement, the syntax for specifying offset and length is as follows: MOVE <£1>(+] [(<11>)] 70 <£2>[+<02>] [(<12>)]. <£2>[+<02>] [ (<12>)] = <£1>[+<01>] [(<11>) In this code, the part of field <£1> that begins at a position +1 and has a length of <1 1> is assigned to field <£2>, where it overwrites <£2>, which begins at position +1 and has.a length of <12> The following program shows the offset and length specifications: DATA: F1(15) VALUE ‘Parkerson Kamp’, F2(9) P36). MOVE F1+0(9) TO F2. MOVE F1410(4) TO F3. WRITE : / ‘Value of Fl: *, Fl, / ‘Value of £2: ', F2, / "Value of F3: ', F3.Output: Value of Fl: Parkerson Kamp value of F2: Parkerson Value of P3: Kamp 47._What are the various options in a program attribute! Title Maintenance language ‘Type Status Application Authorization group Package Logical database Selection sereen version Editor lock Fixed-point arithmetic 48. Whatis the fixed-point arithmetic attribute defined in the attribute section of SE38? ‘The fixed-point arithmetic attribute is required where the field type is P. It rounds type P fields according to the number of decimal places, or places the zeros at the end. The decimal sign is set by a period (). What are the features of text elements? The following are the features of text elements: Creation and maintenance of the list andl column headers ™ Creation and maintenance of selection texts and text symbols,50. st. | Comparison of selection text and text symbols & Text element copy '® Translation of text elements What are the various commands used for formatting options with the write statement? ‘The following are various formatting options for all data types: I LEFT-JUSTIFIED -Output is left justified, CENTERED -Output is centered. RIGHT-JUSTIFIED -Output is right justified. UNDER Output starts directly under field . NO-GAP The blank after field <£> is omitted. NO-Z5RO fa field contains only zeros, these are replaced by blanks, For type C and N fields, leading zeros are replaced automatically. What are the various formatting options for date fields? © DD/MM/YY—Separators as defined in the user's master record, © MM/DD/YY—Separators as defined in the user's master record, 1 DD/MM/YYYY—Separators as defined in the user’s master record. © MM/DD/YYYY—Separators as defined in the user’s master record, = DDMMYY—No separators. = MMDDYY—No separators. = YYMMDD—No separators.52._What are the country-specific and user output formats? ‘The output formats of the number and date fields are defined in the user master record of the individual program user: Syntax SET COUNTRY For , set either a country key defined in table TO0SX or SPACE. 53._What is the syntax for generating horizontal lines? ‘The following syntax is used to generate horizontal lines: ULINE [AT [/] [] [()]] ULINE- system variable pos- position Length- length 54, What is the syntax for generating vertical lines? The following syntax is used to generate vertical lines: WRITE [AT [/] []] *| 55._Whatis the syntax for generating blank lines? The following syntax is used to generate blank lines: SKIP [ens] n-> number of lines This statement generates blank lines on the output screen. If no values are provided for , one blank line is generated. 56. _Whatis a selection screen? Selection screens are one type of screen in SAP ERP. They are used either to entera single value fora field or fields, or to enter selection criteria87. 58. 59. What are the statements used for defining selection screens? ‘There are three ABAP statements used to define selection screens. These statements are included in the declaration part of an ABAP program, and are as follows 1 For ingle fields— PARAMETERS. © For complex selections— SELECT-OPTIONS. 1 For formatting the selection screen and defining 1 selection screens— SBLECTION-SCREEN How do you define the default standard selection screen? ‘The default standard selection screen of an executable program is predefined. Itis screen number 1000. How are user-defined selection screens defined? The following two statements are used to define a user-defined selection screen with screen number , SELECTION-SCREEN BEGIN OF SCREEN [TITLE