1. Introduction to the ABAP Data Dictionary

2. Lecture Overview
Describe the ABAP database layer and selected core tables

3. A First few SAP Tables T000 is the client table
T001 is the company code table
Currency and language are defined here
Accounting chart of accounts
T006 is for measurement (unit of measure)
There are tables for currency conversion
BKPF and BSEG are the FI header and transaction tables

4. Getting Started with the ABAP Database Layer
Remember that we work with data logically through ABAP, rather than operating or the physical database
We do not touch the underlying (native) database
The database layer supplies extensive metadata beyond most native databases

5. Data Dictionary Transaction Codes
Transaction code SE16 gets us to the Data Browser
Transaction code SE11 gets us to the ABAP Dictionary

6. Data Browser (Introduction)
The Data Browser allows us to display data from a table
By default the cryptic field name is displayed in most screens
Settings / User Parameters (Data Browser tab) allows you to select the field label

7. Data Browser (Select Table)
Select the desired table
You need to know the table names and meaning of fields

8. Data Browser (Table Output)

9. Data Browser
Search for table

10. The ABAP Dictionary (Accessing)
Transaction code SE11

11. ABAP Dictionary Elements
Tables
Views
A view is created from one or more tables
Data types
Data elements
Structured types

12. ABAP Dictionary Elements (Illustration)

13. ABAP Dictionary Elements (Tables)
A superset of what we usually think of as a table
There are different types of tables
Transparent tables are used to store business data
Pool tables and cluster tables generally store applications
ABAP programs are stored in the database itself in pool and cluster tables
We will not work with these

14. ABAP Dictionary Elements (Tables - Transparent)
Tables contain
Fields having a field name and a data type
Foreign keys describe relationships between other tables
Technical settings describe how the table is created in the database
Indexes are used to improve performance

15. ABAP Dictionary Elements (Views)
In general database terms, it’s a virtual table that is not physically stored
SAP has different types of views based on the underlying fundamental database operations
The SAP views are semantic (more later)

16. ABAP Dictionary Elements (Views – Types)
Database – These are views from one or many tables
Projection views apply to only one table and restrict the number of fields to display
Structure views are pretty much obsolete
We will not talk about them here

17. Creating a Table (Steps)
Rules for table names
Creating the table
Creating the fields

18. Creating a Table (Table Names)
16 case insensitive characters
Customer (created) tables should begin with the characters Z or Y
You can use anything for a field name
Create data element and domain names beginning with Z or Y
Other namespaces (SAP) are letter sequences enclosed by slashes /SAPPRESS/

19. Creating a Table (Maintenance)

20. Creating a Table (Attributes)
Change and language information
Packages group objects (including tables)
They control transport behavior
They organize objects
Objects without a package cannot be transported

21. Creating a Table (Delivery and Maintenance)
Descriptive information
The delivery class drives the transport of data records during install, upgrade, …

22. Creating a Table (Delivery and Maintenance)
The following controls dictionary rights

23. Creating a Table (Package)
The Package $TMP is a special local package

24. Domains / Data Elements / Fields
Most of you are used to database fields having some primary data type
Integer, double , date, string, etc.
SAP utilizes layers of indirection called domains and data elements
A data element can be used in one or many table fields

25. Domains / Data Elements / Fields (Illustration)
Fields have a data element, which belongs to a domain

26. Domains A domain describes the technical attributes of a field
Data type
Number of positions (size)
Optional value range
Fields belonging to a domain are changed if the domain is changed

27. Domains (Illustration)
The Domain BUKRS is the company code

28. Data Elements A data element is an elementary type It defines
Field label values
Help information
It may or may not belong to a domain
If it does, then fields of the elementary type will change if the domain changes

29. Data Element (Illustration

30. Company Code (Example)
One of the core SAP concepts is the Company Code
The domain BUKRS defines the company code as a CHAR (4)

31. Company Code (Example)
And the domain BUKRS is used in many places
Where used button

32. Company Code (Example)
The Data element BUKRS belongs to the domain BUKRS

33. Company Code (Example)
And BUKRS is used in the following tables

34. Field Domains (Summary)
Field domains are themselves stored in a table
So are table fields and data elements

35. Field Domains (Creating)
I prefer to create the domains and then create the fields
Your book suggests forward navigation
DON’T FORGET TO ACTIVATE THEM

36. Creating a Data Element (1)
Select the domain to which the element applies

37. Creating a Data Element (2)
This is where the field titles come from for forms and other places

38. Creating a Table (Fields)
Table fields work a bit differently in SAP
In SAP fields belong to a domain
It’s the domain that defines
The data type
The value range
Domains must be activated before they can be used

39. Creating a Table (Fields)

40. Creating a Table (Fields)
Field name
Key fields uniquely identify a row
Composite keys can have a maximum of 16 key fields
Give a field an initial value
The Data Element field defines the field’s data type
You can use predefined data types or create new ones

41. Dictionary Technical Settings (1)
With the desired table active, select GoTo, Technical Settings
These technical settings describe how the system treats the table
Data Class defines the ‘physical’ area of the database where the table is stored
Master data, transactional data, organizational data

42. Dictionary Technical Settings (2)
Size category defines the number of records expected
Buffering whether a record or table is buffered (prefetched into the work area) when accessed

43. Dictionary Technical Settings (Illustration)

44. Entering Data
While the Display table screen is active, click Utilities / Table contents / Create Entries

45. Object Navigator
It’s used to organize programing in the SAP integrated development environment
Repository Browser is the primary code storage area
The Repository Information System is used to search for programming objects
The Transport Organizer manages changes made during configuration and development and propagates (transports) changes to test and production systems

46. Object Navigator (Illustration)
Select object type from
Object List

47. Repository Browser (Object Lists)
The application hierarchy contains all development objects
A package contains logically related development objects
In this class, we will create local objects, which are not transported to QA / production systems

48. Packages (Contents) Packages contain many things
Programs containing fields, events, subroutines, screens, and so on
Function groups are containers for functions (external procedure calls)
Dictionary objects contain (roughly speaking) references to SAP data
Remember, all data is processed through the SAP API
SHOW PACKAGE FARC

49. Classes / Interfaces
SAP supports an OOP approach to development using classes and interfaces