ABAP Language News for Release 7.40
This blog summarizes a series of blogs that I have written about the most important ABAP language news for Release 7.40 during the last few month.
Getting Started
First you might be interested in
Then you can
ABAP News by Subject
Have a more detailed look at
- Expressions
- ABAP Objects
- Internal Tables
- ABAP and SAP HANA
- External interfaces
- Documentation in ADT (Eclipse)
After all of this, surely it is time to say bye, bye to MOVE and COMPUTE …
Learn More
Lookup the News in the ABAP Keyword Documentation.
Come to CD261 at TechEd 2013 (rock your code with ABAP 7.40)!
There is also a slide deck around somewhere.
More News
Meanwhile, support Packages are out that are bundled with new kernel releases and that come with further new ABAP features.
See
for further enhancements of the ABAP language!
Hi,
Nice Blog
very nice, informative and simple blog.
thanks for the blog
~ Gopi
Hi,
thanks for sharing..nice blog...
nice
After going through all the blogs.....
I can just say............
Its a new horizon for ABAP....
Thanks Horst......
Short simple well structured blog pointing to other sources of valuable information.
An ideal blog to circulate around my development team.
Thanks for valuable information!!
Very helpful, thanks for sharing!
Best regards,
Thanks for sharing!
Best regards,
Renzo.
Hi,
Very useful and structured blog.
Thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Vinod
Hi Horst,
Do you know if there is any plan to adjust the SAPGUI based ABAP editor syntax highlighting for the new 7.40 syntax?
Program like DEMO_HTML_BROWSER or DEMO_CALL_DB_PROCEDURE look strange there, however it looks ok in Eclipse ADT.
My SAPGUI is 7.30 Patch 6 Hotfix 1.
Thanks,
Peter
Hi Peter,
in my
SAP-Frontend für Windows
730 Final Release
7300.2.6.3280
1443138
6
it looks fine.
Best
Horst
Hi Horst,
Thanks for checking it. So it must be kernel or BASIS SP issue.
Since it's a newly installed ECC 6.0 Ehp7 system, it was not patched yet.
Can you maybe also send me some info about this?
Our system:
Kernel 7.40 patch 37
SAP_BASIS 740 0002 SAPKB74002 SAP Basis Component
Thanks in advance,
Peter
Hi Peter,
That's not that easy to answer since our development systens at SAP always represent the latest support package.Since the functionality was delivered with AS ABAP 7.40, SP02, the editor should look OK from that release on (Kernel and ABAP).
I Checked a SAP NetWeaver 7.40, Kernel 7.40, Kernel Patchnumber : 42 and it looks OK there.
Horst
Hi Horst,
Thanks a lot for checking it.
Peter
Thanks for posting all this here for all the poor guys who do not have access to a 7.40 System.
It's well written and I like the "before 7.40" and after technik, that realy helps to see the differences.
Thanks TIMO
Actually I love this new feature with the google-like search in SE80. I didn't see it anywhere mentioned (only for the Eclipse environment - I guess it was developed mainly for ADT, but ported back to SE80), but it's really nice feature, so it's also worth to mention. It seems already available in 731 release also (just checked for in a system with SP08).
Peter
Forwarded to the colleague who's done it ...
Great! Thanks.
I don't seem to find this (nice) feature. Do you have more details about it?
Kris
Hi Kris,
It seems it described in OSS note 1783739 - SE80 tree entry field and "Other Objects" dialog:
"In SAPGUI for Windows, defaults are automatically displayed (comparable with "search as you type")."
Here is a screenshot about it:
Required SP level is SAPKB73106.
Cheers,
Peter
Thanks a lot!
Kris
You're welcome
Peter
Hi Horst,
Can we expect some data type like Boolean, as we have in other Languages ?
In fact, in ABAP we are forced to waste a complete CHAR1, in order to decleare a boolean value like abap_true or abap_false.
Thanking You All.
Hi Ankit,
I'm afraid it is too late for that.
One reason that we cannot simply introduce a new type is it's name.
For each meaningful name (BOOL, BOOLE, BOOLEAN, ...) there might be conflicts with already existing names in the dictionary or in existing programs. And who wants to have a name with a lsmaller risk of conflict but that is awkwardly long? The names of our DECFLOAT16 or DECFLOAT34 introduced with 7.02 are already much too long for that reason.
Regards
Horst
Hi Horst,
Thanks for the reply.
But I just wanted to know,
Why are we forced to use 16 bits ( by using CHAR1 ),
if we can get the same thing done in 1 bit ( by using some sort of boolean variable ).
In fact just I was curious to know that,
What stops SAP, to have a 1 Bit Data Type for boolean ?
Is there any other bottleneck apart from the nominclature problem ?
Thanking You All.
Hi Ankit,
The problem of downward compatibility is in fact the main hindrance factor for introducing a new data type.
Another one is simply the effort. Introducing a new data type into the language can be done but is only the tip of the iceberg. There are tons of tools that also have to be adjusted.
Regards
Horst
Hi Horst,
Thanks for your contribution. I will be waiting for this new ABAP release and I think I will love it.
Horst,
We are upgrading to 7.40 and I am using your blog to guide out developers into these new things.
But we remark that some previously obsolete statements have become syntax errors.
One of them is this one: the use of the "*" in "*credat".
SELECT *
FROM pa0001
WHERE pernr EQ *zft_bcf-pernr
AND endda GE *credat
AND begda LE *credat.
Is there an overview of these disappearing obsolete statements? Some SAP-document might help me to convince our developers they have to change their way of working.
If you can already confirm this one has officially become an error, that is already a start.
Thanks for helping.
Kris
Hi Kris,
Now this one is funny.
Yes. we recommend not to use an asterisk (*) as the first character of a name, see http://help.sap.com/abapdocu_740/en/index.htm?file=abennaming_conventions.htm or http://help.sap.com/abapdocu_740/en/index.htm?file=abenprog_intern_names_guidl.htm.
But, alas, ABAP allows an asterisk as the first character of a name. Run my program DEMO_CHARACTERS_IN_ABAP_NAMES that shows the real situation (isn't it cool?).
So, the above syntax is not nice (tell your developers!), but unfortunately correct. You found a bug. The new Open SQL Parser believed in the good in man and hoped that nobody would use such names. Well, now it seems that it was ony a question.of time, til somebody stumbled over it.
My Open SQ colleague has fixed the kernel directly after forwarding your comment; check out upcoming sap note 1978210 (created only minutes ago)..
Now you can wait for the kernel patch or - much, much better - convince your colleagues to use better names
.
Cheers!
Horst
PS: Here is a list of the intented syntax changes (bug fixes) in Open SQL: http://help.sap.com/abapdocu_740/en/index.htm?file=abennews-740-open_sql.htm#!ABAP_MODIFICATION_5@5@
Hi Horst,
probably could be not a bug....
In Sap, i'm able to write code like this:
TABLES: bkpf, *bkpf.
SELECT * FROM bkpf.
WRITE:/ bkpf-belnr, sy-uline(65).
SELECT * FROM *bkpf WHERE awkey = bkpf-awkey.
WRITE:/ *bkpf-belnr.
ENDSELECT.
ENDSELECT.
I used to call "*bkpf" table as "Abap cluster table" (not strickly in sense of Db terminology).
As you can see, i can use the same table like an "alias".
I know very well that today, this syntax is "obsolete" and it's not the "right way" to procedd.
.
But in old Sap releases (i.e: 3.0/3.1) some standard programs used this syntax.
Best Regards
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
Your above code uses the obsolete short form of SELECT.
For reasons of downward compatibility you can still write this outside of classes and if you don't use new syntax like a @ in front of host variables:
Kind regards
Horst
Thanks a lot Horst for your quick answer.
Regards,
Andrea
Hello,
Thanks for the information. Indeed, SAP Netweaver 7.40 is very impressive...
Regards,
Catalin
Hi Horst,
Thanks for this valuable information
Thanks,
Satish
Hi Horst,
I'm an ex ext. developer -> SCM (DP/SNP)...(SSC Building)
There are only two things I need to know:
1. WIll it ever be possible to use group name field in dictionary structures for other cases than using it with move-corresponding ( or will meshes be used here )...Fieldcatalog?.. SELECT statement?
2. Why is it not possible to export and Import single system data when using SAP LOGON.. will it ever be possible to do that? (Maybe XML, waiting for this simple feature for about 15 years now)
Regards,
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
As far as I know, there are not such plans. The possibility of defining the group name is simpy for being able to define a global structure in the same way as a program local structure with INCLUDE TYPE ... AS name. The purpose is only for adressing all components of an included structure inside an ABAP program. The group name is even not relevant for MOVE-CORRESPONDING. I don't see a releation to meshes here.
Not my department!
(but would like that too
)
Very informative. thanks a lot
And now, ABAP just need variable scoping in a loop.
Well, "just" ...
Hi all,
Nice blog.
Hello Horst Keller,
First of all thanks a lot for this excelent blog!
I am using the most I can the new tools of the latest ABAP release but I am having an issue and maybe you, or someone, could help me.
Type with only company codes
types ty_company type table of bukrs.
Now let's say that we have a local table lt_t001 with a lot of company codes.
My goal is to insert all the companies in lt_t001 to lt_company with CORRESPONDING command:
data(lt_company) = CORRESPONDING ty_company( lt_t001 mapping table_line = bukrs ).
I am having an error "The type C is not a structure".
When I use tables with only one column, I can refer to it, in loops for example, with the command table_line, but it seems that the CORRESPONDING can not deal with it.
Am I doing something wrong or must I go to the old fashion loop and append a company in lt_company for each iteration of lt_t001?
Thanks a lot
Sérgio Fraga
Hello Sérgio Fraga,
Unfortunately, the pseudo component table_line cannot be used as a component of an internal table in the mapping rule.
This was not clear, when the recent documentation was released but added in a later version. In fact, the developers then still hoped to get it running
.
As a workaround, you might create a structured table type with one named component.
Best
Horst
Thanks a lot for your quick answer Horst,
That's too bad but let's have faith on those developers!
The workaround is nice but it doesn't make sence to create a workaround just to force the use of new command..I will go the old fashion loop for now..
KR
Sérgio Fraga
I do have a SELECT-issue and don't know a solution for that. I want to make the following:
Given a list of languages, we want to get all valid languages in a selection range table.
DATA:
"! list of languages
doku_langus TYPE w_pc_clang,
"! selection range of languages
doku_langu_range TYPE RANGE OF spras.
SELECT 'I' AS sign 'EQ' AS option spras AS low
INTO CORRESPONDING FIELDS OF TABLE doku_langu_range FROM t002
FOR ALL ENTRIES IN doku_langus
WHERE spras EQ doku_langus-table_line.
Syntax Check says:
1. divide columns by comma => OK
2. trail host variables with @ => OK
3. FOR ALL ENTRIES with host variables are not allowed. =>DEAD END
Has anyone a solution for that without modifying the range table with MODIFY....? I just want to make a single select to get a selection range.
Try new syntax:
select 'I' as sign, 'EQ' as option, spras as low
from t002
for all entries in @doku_langus
where spras = @doku_langus-table_line
into corresponding fields of table @doku_langu_range
Which part of
you did not understand?
Yes, my bad.
I think you cant get list of languages as range? (the one before sql)
This is my problem: I need the range table.
I wonder why you open that discussion here, but OK ...
Funnily, I had a similar problem some weeks ago.
You want to do something like this:
This is not possible, because for the time being FOR ALL ENTRIES is not allowed together with host variables in the SELECT list.
Why not beat it with another RANGES table?
Instead of looking up a FOR ALL ENTRIES table, you can look up a RANGES table, at least in such a simple case.
OMG, I must be blind. It's that easy. Thanks for helping.
Hi Horst,
Thank you, very nice information
Hi Horst,
Superb Doc!!!
One doubt: suppose I am using a read statement like: (10,000 records)
DATA(ind) = line_index( lt_vbak[ vbeln = '7000015769' ] ).
I tried comparing the time taken by Binary search and this new style.
It seems the new approach is taking more time for this kind of read statement.
Is it possible to specify BINARY SEARCH in the new coding style some how ?
Please do let us know.
Thanks,
Vaibhav
The error prone BINARY SEARCH is deliberately not supported in table expressions. We want you to use (secondary) table keys.
Thanks Horst for replying.
So, wouldn't it be performance issues if we are reading more than 10000 rows.
Can you please give a small code of how to optimize read statement with 7.4 ?
Thanks,
Vaibhav
See the program DEMO_SECONDARY_KEYS.
Thanks Horst
Hello,
Is there any possibility, to use some kind of "corresponding #" in FOR loops?
In my case, I have a table, with a several columns which I filled via a select,
but I have to fill one of the columns with a concatenated value.
("SELECT ... awkey = belnr && bukrs && gjahr" is not working in our release)
So I'd like to replace this, by a FOR loop if possible:
LOOP AT lt_tab ASSIGING FIELD-SYMBOL( <ls_tab> ).
<ls_tab>-awkey = <ls_tab>-belnr && <ls_tab>-bukrs && <ls_tab>-gjahr.
ENDLOOP.
Many thanks in advance for some hints how to do this
Maybe you can use String-Templates ( || ) instead of &&:
<ls_tab>-awkey = |{ <ls_tab>-belnr }{ <ls_tab>-bukrs }{<ls_tab>-gjahr}|
Do you use the new Open-SQL syntax with @ for variables usage? Like this:
SELECT f1, f2, f3 FROM table INTO @lt_tab
WHERE f4 = @lv_input.
Maybe this can solve your problem with the SELECT.
I tried:
select
belnr,
bukrs,
gjahr,
|{ belnr }{ bukrs }{ gjahr }| as awkey
into table @DATA(lt_table)
from bseg.
And also this:
select
belnr,
bukrs,
gjahr,
belnr && bukrs && gjahr as awkey
into table @DATA(lt_table)
from bseg.
which in general should work - if all variables were CHAR, but GJAHR is NUMC, but CAST to STRING/CHAR is not available so far but only to FLTP or DEC
(We are currently on EHP7 SP 9)
That's why I was looking for an easy way for a FOR loop instead
You are right, documentation for "sql_exp - sql_string" sais you can concatenate:
Unfortunately, corresponding to my knowledge does not support anything else than explicit column names for the mapping, i also missed something like that already. It would be nice to have something like this for your case:
lt_tab_new = corresponding #( lt_tab mapping awkey = |{ belnr }{ bukrs }{ gjahr }| ).
You could use VALUE, but i think you lose both performance and readability:
lt_tab = VALUE #( LET lt_backup = lt_tab IN
FOR ls_segment IN lt_backup
( belnr = ls_segment-belnr
bukrs = ls_segment-bukrs
gjahr = ls_segment-gjahr
awkey = |{ ls_segment-belnr }{ ls_segment-bukrs }{ ls_segment-gjahr }| ) ).
(LET is needed, if you want to reuse lt_tab for the result of the value expression).
Another option for immediately assembling your table would be a SELECT ... ENDSELECT instead of the SELECT INTO TABLE followed by your loop.
Have you tried to use CONV?
|{ belnr }{ bukrs }{ CONV char4( gjahr ) }| as awkey
It seems that the solution can't be done directly in the SQL Statement due to the fact that BSEG is not a transparent table.
The only solution I found would be the following (using a FOR expression) :
TYPES:
BEGIN OF ty_s_bseg,
belnr TYPE bseg-belnr,
bukrs TYPE bseg-bukrs,
gjahr TYPE bseg-gjahr,
awkey TYPE string,
END OF ty_s_bseg.
TYPES: ty_t_bseg TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF ty_s_bseg WITH EMPTY KEY.
SELECT bukrs, belnr, gjahr
FROM bseg
INTO TABLE @DATA(lt_db_bseg).
DATA(lt_table) = VALUE ty_t_bseg( FOR <ls_db_bseg> IN lt_db_bseg
( CORRESPONDING #( BASE ( VALUE #( awkey = |{ <ls_db_bseg>-belnr }{ <ls_db_bseg>-bukrs }{ <ls_db_bseg>-gjahr }| ) )
<ls_db_bseg> ) ) ).
You might also check the capabilities of ABAP CDS for your release. It might support there more string functions than Open SQL already. You can easily wrap the access to transparent tables in CDS views and access those with Open SQl.
Well it seems, that for the time beeing, the fastest and easiest way is still
LOOP AT ... ASSIGNING FIELD-SYMBOL(<...>).
<>-AWKEY = <>-BELNR && <>-BUKRS && <>-GJAHR.
ENDLOOP.
As the only meaningful options would be either having this kind of concat directly in the select, or having something like Thomas Krügl supposed:
lt_new_tab = CORRESPONDING #( lt_tab MAPPING awkey = |{ belnr }{ bukrs }{ gjahr }| ).
Creative and helpful article...
Hi Horst,
Fantastic blog. Thanks a ton. I still have a query. I know I do not have the latest version in my system. But even otherwise how do I find the version and EHP level and get the right release notes
How to find out EhP version
Hi, you find the ABAP release information directly in your system, TA ABAPHELP, enter "News" and off you go. The most recent news matching the EHP of your system are listed at the top.
Dear Dr.Horst Keller
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