SAP development and programming languages
SAP development tools are often essential in getting the most from an SAP system. Read SAP programming tips and expert advice on how to customize, configure and extend applications and stay up on the important news about key SAP development tools such as SAP NetWeaver and ABAP.
Top Stories
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News
03 Sep 2024
Mueller latest to leave SAP leadership ranks
SAP CTO Juergen Mueller is leaving the company as the result of an incident at an event, leaving questions about the direction of SAP's Business Technology Platform. Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2024
SAP highlights business AI partnerships, puts Joule in spotlight
On the first day of Sapphire, SAP focused on business AI and the criticality of its GenAI assistant. But analysts say the emphasis on AI might be too forward-looking for customers. Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2024
SAP highlights business AI partnerships, puts Joule in spotlight
On the first day of Sapphire, SAP focused on business AI and the criticality of its GenAI assistant. But analysts say the emphasis on AI might be too forward-looking for customers. Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2023
SAP unveils AI-focused developer tools at TechEd
SAP debuted AI-infused products for improved developer productivity: SAP Build Code for pro developers, a HANA Cloud vector database and the AI Foundation collection of services. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Nov 2023
Metals recycler uses SAP BTP to make S/4HANA fit for purpose
SAP Business Technology Platform is proving itself to be a flexible development and integration toolkit, helping companies customize SAP and connect diverse systems and data. Continue Reading
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Definition
02 Jun 2023
continuous deployment
Continuous deployment is a strategy for software development and releases in which every code change is automatically run through a pipeline of tests and inspections before being pushed into production. Continue Reading
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News
15 Feb 2023
SAP.io selects 5 Web 3.0 startups that HR may want
SAP has picked five Web 3.0 startups that reflect the direction of HR, including companies that provide ways to pay employees in cryptocurrency and use holographic images. Continue Reading
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Definition
09 Feb 2023
KLOC (thousands of lines of code)
KLOC (thousands of lines of code) is a traditional measure of how large a computer program is or how long or how many people it will take to write it. Continue Reading
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Podcast
27 Dec 2022
What's behind the low-code/no-code development trend in ERP?
Holger Mueller of Constellation Research says low-code/no-code development tools from ERP vendors offer significant benefits to both professional developers and non-technical business users. Continue Reading
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News
16 Nov 2022
SAP low-code platform looks to fill developer gaps
SAP Build, a new low-code platform that debuted at SAP TechEd, is designed to enable business users to create apps, but it's entering a noisy market and may struggle to find users. Continue Reading
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Definition
25 Aug 2022
lexical scoping (static scoping)
Lexical scoping, also known as static scoping, is a convention used with many modern programming languages. Continue Reading
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News
17 Nov 2021
SAP TechEd sets sights on hyperscalers with developer tools
SAP launched a series of developer products at SAP TechEd, including free tier access for the SAP Business Technology Platform and the low-code/no-code platform SAP AppGyver. Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2020
SAP TechEd focuses on easing app development complexity
At the virtual event, SAP unveiled low-code/no-code development tools and announced free SAP Cloud Platform access for developers to reduce the complexity of building SAP apps. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Jun 2020
SAP Cloud Platform apps deal with pandemic problems
SAP Cloud Platform is proving to be a useful development environment for applications that address issues brought on by the pandemic. Continue Reading
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News
18 Jun 2020
SAP's Climate 21 program sets sights on global sustainability
At SAP Sapphire Now, SAP unveiled Climate 21, a program designed to make the intelligent enterprise more sustainable. Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2020
SAP Cloud Platform app helps German citizens find their way home
Rückholprogramm, an SAP Cloud Platform app, was built in just a few days to fulfill a request from the German Federal Foreign Office. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Aug 2019
How to implement DevOps for SAP Cloud Platform: 4 best practices
A successful implementation of DevOps for SAP begins with understanding several best practices. Here are four to get you started. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Jun 2019
SAP.iO gives startups a leg up with resources and investment
Goodr and Ruum are part of SAP.iO, a startup incubator that provides investment, as well as technical and business resources to bring innovative products to market. SAP gets something out of it, too. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Mar 2019
Release of ABAP in SAP Cloud Platform to extend S/4HANA
ABAP's future is bright with the support of SAP technology like S/4HANA, but having ABAP in the cloud will take some adjustment, and developers may face challenges along the way. Continue Reading
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News
01 Mar 2019
SAP ups mobile ante with SAP iOS SDK, Android SDK
SAP debuted new versions of its iOS and Android software development kits at Mobile World Congress. They include new integrations and functions for developing SAP mobile applications. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Feb 2019
ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming)
ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) is the primary programming language supported on the SAP NetWeaver ABAP application server platform and applications that run on it, such as SAP ERP (formerly R/3), S/4HANA and CRM. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Feb 2019
SAP managed services weed out IT complexity at Ball Horticulture
Ball Horticultural outsourced its SAP Basis administration to Symmetry when the complexity of its SAP environment grew, but internal change management was a challenge. Continue Reading
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Answer
07 Dec 2018
How does a design thinking methodology ensure your SAP apps work well?
Gavin Quinn of Mindset Consulting shares how SAP Fiori app developers can use design thinking and Agile methodologies to ensure applications are great for users. Continue Reading
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Answer
07 Dec 2018
How do you turn app designs into great SAP Fiori apps?
Gavin Quinn of Mindset Consulting shares how SAP Fiori app developers can use certain tools and strategies to turn an app design into a great SAP Fiori app. Continue Reading
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Answer
06 Dec 2018
How do I avoid having too many Fiori tiles?
The design rule of thumb is to keep the Launchpad tile count under 20. But what about power users who need to launch more applications? Here are several good options to try. Continue Reading
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Answer
22 Oct 2018
How do the various SAP Fiori Launchpad versions differ?
The way Launchpad versions relate to each other and to SAPUI5 versions isn't intuitive, and both affect app compatibility and access to newer features, like Fiori Elements templates. Continue Reading
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News
05 Oct 2018
SAP Cloud Platform ABAP reflects openness theme at SAP TechEd
Openness and the cloud were the main themes presented at SAP TechEd 2018. While customers liked the message, they may not be ready to put the technologies into real applications. Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Sep 2018
How does design thinking with SAP help Fiori development?
SAP Fiori is more than a new UI for SAP applications; it's a comprehensive UX development platform. Gavin Quinn tells why design thinking enables you to build great Fiori apps. Continue Reading
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Definition
30 Aug 2018
SAP Cloud Platform
SAP Cloud Platform (SCP) is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) product that provides a development and runtime environment for cloud applications. Continue Reading
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Answer
23 Aug 2018
How can a 13-year-old configuration flaw affect SAP systems?
Cybersecurity vendor Onapsis found a 13-year-old flaw that affects nine out of 10 SAP NetWeaver systems. Learn how the flaw affects SAP systems with expert Judith Myerson. Continue Reading
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Definition
30 Jul 2018
SAP Fiori
SAP Fiori is a design language and user experience approach developed by SAP for use by SAP, its customers and its partners in business applications. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Jul 2018
French transit develops chatbot with SAP Conversational AI
The transit system in the Paris metropolitan area is tackling an AI-driven chatbot project to create an easy way for riders to access personalized information. Here's a look. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jun 2018
New tools unveiled to monitor, manage and optimize SAP environments
Vendors announced software to help organizations move to SAP systems, including test automation, code profiling for HANA apps, user experience management and GDPR compliance. Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2018
SAP and Accenture collaborate on entitlement management platform
SAP collaborates with Accenture on entitlements management and digital transformation platform for defense organizations. AppDynamics releases new application monitoring tool for SAP. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 May 2018
SAP BAPI (Business Application Programming Interface)
SAP BAPI (Business Application Programming Interface) is a standard interface to the business object models in SAP products. Continue Reading
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Definition
29 May 2018
IDoc (intermediate document)
IDoc (intermediate document) is a standard data structure used in SAP applications to transfer data to and from SAP system applications and external systems. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 May 2018
Inside SAP's digital transformation strategy
In this Q&A, Bertram Schulte, SAP's chief digital officer, discusses the how and why as the company goes through its own internal digital transformation. Continue Reading
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Answer
02 May 2018
What are SAPUI5 libraries, and how should developers use them?
If you want to get more serious about developing UI5 apps, you need to know how the libraries fit into the broader architecture, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Continue Reading
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Answer
29 Mar 2018
How can I tell if I have the right SAPUI5 version?
You'll understand the different innovation and maintenance versions, the role of ABAP delivery stacks and how long to count on support once you know SAP's numbering scheme. Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2018
SAP debuts consumption-based pricing model for SAP Cloud
SAP Cloud Platform is now available as a consumption-based model, an alternative to the subscription model. SAP also updated the SCP SDK for iOS and released two new apps. Continue Reading
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Definition
29 Nov 2017
SAP Basis
Basis is a set of middleware programs and tools from SAP, the German company whose comprehensive R/3 product is used to help manage large corporations. (Continued...) Continue Reading
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Answer
03 Apr 2017
How does intent-based navigation work in SAP Fiori Launchpad?
Read these tips to understand the underlying architecture and programming rules for customizing the SAP Fiori Launchpad for specific users and their roles. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Oct 2016
Use Fiori Elements and smart controls for custom Fiori apps
Fiori Elements can save development time and provide a consistent user experience across SAP Fiori apps, if you know a bit about what's under the hood. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Sep 2016
Quick copy/cut & paste tip using SAP Ctrl+Y
With the SAP Ctrl+Y feature, you can quickly copy text in SAP by simply highlighting it with your mouse. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Apr 2016
Building data visualization with SAP Fiori tools
Some BI developers will get by fine with features such as the Fiori Launchpad and Overview pages. Here's what's built into Fiori now, and what's on the horizon. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jan 2016
Implementing modern practices in an ABAP development shop
You don't have to wait for SAP to provide modern tools for automated testing, continuous integration and other key processes. Try these five steps first. Continue Reading
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Answer
30 Nov 2015
How can I use Git and GitHub for SAP software development?
Assembla, Bitbucket, GitHub, Mercurial and Subversion are some of the open-source version-control and collaboration platforms available for managing SAP development projects. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Mar 2014
What's the difference between SAP ABAP and SAP Basis?
Confused by the difference between SAP ABAP and SAP Basis? Developer Ethan Jewett explains how to tell them apart. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
24 Feb 2011
Introduction to SAP ABAP internal tables
In this SAP Press book chapter download, find an overview of SAP ABAP internal tables. Learn about the different ABAP table types available. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Dec 2010
Java administration in SAP: Three tips for Basis administrators
Sooner or later, Basis administrators will have to get used to Java administration in SAP. Read tips for finding information on a Java instance and monitoring memory utilization. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Nov 2010
Working with ABAP date and time data types
Find an introduction to SAP ABAP date and time data types in this tutorial. You'll also learn to create calculations using the built-in date and time data. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Nov 2010
Advanced ABAP operations with elementary data types
In this book chapter excerpt, discover some ABAP advanced operations that can be performed using elementary data. You'll also learn how to use these features in your ABAP programs. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Jun 2010
Solving SAP print problems
Many of you have written to say that printing from SAP is a lot like root canal. The process is slow and painful, but necessary. Our experts drill down to solve print issues here. Continue Reading
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Answer
20 May 2010
How to fix a slip print-out error in an SAP Smart Form
An SAP user is looking to fix an error with a packing slip print-out in an SAP Smart Form. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 May 2010
Performing RFC connection checks in NetWeaver BW with SAP TREX
SAP administrators can use SAP TREX to diagnose and repair broken RFC connections between SAP NetWeaver BW and the blades of the BW Accelerator. Continue Reading
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Answer
22 Mar 2010
Creating an SAP IDoc for sales orders
A SearchSAP.com reader wants to know how to create an SAP IDoc along with sales order details when sales orders are created, changed or cancelled. Continue Reading
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Answer
22 Mar 2010
Using separate trading partner fields in SAP function FB01
An SAP R/3 4.7 user wants looking to post a document entry using different trading partner fields for credit and debit for function FB01. Continue Reading
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Answer
03 Dec 2009
Using SAP change documents to make change logs visible
A SearchSAP.com reader who is writing a program to update SAP tables wants to know how to make updates visible in a change log by using an SAP change document. Continue Reading
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Answer
25 Jun 2009
Configuring SAP EDI for sales orders
Learn how to configure SAP EDI for sales orders. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Jun 2009
How to correct an SAP ABAP dump with an oversize condition
Find out how to correct an SAP ABAP dump with an oversize condition to avoid an SAP ABAP dump giving an DBIF_RSQL_ INVALID_RSQL error at the SQL statement. Continue Reading
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Answer
28 May 2009
Creating a function group for an SAP ABAP table maintenance generator
Learn how to create a function group and authorization group using an SAP ABAP table maintenance generator on a Z table. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 May 2009
How can I get an ABAP program displaying Excel data to wrap text?
Learn how to display details from a Microsoft Excel database table using the Wrap Text function when developing an SAP ABAP program. Continue Reading
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Answer
18 May 2009
How to install an add-on using a SAINT transaction in SAP Basis
A SearchSAP.com reader is using a SAINT transaction in SAP Basis and wants to install an add-on. Continue Reading
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Answer
13 Jan 2009
How to manually add files to an SAP transport queue
An administrator wants to learn the procedure for manually adding files to a transport queue. Continue Reading
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Answer
02 Oct 2008
Changing SAP spool servers for all the printers in your QA system
Employing menu settings in Tcode (SPAD) can change SAP spool servers for your QA system. Learn how in this expert tip. Continue Reading
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Answer
02 Oct 2008
What is the difference between SPFILE and PFILE in Oracle?
One reader asks about the difference between SPFILE and PFILE and advice for setting Oracle 10G parameters for SAP ECC6. Read an expert's take here. Continue Reading
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Answer
22 Jul 2008
Make function module calls in SAP from an external system
How to make function module calls in SAP from an external system Continue Reading
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Answer
15 Jul 2008
Error when clicking the SAP GUI logon button
An SAP user receives a curious error message when he clicks the logon button in the SAP GUI. Continue Reading
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Answer
15 Jul 2008
What's the difference between an SAP system and a non-SAP system?
What is the difference between an SAP system and a non-SAP system? Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jul 2008
Increase column width in a transaction screen
This tips tells you a quick and easy way to increase the column width in a transaction screen. Continue Reading
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Quiz
02 Jul 2008
SAP ABAP development quiz
Are you interested in ABAP? Of course you are. It is one of the essential SAP languages and knowledge of ABAP is very valuable. Test your ABAP skills here. Continue Reading
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Answer
12 Jun 2008
Changing a customer message priority level after it's sent
I mistakenly sent a customer message with the wrong priority level. How can I change the priority level of the message sent? Continue Reading
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Answer
12 Jun 2008
Fixing inconsistencies in TemSe and Spool systems
I have found some inconsistencies in TemSe and in the Spool system. Please let me know the causes of these inconsistencies. How can I analyze and rectify these inconsistencies? Continue Reading
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Answer
12 Jun 2008
What does the Parameter tab mean in SU01
In SU01, what does the tab Parameter mean? Continue Reading
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Quiz
28 May 2008
Quiz: SAP for beginners
Do you have what it takes to start an SAP career? Find out by taking this test based on the book "Discover SAP" by Nancy Muir and Ian Kimbell. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 May 2008
Easily debug error messages in SAP processes
Sometimes, an SAP process will stop working with an error message, or an abend. Unlike with a dump, it can be difficult to find exactly where the problem occured. Continue Reading
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Answer
06 Mar 2008
Setting soft breakpoints in ABAP that reside in Smart Forms
I've always set hard-coded breakpoints in ABAP code that reside in a Smart Form. Is it possible to set soft breakpoints instead? Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Jan 2008
Viewing a list of SAP interfaces
Is there a way to view a list of SAP interfaces such as RFC, BAPI and ALE? Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Jan 2008
SAPgui disconnection problem
We are having a problem with clients disconnecting from the SAPgui. They are attempting to connect to a Solaris/Unix server through a firewall. We have found that the connection to the Wintel server is fine, but not the UNIX server. Clients on the local network (no firewall) are also fine. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Aug 2007
Web Dynpro ABAP Quick Tip: Table column sorting in four steps
This tip is for those of you who are very new to Web Dynpro ABAP and need help sorting table columns. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Aug 2007
ABAP for newbies: How to dynamically create test data for our database table
With the new build of the SAP NetWeaver 2004s ABAP trial version (SP11), you may need to update your ABAP developer skills (beginners and experienced) to understand the new version. By the end of this tip series, you should have a good understanding of what's going on in the ABAP application server. In part 14, Thomas Weiss shows us how to dynamically create test data for our database table. Continue Reading
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Answer
11 Jul 2007
Problems with the output device 'LOCL'
I am setting up shop papers (PM) in Smart Forms using Helvetica font. The shop papers were designed with output device LOCL. The output changes (spaces between words) based on the output device. How do I fix this? Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Jul 2007
SAP ABAP for beginners
With the new build of the SAP NetWeaver 2004s ABAP trial version (SP11), we bring you a series of tips that will update your ABAP developer skills (beginners and experienced) to this new version. By the end of this series, you will have a good understanding of what's going on in the ABAP application server. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Jun 2007
How to start and stop SAP ABAP application server
With the new build of the SAP NetWeaver 2004s ABAP trial version (SP11), you may need to update your ABAP developer skills (beginners and experienced) to understand the new version. By the end of this tip series, you should have a good understanding of what's going on in the ABAP application server. In part 2, Manfred Lutz discusses starting and stopping the application server. Continue Reading
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Answer
04 Jun 2007
Comparing locally managed and dictionary managed tablespaces
What is the difference between a locally managed and a dictionary managed tablespace, and what are the benefits of using a locally managed tablespace? Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Jun 2007
Download and install the trial version of SAP NetWeaver 2004s ABAP
With the new build of the SAP NetWeaver 2004s ABAP trial version (SP11), we bring you a series of tips that will update your ABAP developer skills (beginners and experienced) to this new version. By the end of this series, you will have a good understanding of what's going on in the ABAP application server. Continue Reading
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Answer
29 May 2007
What do the .att and .pat files from a support package extraction contain?
When we extract the .car file from our support pack we get .att and .pat files. What data do these files contain? Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Apr 2007
Repair bad SAP data and subsequent data targets with delta update
Initialization / delta updates are what we do everyday, and the update method for most data targets. The delta mechanism ensures the consistency of transactional data. So if some data is wrong in the early stage of data flow, we have to not only correct the data but also correct the related records in subsequent data targets. Unfortunately such data can't be avoided in daily extraction. In some situations, the data to ODS is correct but reports errors while loading from ODS to Cubes. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Apr 2007
Using subroutine pools for dynamic programming
The code to generate a temporary subroutine pool for dynamic programming in ABAP provided by a senior developer analyst at General Mills. Continue Reading
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Answer
25 Mar 2007
Reverting transport request changes
Can it hurt anything to go back to the original version of SAP without the new objects generated by transport requests? Bert Vanstechelman sheds some light on the matter. Continue Reading
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Answer
25 Mar 2007
What are the best practices for pricing configuration?
A reader states, "our pricing and contract management is a mess" in SA. Expert Srini Katta offers some general suggestions for determining a pricing configuration. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jan 2007
How to transport table entries
Ever wanted to save entries after a transaction and then transport them to different servers? This tip from the SAP Developer Network shows you how. Continue Reading
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Answer
03 Jan 2007
Printing multiple line items in a box for a purchase order
What could cause a box command to print line items only once instead of multiple times? Expert Mark Smithson surmises the answer. Continue Reading
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Answer
03 Jan 2007
Printing addresses without a country line using SAPscript
The address key is handy for printing addresses, but what if you don't want the country name printed? Expert Mark Smithson lets you know how to disable the country line. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Aug 2004
Getting around RFC_READ_TABLE limitations
This tip provides code to help developers get around RFC_READ_TABLE limitations. Continue Reading