IT CanvassTalk to an advisor
SAP ABAP development · LessonBy , SAP Solution Architect · Published · SAP S/4HANA 2023 · all levels

ABAP basics

ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) is SAP’s proprietary programming language, the language in which most of SAP’s applications are written and in which customers build custom reports, enhancements and interfaces. Learning ABAP is the gateway to the SAP technical track.

Quick answer

From here you learn data types and variables, control flow (loops, conditions), the workhorse internal tables, and then object-oriented ABAP (classes and methods), ALV reporting, and integration objects (BAPI, RFC, IDoc).

Key takeaways
  • ABAP is a high-level, business-oriented language that runs inside the SAP application server.
  • Classic development uses the ABAP Workbench (SE80) and editor (SE38 for programs, SE24 for classes) in SAP GUI.
  • Learning ABAP is the gateway to the SAP technical track.
  • Watch out: Learning only procedural ABAP, modern ABAP is object-oriented and CDS-based.
ABAP program flow: data declarations, selection, processing and output

What ABAP is

ABAP is a high-level, business-oriented language that runs inside the SAP application server. It has deep, built-in integration with the database (via Open SQL), the ABAP Dictionary, and SAP’s screens and business objects. It has evolved from procedural roots into a modern object-oriented language, and recent "ABAP for HANA" and CDS additions push logic down to the database.

Where you write ABAP

Classic development uses the ABAP Workbench (SE80) and editor (SE38 for programs, SE24 for classes) in SAP GUI. Modern development increasingly uses ABAP Development Tools (ADT) in Eclipse, especially for CDS, RAP and cloud ABAP.

A first program

REPORT z_hello.
DATA lv_name TYPE string VALUE 'SAP'.
WRITE: / |Hello, { lv_name }!|.

The building blocks ahead

From here you learn data types and variables, control flow (loops, conditions), the workhorse internal tables, and then object-oriented ABAP (classes and methods), ALV reporting, and integration objects (BAPI, RFC, IDoc). Modern topics, CDS views and OData, connect ABAP to Fiori.

Common pitfalls

  • Learning only procedural ABAP, modern ABAP is object-oriented and CDS-based.
  • Ignoring Open SQL performance from the start.
  • Skipping ADT/Eclipse, the modern development environment.

Authoritative sources

  • - Official ABAP language reference

Practice challenge

+0 XPStreak ×0
Question 1 of 3
Which statement is true of ABAP basics?

Frequently asked questions

What does the term ABAP basics refer to in SAP?
ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) is SAP’s proprietary programming language, the language in which most of SAP’s applications are written and in which customers build custom reports, enhancements and interfaces. Learning ABAP is the gateway to the SAP technical track.
What is connected to ABAP basics in an SAP landscape?
From here you learn data types and variables, control flow (loops, conditions), the workhorse internal tables, and then object-oriented ABAP (classes and methods), ALV reporting, and integration objects (BAPI, RFC, IDoc).
What is worth remembering about ABAP basics in practice?
ABAP is a high-level, business-oriented language that runs inside the SAP application server.
What tends to go wrong with ABAP basics?
Learning only procedural ABAP, modern ABAP is object-oriented and CDS-based. Ignoring Open SQL performance from the start. Skipping ADT/Eclipse, the modern development environment.
Already working on SAP and stuck on a live ticket?Get an expert SAP developer on screen-share to finish your daily tasks with you. Deliver on time, protect your reputation and your job. Monthly support only, no task-wise plans.Task assigned · no idea where to startStill stuck · your job on the lineExpert joins your screenDelivered on timeExplore On Job Support