SAP ABAP development · Lesson

ABAP basics

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.

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

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.

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Check your understanding

Which statement is true of ABAP basics?
- A. It has deep, built-in integration with the database (via Open SQL), the ABAP Dictionary, and SAP’s screens…
- B. Capacity planning in PP checks and levels the load on work centers, ensuring the production plan is actually…
- C. Hardware sizing determines whether an SAP system performs and scales, or struggles.
Show answer
A. It has deep, built-in integration with the database (via Open SQL), the ABAP Dictionary, and SAP’s screens…
Covered in the “What ABAP is” section of this lesson.
Which of these also applies to ABAP basics?
- A. Deploying but not registering the tile/catalog.
- B. It has evolved from procedural roots into a modern object-oriented language, and recent "ABAP for HANA" and…
- C. Posting to the wrong period due to the posting date.
Show answer
B. It has evolved from procedural roots into a modern object-oriented language, and recent "ABAP for HANA" and…
Covered in the “What ABAP is” section of this lesson.
Which part of the Learn SAP curriculum covers ABAP basics?
- A. SAP Fiori
- B. SAP labs
- C. SAP ABAP development
Show answer
C. SAP ABAP development
This lesson sits in the SAP ABAP development section of the Learn SAP course.

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?

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.