ABAP/4
Defining Data
• Defining Data:
–
–
–
–
–
Data statement
Parameters statement
Tables statement
Constants statement
Data statement to define field
strings
– User defined Data types
– Type-pools
ABAP/4
Defining Data
• Defining Variables:
– Data statement
data f1(2) type c.
data f2 like f1.
data : max_value type I value 100,
cur_date type d
value ‘19990201’
– Parameters statement
• Special type of variable that will
accept input from user.
– Parameters p1(2) type c.
– Parameters cur_date type d
default ‘19980211’ obligatory.
ABAP/4
Defining Data
• Data types
– Character and Numeric
• Character Data types
Data
Type
Internal
Description
Default
Internal
Length
Max
Internal
Length
Valid
Values
Default
Initial
Value
c
character
1
65535
Any char
Blank
n
Numeric
text
1
65535
0-9
0
d
date
8 (fixed)
-
0-9
00000000
t
time
6 (fixed)
-
0-9
000000
x
hexadecimal
1
65535
Any
ABAP/4
Defining Data
• Data types
– Character and Numeric
• Numeric Data types
Data
Type
Internal
Description
Default
Internal
Length
Max
Length/
Dec
Valid
Values
Default
Initial
Value
I
integer
4(fixed)
-/0
-231 to +
231
0
P
Packed
decimal
8
16 / 14
0-9
0
F
Floating
point
8
22 /
15*
-E-307 to
1E308
0.0
• Use integers for simple
computations, counters, indexes etc
• Floating point for very large values
or many decimal places.
ABAP/4
Defining Data
• Defining constants:
– Identical to a variable except that its
value cannot be changed.
– Constants c1(2) type c value ‘AA’.
– Constants c2 like c1 value ‘BB’
• Defining Field strings:
• Type of variable, equivalent structure in
DDIC but is defined within ABAP program
• Has global and local visibility.
– Data: begin of totals,
region(7) value ‘unknown’,
debits(15) type p,
count
type I,
end of totals.
Totals-debits = 100.
Totals-counts = 10.
ABAP/4
Defining Data
• Using Tables statement to
define a field string.
• Has global and external visibility no
matter where it is placed in the
program.
– Tables ztxlfa1.
– Ztxlfa1-name1 = ‘Bugsy’.
– Ztxlfa1-land1 = ‘US’.
• User defined types:
– Types : dollars(16) type p
decimals 2.
– Data : petty_cash type dollars,
–
Pay_outs type dollars,
–
lump_sums type dollars.
ABAP/4
Defining Data
• Using Type groups (Type-pool)
to define types or constants.
– Data Dictionary object that
contains one or more types or
constants statements.
– Multiple programs can share a
type group.