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ABAP Dictionary Changes

ABAP Dictionary Changes | 2.07 March-2005 © 2005 IBM Corporation

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Objectives

 The participants will be able to:

 Explain why an Object must be activated and demonstrate how to activate an Object.
 Describe how SAP handles Version Management.

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Activation

 An object must be fully activated in the SAP system in order to be used by other
objects

Data Object

ABAP Dictionary

Activation Icon

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Mass Activation

 The mass activation program RDDMASG0 can either be run online or

scheduled as a background job

Online

Background

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Table Activation

 ABAP programs and Screen Painter screens always use the current
version of a table activated in the Dictionary.

Screen Painter ABAP Programs

? ? Log Entries
Consistency Checks

Updates

 A data object is automatically checked for consistency (among data types) when
the object has been changed.

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Database Utility

 The Database (DB) Utility is a tool used in SAP to serve as an interface between
the database management software (i.e., ORACLE™, INFORMIX™, DB2™,
INGRES™, etc) and the ABAP Dictionary

ABA
Dicti P
onar
y

Online
vs.
Background

Log File
DB

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Change Key of Value Table

 Changing the primary key of a value table that is being used by a domain,
requires a lengthy process because of the embedded links between the domain
and the value table.

Tables
YANGIE1 “YZIPCODES”
YEMPLOY Value Table
1 9 7 0 2
1 9 7 0 2

Domain
“YZIP”
NUMC 10
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Versions

 An object in the ABAP Dictionary can exist in various versions

 There are two VERSIONS of an object that can exist in the ABAP Dictionary:
Active & Revised.

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Version Management

 Several temporary versions of an active object can be stored when a CTS is open.
 Historical versions are created every time a CTS is released.

Active Version

Historical
Version

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Version Management (Contd.)

Display

Compare

Retrieve stored version of object

REMOTE compare

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Demonstration

 Creation of an ABAP report program and assigning the same to a package.

 Subsequently releasing the same program and then making further changes to
the program.
 Then going to the version management for the program and viewing the
differences between the current active version and the one released previously.

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Practice

 Creation of an ABAP report program and assigning the same to a package.

 Subsequently releasing the same program and then making further changes to
the program.
 Then going to the version management for the program and viewing the
differences between the current active version and the one released previously.

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Locks on Dictionary Objects

 When you activate an object any locks on the object are automatically released

ABA
Dicti P
onar
y

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SPDD Transaction

 Versions of repaired SAP standard objects can be compared with new

SAP standard objects by using the transaction SPDD

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Summary

 An object must be fully activated in the SAP system in order to be used by other
objects
 When an object is changed and re-activated, all other objects currently linked to
the changed object are automatically updated
 Changing the primary key of a value table that is being used by a domain,
requires a lengthy process because of the embedded links between the domain
and the value table
 The various versions of an object in the ABAP Dictionary can be viewed via the
menu path Utilities  Version management.
 Versions of modified (repaired) SAP standard objects can be compared with new
SAP standard objects by using the transaction SPDD.

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Questions

 Why should SAP Objects be activated ?

 How are different versions of programs maintained in SAP ?

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