In SAP ABAP, there are different types of views that play a crucial role in data management and access. These views provide users with specific perspectives or subsets of data from the underlying database tables. Understanding the various types of views is essential for developers and consultants working with SAP ABAP to effectively design, implement, and optimize their applications. This article will explore these different view types, explaining their characteristics and use cases to help readers gain a comprehensive understanding of how they can leverage them in their ABAP development projects.
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Types of SAP ABAP Views
ABAP offers four distinct types of views that are supported.
Different Types of Views in SAP ABAP
Database views are created on the database and are automatically generated when activated. Inner join is utilized to establish these views, which are defined in the ABAP dictionary.
The database interface allows application programs to retrieve data from the database view.
The information in the ABAP program can be retrieved by utilizing OPEN SQL and NATIVE SQL.
Projection views –
Projection views are utilized to conceal the fields of tables and are exclusively employed for projection purposes. The creation of Projection views involves the use of outer join operations.
A single table is created by this type of view. Projection views do not have the ability to define a selection method. In the database, there are no corresponding objects for projection views.
Different SAP ABAP View Types
Help views are utilized as a means to select search helps. The creation of Help views involves the use of outer joins. The search help selection method can be either a table or a view.
Types Of Views In SAP ABAP
Step-2: Select view radio button and enter the view name. Click on ” Create ” button.
Step-3: It opens ” Choose View Type ” popup to choose the type of the view. In this example, we are creating database view. So select ” database view ” radio button and click on ” Copy ” button.
Step-4: Fill in the brief description, table details, and any applicable join conditions.
Step-5: Open View Flds tab and click on the ” Table fields ” button to select the field from the table.
Step-6: It opens ” Base Tables ” dialog with available table names. Select the table and click on ” Choose ” button to open the field selection screen.
Step-7: Select the required fields from the table and click on ” Copy ” button.
Step-8: Continue following steps 5 to 7 until all the tables have been included for selection.
Please be aware that if a view is created based on a single table, it is possible to define the maintenance status for that particular view.
Step-9: In this scenario, the view is set to be read-only because it was created using multiple tables.
Step-10: Click on (Ctrl + S) or ” Save ” icon to save the view. System asks for the package. Enter existing package if any, or create new package.
Once the package details entered, click on ” Local object ” (if it is a local structure and non transportable object) or ” Save “to create the views.
Step-11: Once the view saved successfully, the ” ZTC_VSALES saved ” message displayed on status bar.
Step-12: Now click on ” Activate ” icon or ” Ctrl +F3 ” to activate table.
The View has been activated and is now accessible to all programs.
If error messages or warnings occurred during the activation of the view, the activation log gets displayed automatically. The same activation log can navigate through menu option Utilities(M) → Activation log.
Step-13: After activating the view, simply click on the Contents icon located on the application bar.
Step-14: It opens ” Data browser: Selection ” screen. Click on ” Execute ” to entire data in view.
Step-15: The data browser for Table ZTC_VSALES will show a screen with all the information retrieved from the view.
Various Kinds of Views in SAP ABAP
If there are any inaccuracies in the updated information or if new fields need to be added or removed from the tables that are joined in the view, it is necessary to modify the definition of the view. The change option is used to alter the properties of the view. To modify the view definition, follow these steps.
Step-2: Enter the view name and click on the ” Change ” button.
Step-3: Click on ” Save ” once the information modified. Verify the below message gets displayed on status bar.
Step-4: Click on ” Activate ” icon or ” Ctrl +F3 ” to activate the new changes of the views. Verify the below message gets displayed on status bar.
To remove a view that is no longer needed or was created incorrectly, the following steps can be followed to delete the view.
Step-2: Enter the view name and click on the ” delete ” icon.
After the successful deletion of the view, a message will appear on the status bar.
ABAP: Counting the Varieties of Views
There are four different types of views supported in SAP ABAP. These views vary in their implementation and the methods allowed for accessing the view data. The following is a list of these view types:
1. Database Views: These views are implemented with an equivalent representation of the database.
2. Projection Views: Used to hide specific fields of a table, only showing selected fields.
3. Maintenance Views: Designed for maintaining master data records by providing an interface for creating, modifying, and deleting entries.
4. Help Views: Created specifically to provide help information or additional details about certain fields or values within a program.
What do SAP views entail?
Views in SAP ABAP are data dictionary repository objects that allow users to view data from multiple tables in a single location. Similar to database tables, views do not store any physical data but instead retrieve information from various tables, functioning as virtual tables. Views provide a consolidated and organized way of accessing and analyzing data without the need for duplicating or modifying existing table structures. They offer flexibility and convenience by presenting relevant information based on specific criteria or conditions defined by the user.
There are different types of views available in SAP ABAP:
1. Database View: This type of view is used to combine fields from multiple database tables into a single structure. It provides an integrated view of related data, allowing users to access and manipulate information efficiently.
2. Projection View: A projection view allows users to select specific fields from one or more underlying database tables while excluding others. It helps simplify complex table structures by providing a customized subset of fields tailored to meet specific reporting or analysis requirements.
3. Maintenance View: As the name suggests, maintenance views enable users to perform insertions, deletions, modifications, and updates on one or more related database tables simultaneously through a single interface.
4. Help View: Help views are designed specifically for providing assistance during input help processing within SAP applications. These views define how search help values should be displayed when selecting values for certain input fields.
6.Catalog View : Catalog Views provide metadata about various aspects of the system such as databases objects like Tables , Columns etc . These can be accessed via SQL queries
Each type of view serves different purposes depending on the requirements at hand but all contribute towards enhancing efficiency and simplifying data access in SAP ABAP development environment
Types of views in SAP DDIC
You have the option to limit the data displayed in views by applying conditions. There are four different types of views, each with its own implementation and permitted methods for accessing data. These include Database Views, Projection Views, Maintenance Views, and Helps Views.
Projection Views allow you to select specific fields from one or more tables and display them as a single view. This type of view is useful when you only need certain information from multiple tables rather than all the available data.
Maintenance Views enable users to perform insertions, deletions, modifications, and displays on underlying database tables through an easy-to-use interface. They simplify the process of maintaining records in SAP systems.
Database view vs help view: What sets them apart?
1) Database views allow us to combine data from different tables and specify connections using equalities between any fields.
2) Other types of views require connections to be made through existing foreign keys.
What are the different types of views?
Views are utilized in SAP ABAP to limit access to data. They serve as a means of viewing or modifying data from tables, acting like windows into the underlying information. These views do not store any data themselves but rather provide a virtual representation of the data stored in base tables. In SQL, there exist two main types of views: Simple Views and Complex Views.
A Simple View is a basic type of view that allows users to retrieve information from one table only. It provides an uncomplicated way to present specific columns or rows based on predefined criteria. By defining filters and selecting desired fields, users can easily obtain relevant subsets of data without directly accessing the entire table.
On the other hand, Complex Views offer more advanced functionality by combining multiple tables through joins or unions. This enables users to extract information from various related tables simultaneously, providing a comprehensive view across different datasets within the system. Complex Views allow for complex queries involving multiple conditions and relationships between tables.
Both types of views play crucial roles in managing database access and ensuring security measures are upheld effectively within SAP ABAP systems. By utilizing these views appropriately, organizations can control user permissions and restrict sensitive information while still allowing authorized individuals to retrieve necessary data for their tasks.
