ABAP Data dictionary interview questions @ SAP ABAPSAP ABAP

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ABAP Data dictionary interview questions

Posted in May 17, 2009 ¬ 5:27 pmh. CINTHIA NAZNEEN
Q. What’s the full form of ECC?
Ans: Enterprice Central Component.
Q. What’s the full form of IDES?
Ans: Internet Demonstration and Evaluation System.
Q. What’s ABAP dictionary and its role in SAP?
Ans: ABAP dictionary is the central information base for the developers. This
manages all definitions(metadata) required for different applications in SAP.
ABAP dictionary is completely integrated into ABAP development workbench. All
other component of ABAP development workbench can access the data
definitions(meta data) stored in the data dictionary.
Role: ABAP data dictionary supports
definition of user-defined types (data elements, structures, table types).
structure of database objects (tables, indexes and views) can also be defined.
These user-defined types/objects are then automatically created in the
underlying relational database using the above data definitions.
The ABAP dictionary also provides tools for editing screen fields (e.g., for
assigning a field an input help i.e. F4 help).
Data dictionary ensures data integrity, consistency and security.
Q. What are the main object types of ABAP dictionary?
Ans: The object types of ABAP dictionary can be of following type:
Tables: Tables are defined in the ABAP Dictionary independently of the
database.
A table having the same structure is then created from this table definition
in the underlying database.
Views: are logical views on more than one table. The structure of the view is
defined in the ABAP Dictionary. A view on the database can then be created
from this structure.
Types (elements, structures, table types): Types are created in ABAP programs.
The structure of a type can be defined globally in ABAP programs. Changes to a
type automatically take effect in all the programs using the type.
Lock objects:are used to synchronize access to the same data by more than one
user. Function modules that can be used in application programs are generated
from the definition of a lock object in the ABAP Dictionary.
Domains: Different fields having the same technical type can be combined in
domains. Domain defines the value range of all table fields and structure
components that refer to this domain.
Data element: The ABAP Dictionary also contains the information displayed with
the F1 and F4 help for a field in an input template. The documentation about
the field is created for a data element.
Input help: The list of possible input values that appears for the input help
is created by a foreign key or a search help.
Q. Note on SAP tables(defining through ABAP dictionary).
Ans: Tables are defined independently of the database in ABAP dictionary. The
fields of the table are defined with their (Database-independent) data types and
lengths. Using the table definitions stored in the ABAP dictionary, a table is
automatically created in the physical database(when the table is activated).
Q. What are the components of a table definition.
Ans:
Table fields: For table fields, field names and data types are defined.
 Foreign keys: Relationship between the table and the other tables are defined.

Technical settings: Data class and size category defines that what type of
table
to be created and how much space required.
Indexes: Secondary indexes are created for a table for faster data selection.
Again following are defined for a table fields:
Field name can be of maximum 16 characters in a table and must start with a
letter.
Key flag determines if a field should be the table key.
Field type depicts the data type of the field in the ABAP dictionary.
Field length denotes the number of valid places in the field.
Decimal places Number of places after decimal point for float type value.
Short text describes the business meaning of the field.
Also fields from other structures can be added to the table definition as
include.
Q. How data Type, field Length and short Text of any field is assigned?
Ans: i. Data type, field length (and if necessary decimal places) short text can
be directly assigned to a field in the table definition.
ii. Data element can be assigned to a field so that data type, field length (and
decimal places) are automatically determined from the domain of the data
element. The short description of the data element is then assigned to the field
as a short text.
Q. What are the assignment options to the field?
Ans: i. Direct assignment of data types, field length, short text to a field.
ii. Data element assignment to a field.
iii. An input check(check table) for a field can be defined with a foreign key.
iv. A search help can be assigned to a field.
v. Reference field or reference table must be specified for a table field that
holds currency or quantity type value.
Q. What’s reference table and reference field?
Ans: Reference table is specified for fields containing quantities(data type
QUAN) or currency(Data type CURR). This reference table must contain a field
with the format for the currency key (data type CUKY) or unit of measure (data
type UNIT). This field is called the reference field of the output field. The
reference field can also reside in the table itself.
E.g.: TAB1 contains the field PRICE which holds price values. Field UNIT
contains currency key for PRICE.
So,TAB1 is the reference table for field PRICE and UNIT is the reference field
for field PRICE.
Q. What’s table include?
Ans: In addition to listing the individual fields in a table or structure,
fields from another structure can be included as includes.
Q. What’s named include?
Ans: If an include is added to define a database table or database structure, a
name can be assigned to that included (included substructure). The group of
fields of that include can be addressed as a whole in ABAP application programs
with a group name which is called as named include.
E.g.:We can access field of a table/ structure in the ABAP application program
in the following manner:
<TABLE / STRUCTURE NAME > - < FIELD NAME>
<TABLE / STRUCTURE NAME > - <GROUP NAME>-<FIELD NAME>
<TABLE / STRUCTURE NAME > - <GROUP NAME>
Q. Give an example of nested include.
Ans: Structure S1 may include structure S2 and again S2 may include S3.
Q.What’s the maximum depth of nested includes in a table?
Ans: Maximum depth is 9 i.e. maximum 9 structures can be included in a
table/structure.
Q. What’s the number of characters limit for field name?
Ans: A field name may not have more than 16 characters in a table, but in a
structure maximum 30 characters are allowed for a field name.
Q. What are foreign keys?
Ans: Relationships between tables are defined in the ABAP dictionary by creating
foreign keys.
Q. Whare are the uses of foreign keys in SAP?
Ans:
Using foreign keys(as main table-field is linked with check table), input
value check for any input field can be done.
Foreign keys can also be used to link several tables.
Explaination on foreign keys:
Suppose, tab1(Foreign key table or dependent table) contains the following
fields: fld1(primary key), fld2, fld3, fld4, fld5 and Tab2(Referenced table)
contains the following fields: fld6(primary key), fld7(primary key), fld8,
fld9 and tab1-fld2 is connected to tab2-fld5, tab1-fld4 is connected to
tab2-fld6Therefore, fld2 and fld4 fields of the table tab1 are called as
foreign key fields to the table tab2 and tab2 is called as check table or
referenced table.
Q. What are foreign key fields?
Ans: One field of the foreign key table corresponds to each key field of the
check table. That field of the is called as foreign key field.
Uses: A foreign key permits assigning data records in the foreign key table and
check table. One record of the foreign key table uniquely identifies a record of
the check table (using the value entries in the foreign key fields of the
foreign key table).
Q. What’s check table?
Ans: Check table is maintained at field level for data validation.
Q. What’s check field?
Ans: One of the foreign key field is marked as the check field. This depicts
that the foreign key relationship is maintained for that field. When a value is
entered for that check field in the table, input validation checking is done
i.e. a checking is done that whether the inserted value exists in the check
table or not. If doesn’t exist then system rejects the entry else input
validation check for that field is successful.
Q. What’s generic and constant foreign keys?
Q. What’s cardinality?
Q. What are the types of foreign key fields?
Q. What are text table?
Q. What is ‘technical settings’ of a table?What are the important parameters to
be mentioned within it?
Q. What’s data class?
Ans: Data class is that which allows the table to get automatically assigned
under specific tablespace/dbspace during table creation in the SAP database i.e.
dataclass determines that under which table space/dbspace the table will be
stored.
Q. How many types of data classes are there in SAP?
Data classes are mainly of three types(for application tables):
i.Choose APPL0(master data) for data that is frequently accessed but rarely
updated/changed.
ii.Choose APPL1(transaction data) for data that is frequently changed.
iii.Choose APPL2(organizational data) for customizing data that is
defined/entered
during system installation and rarely changed.
The other two types of data classes are:USR and USR1(for customer’s own
development purpose).
Q. What’s size category?
Ans: The Size category is used to defined the space requirement for the table in
the database.
Q. How many types of size category are there in SAP?
Ans: There are five size categories. Size category from 0 to 4 can be choosen
for the tables. A certain fixed memory size is assigned to each category in the
SAP database.
Q. What’s the utility of size category?
Ans: During table creation, the SAP system reserves an initial space i.e. an
initial extent) in the database.If in any case more space is needed, then
additional memory is added according to the mentioned size category for that
table. correct size category prevents the creation of a large number of small
extents for a table i.e. prevents memory wastage.
Q. What’s buffering?
Q. How buffers are filled up?
Q. What are the different buffering types?
Q. What are the different buffering permissions?
Q. How database tables are buffered?
Q. What’s logging?
Q. How many tables are there in SAP?
Ans: i. Transparent tables, ii. Pool tables, iii. Cluster tables.
Q. What is transparent table?
Ans: The tables which create 1-to-1 correspondence between the table definition
in the ABAP data dictionary and the table definition in the physical database
are called as transparent tables in SAP.
Q. Give examples of transparent table.
Ans: VBAK, VBAP, KNA1 etc.
Q. What is table pool?
Ans: Table pool is a table in the SAP database in which many pool tables are
assigned.
Q. What are pool tables?
Ans: Tables assigned to a table pool are called as pool tables.
Q. What are table clusters?
Ans: Table cluster is a table in the SAP database in which many cluster tables
are stored.
Q. What are clustered tables?
Ans: Tables assigned to a Table cluster are called as clustered tables.
Q. Uses of table pool or table cluster.
Ans: Table pool or table cluster is used to store SAP’s internal control
information (screen sequences, program parameters, temporary data, continuous
texts such as documentation).
Q. Example of table cluster and cluster tables.
Ans: i. The table cluster RFBLG holds data for five transparent tables i.e.
BSEC, BSED, BSEG, BSES and BSET.
ii. Other examples of table clusters are CDCLS, CDHDR, RFBLG, DOKCLU, DOKTL .
Q. What are the differences between transparent and cluster/pool tables?
Ans: i. A transparent table has 1-to-1 cardinality between the table definition
in the data dictionary and in the table definition of sap database whereas
cluster/pool tables have many-to-1 cardinality between the table definition in
the data dictionary and in the table definition of sap database.
ii. Transparent tables are accessible both by Open and native SQL statements
whereas table pool/cluster tables are accessible only by open SQL but never by
native SQL.
iii. Transparent tables can store table relevant data whereas table pool or
cluster tables can store only system data/ application data based on the
transparent tables.
Q. What are tabs under the maintenance screen of the ABAP data dictionary
screen?
Ans: There are five tabs under ABAP dictionary.
i.Attributes,
ii.Delivery & maintenance,
iii. Fields,
iv. Entry help/check,
v. Currency/Quantity fields.
Q. What is delivery class?
Ans: We need to insert an delivery class value while creating customized table
in SAP through the transaction code SE11. Delivery class is that which regulates
the transport of the table’s data records (during SAP installations, SAP
software upgrade, client copies, and data transport to other SAP system). SAP
and its customers have different write types depending on the variety of
delivery class. If Delivery class is A, it depicts that the application table
for master and transaction data changes only rarely.
Q. How many types of delivery classes are there in SAP?
Ans: There are following delivery classes:
i. A: Application table (master and transaction data) is maintained by the
customers
using application transaction.
ii. C: Customer table. Data is maintained only by the customer.
iii. L: Table for storing temporary data.
iv. G: Customer table, new data records can be inserted but may not overwrite or
delete existing ones.
v. E: System table with its own namespaces for customer entries.
vi. S: System table, data changes have the status of program changes i.e. System
table
for program’s nature. Maintained only by SAP. E.g.: Codes for SAP transactions.
vii. W: System table for system operation and maintenance. Table contents are
maintained by
maintenance transactions. E.g.: function module table.
Q. What are the differences between domain and data element?
Ans: i.Domain depicts the technical attributes of a field (its data type, field
length, no. of decimal places, appreance on the sreen) of a SAP database table.
Whereas data element denotes the semantic attributes(short description, label
names) for a field.
ii.Data elements are directly attaced to the fields of SAP database tables and
each data element has an underlying domain within it. Whereas domains are not
directly attached to the fields and a single domain can be under many data
elements.
iii.Within domain value range of a field can be described. Whereas within the
data element parameter id and search help for a particular field can be
assigned.
Q. What’s value table?
Ans: Value table is maintained at domain level in SAP. During domain creation,
value range of the domain is defined by specifying value table. Suppose for a
particular domain, its value table holds the values ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘Z’. So whenever
the domain will be used, system will allow to use these values only.
Above question-answers are prepared and posted by: Cinthia Nazneen
Notes ABAP DATA DICTIONARY, ABAP Dictionary, APPLICATION TABLE, BSEC, BSED,
BSEG, BSESM BSET, CARDINALITY, CDCLS, CDHDR, CHECK TABLE, CLUSTER TABLES,
CLUSTERED TABLES, CUSTOMER TABLE, DATA CLASS, DATA CONSISTENCY, DATA DICTIONARY,
DATA ELEMENT, DATA ELEMENTS, DATA INTEGRITY, DATA SECURITY, DELIVERY CLASS,
DOKCLU, DOKTL, DOMAIN, DOMAIN INTEGRITY, DOMAINS, ECC, ENTITY INTEGRITY, FOREIGN
KEY, FOREIGN KEYS, IDES, INDEXES, INPUT HELP, KNA1, LOCK OBJECTS, MAINTENANCE
SCREEN, MAINTENANCE SCREEN OF ABAP DICTIONARY, MASTER DATA, METADATA, NAMED
INCLUDE, NATIVE SQL, NESTER INCLUDES, OBJECT TYPES OF ABAP DICTIONARY, OPEN SQL,
ORGANIZATIONAL DATA, POOL TABLES, REFERENCE FIELD, REFERENCE TABLE, REFERENTIAL
INTEGRITY, RFBLG, SAP TABLES, SECURITY, SIZE CATEGORY, STRUCTURES, SYSTEM TABLE,
TABLE CLUSTER, TABLE INCLUDE, TABLE POOL, TABLE TYPES, TABLES, TECHNICAL
SETTINGS, TRANSACTIONAL DATA, TRANSPARENT TABLES, TYPES, Value table, VBAK,
VBAP, VIEWS
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One Comment
Austin Obleness Says:
It’s such an important topic and ignored by so many people, even
professionals. I thank you for helping making people more educated about this
topic.
July 9th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
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