SAP ABAP Easy Interview Questions

• 1. Define an ABAP ?

ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) is a high level programming language created by the German software company SAP. It is currently positioned as the language for programming SAP's Web Application Server, part of its NetWeaver platform for building business applications. Its syntax is somewhat similar to COBOL.

• 2. What is an ABAP data dictionary ?

ABAP 4 data dictionary describes the logical structures of the objects used in application development and shows how they are mapped to the underlying relational database in tables/views.

• 3. What are domains and data element ?

Domains: Domain is the central object for describing the technical characteristics of an attribute of a business objects. It describes the value range of the field.

Data Element: It is used to describe the semantic definition of the table fields like description the field. Data element describes how a field can be displayed to end-user.

• 4. What is foreign key relationship ?

A relationship which can be defined between tables and must be explicitly defined at field level. Foreign keys are used to ensure the consistency of data. Data entered should be checked against existing data to ensure that there are now contradictions. While defining foreign key relationship cardinality has to be specified. Cardinality mentions how many dependent records or how referenced records are possible.

• 5. Describe Data Classes ?

Master data: It is the data which is seldom changed.

Transaction data: It is the data which is often changed.

Organization data: It is a customizing data which is entered in the system when the system is configured and is then rarely changed. System data: It is the data which R/3 system needs for itself.

• 6. Define indexes ?

Indexes are described as a copy of a database table reduced to specific fields. This data exists in sorted form. This sorting form ease fast access to the field of the tables. In order that other fields are also read, a pointer to the associated record of the actual table are included in the index. The indexes are activated along with the table and are created automatically with it in the database.

• 7. What are the Difference between transparent tables and pooled tables ?

Transparent tables: Transparent tables in the dictionary have a one-to-one relation with the table in database. Its structure corresponds to single database field. Table in the database has the same name as in the dictionary. Transparent table holds application data.

Pooled tables: Pooled tables in the dictionary has a many-to-one relation with the table in database. Table in the database has the different name as in the dictionary. Pooled table are stored in table pool at the database level.

• 8. What is an ABAP/4 Query ?

ABAP/4 Query is a powerful tool to generate simple reports without any coding. ABAP/4 Query can generate the following 3 simple reports: Basic List: It is the simple reports. Statistics: Reports with statistical functions like Average, Percentages. Ranked Lists: For analytical reports. - For creating a ABAP/4 Query, programmer has to create user group and a functional group. Functional group can be created using with or without logical database table. Finally, assign user group to functional group. Finally, create a query on the functional group generated.

• 9. What is BDC programming ?

Transferring of large/external/legacy data into SAP system using Batch Input programming. Batch input is a automatic procedure referred to as BDC (Batch Data Communications). The central component of the transfer is a queue file which receives the data vie a batch input programs and groups associated data into “sessions”.

• 10. What are the functional modules used in sequence in BDC ?

These are the 3 functional modules which are used in a sequence to perform a data transfer successfully using BDC programming:

1. BDC_OPEN_GROUP - Parameters like Name of the client, sessions and user name are specified in this functional modules.

2. BDC_INSERT - It is used to insert the data for one transaction into a session.

3. BDC_CLOSE_GROUP - This is used to close the batch input session.

• 11. What are internal tables ?

Internal tables are a standard data type object which exists only during the run time of the program. They are used to perform table calculations on subsets of database tables and for re-organizing the contents of database tables according to users need.

• 12. Define ITS? What are the merits of ITS ?

ITS is a Internet Transaction Server. ITS forms an interface between HTTP server and R/3 system, which converts screen, provided data by the R/3 system into HTML documents and vice-versa. Merits of ITS: A complete web transaction can be developed and tested in R/3 system. All transaction components, including those used by the ITS outside the R/3 system at runtime, can be stored in the R/3 system. The advantage of automatic language processing in the R/3 system can be utilized to language-dependent HTML documents at runtime.

• 13. Define DynPro ?

DynPro is a Dynamic Programming which is a combination of screen and the associated flow logic Screen is also called as DynPro.

• 14. What are screen painter and menu painter ?

Screen painter: Screen painter is a tool to design and maintain screen and its elements. It allows user to create GUI screens for the transactions. Attributes, layout, filed attributes and flow logic are the elements of Screen painter.

Menu painter: Menu painter is a tool to design the interface components. Status, menu bars, menu lists, F-key settings, functions and titles are the components of Menu painters. Screen painter and menu painter both are the graphical interface of an ABAP/4 applications.

• 15. What are Smart Forms ?

Smart Forms allows you to create forms using a graphical design tool with robust functionality, color, and more. Additionally, all new forms developed at SAP will be created with the new Smart Form solution.

• 16. What are the differences between structure and table in data dictionary in ABAP ?

Structure and table both are 2/2 matrices but there are many differences between table and structure.

Table:

1. Table can store the data physically but a structure dose not store.

2. Table can have primary key but a structure does not have.

3. Table can have the technical attribute but a structure does not have.

Structure:

1. Structure doesn't contain technical attributes.

2. Structure doesn't contain primary key.

3. Structure doesn't stores underline database level.

• 17. Define SAP dispatcher ?

SAP dispatcher is the control agent that manages the resources for the R/3 applications.

• 18. What are the functions of dispatcher ?

The functions of dispatcher are:

1. Equal distribution of transaction load to the work processes.

2. Management of buffer areas in main memory.

3. Integration of the presentation levels.

4. Organization of communication activities.

• 19. What is a work process ?

A work process is where individual dialog steps are actually processed and the work is done. Each work process handles one type of request. 

• 20. What are the various work processes of R/3 system ?

Dialog or Online (processes only one request at a time). Background (Started at a specific time) Update (primary or secondary) Enqueue (Lock mechanism). Spool (generated online or during back ground processing for printing). 

• 21. Explain about the two services that are used to deal with communication ?

Message Service: Used by the application servers to exchange short internal messages, all system communications.

Gateway Service: Enables communication between R/3 and external applications using CPI-C protocol. 

• 22. What is a service (within R/3) ?

A service is a process or group of processes that perform a specific system function and often provide an application-programming interface for other processes to call. 

• 23. What are the roll and page areas ?

Roll and page areas are SAP R/3 buffers used to store user contexts (process requests). The SAP dispatcher assigns process requests to work processes as they are queued in the roll and page areas. Paging area holds data from the application programs. Roll area holds data from previous dialog steps and data that characterize the user.

• 24. What are the different layers in R/3 system ?

There are 3 layers in R/3 system. They

1. Presentation Layer.
2. Application Layer.
3. Database Layer. 

• 25. What are the phases of background processing ?

There are 3 phases of background processing. They

1. Job Scheduling
2. Job Processing.
3. Job Overview.