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Modularization is breaking the APPLICATION code into smaller parts, so that MAINTENANCE will be easier. Consider an example where you want to implement the same logic like the addition of two numbers in multiple parts of the same program, then put the logic within a modularization UNIT and this modularization unit can be called wherever you want to add two numbers.

Advantages of modularization TECHNIQUES are:

• Modularization will eliminate redundancy if the program is having similar statement blocks or it needs to process the same function multiple times. Thus it increases the code reusability.
• Using this modularization technique, we can make the program easier to read and improve the program structure.
• Modularized programs will be easier to MAINTAIN, update, and debug.

INTERNAL tables are temporary memory areas that exist only during run-time for storing data at run-time. It can be USED only on a subset of database tables for PERFORMING calculations related to the table. It re-organizes the content of the database ACCORDING to the requirement of the USER.

The ALV or Application List Viewer is used for IMPROVING the report output. We can avail the set of ALV function modules with the help of SAP and those will be used to improve the functionality or readability of any output of the report. It is a relevant tool used for arranging the columns in the output of a report.
Application developers can quickly implement structured dataset DISPLAYS with the help of ALV, by providing three different tools of ALV, ONE each for the display of TREE structures, Simple and two-dimensional tables, and Hierarchical-sequential lists.

The SAP ALV provides application developers with:

• An object-oriented API for all ALV tools.
• The API which is coherent.
• Detecting the error during PROGRAMMING as early as possible.
• Functions for accessibility will be in integration with ALV, which implies that no need of providing these functions yourself while using your application.

Three types of buffering can be found in SAP ABAP, that can be configured for a database view or database table in ABAP Dictionary. They are:

• SAP Buffer - Single Record Buffering:
  In this type of buffering, only actually accessed rows in the table will be buffered. It needs less space in the buffer when compared to generic or FULL buffering. But it requires more amount of administration work and direct database access. If SELECT SINGLE is used for ACCESSING a non-buffered ROW, it tries to load the row. If the row is not available, this will be noted in the buffer and the database will not again access the next time SELECT SINGLE has been used.
• SAP Buffer - Generic Buffering:
  In this type of buffering, SAP buffer will be loaded with all rows that match a row(on which read is performed) in a left-justified part of the primary key. The count of key fields covered is mentioned within the definition and will be always less than the key field’s total count. Altogether, these key fields are considered as the generic key. Each generic area will be managed similarly as standalone views or TABLES whose primary key will be the generic key and that are fully buffered.
• SAP Buffer - Full Buffering:
  In this buffering, on reading a row, all rows in the view or table will be loaded into the SAP buffer. The buffered view or table will be either COMPLETELY in the buffer or not at all. In the buffer, the buffered data records will be sorted on the Key of the view or table basis. Optimized access needs the left-justified part of the primary key/the secondary index fields to be as large as possible. If not, the buffer will be scanned in a linear format.

SAP script is a text-processing SYSTEM that belongs to the SAP System. It is used for printing pre-formatted text in the CORRESPONDING forms.

SAP Script has the following components:

• Editor: It will be used to enter and edit the lines of a text.
• STYLES and layout set: It is mainly used for print layout. I will be created using the corresponding maintenance transactions independent of the individual texts and will be allocated to the texts later.
• Composer: It is a central output module and is invisible to the outside.
• Programming interface: It permits you for adding SAP script components into your application PROGRAMS and for controlling the layout set output from within the programs.
• Database TABLES: It will be used for styles, layout sets, and storing texts.

With the help of the INSERT statement, it is possible to insert a line or lines into internal tables of ABAP. For inserting a line, you need to put the values which we wish to insert in a work AREA, then later you can use the INSERT statement for inserting the values in the work area then into the internal table.

The GENERAL format for a line INSERTION into an internal table is:

OR

A type group is an ABAP Dictionary-managed ABAP program that is initiated by the TYPE-POOL statement and that consists of ABAP statements that define globally visible constants, data types, and macros. A type group and its constants, data types, and macros do not have semantic attributes excluding short text and any comments in the source CODE. The type group name can have only five CHARACTERS, MUST begin with a LETTER, and can have numbers or letters or underscores.

For example, one type group frequently used in the ABAP program is ABAP itself, which consists of multiple low-level constants and types. The disadvantage of this group is loading the entire type group is necessary, even if only a few constants and types are REQUIRED.

Interface in SAP ABAP is an independent structure that is used when TWO similar classes have the same method name, but the functionalities of each will be different from each other. It looks similar to classes, but the method defined in an interface needs implementation in a CLASS for extending the scope of that class. Interfaces, as well as inheritance features, will provide a base for POLYMORPHISM, because a function defined in an interface may act differently in various classes.

Following is the SYNTAX for the creation of an interface:

In the above given syntax, <interfac_name> stands for the interface name. The DATA and CLASS-DATA statements are used for instance and static interface attributes definition respectively. The METHODS and CLASS-METHODS statements are used for instance and static interface methods definition respectively. Here, the interface definition will not include the implementation class, so adding the DEFINITION clause in the interface declaration is not mandatory.

The smart form allows to create, design, and maintain forms for bulk printing in SAP Systems. SAP smart forms will support printers, e-mail, fax, or the Internet as an output medium. We can embed images, texts, barcodes, tables, and ABAP codes with smart forms. On smart form activation, a function MODULE will be generated that an ABAP program NEEDS to call. SMART STYLES transaction is HELPFUL in defining the paragraph and CHARACTER formats(barcodes, fonts, etc).

Advantages of smart forms are:

• It helps to adapt the forms with the help of a graphical user interface and there is no need for programming knowledge.
• During smart form activation, the system will automatically generate the function module.
• For making any changes we need to use the Cut & Paste, Drag & Drop. These actions do not include the writing of coding lines or using a scripting language.
• It is possible to insert the static and dynamic tables using smart forms.
• It permits the user to include graphics, that will be SHOWN as a part of the form or as background graphics. It is possible to suppress the background graphics by the user as and when it is necessary.

In the SAP system, workflows in business are used for executing business processes in applications. Workflows are the SAP system’s essential COMPONENT that helps in business process design, it can be either a simple process or a complex repeated business process. These are predefined in the SAP R/3 system and the user is ALLOWED to CREATE their new workflows. It also permits the users for managing business processes in the most efficient manner.

Workflows will make sure that the correct INFORMATION will be sent to the right person at the right time in a proper sequence. It is a tool for business process automation and will uniformly WORK across all the applications. It is suitable for business processes that involve multiple people or a group of people.

Function Modules are encapsulated procedures in ABAP and are grouped in Function Groups. Function modules are created with the help of Function Builder(transaction SE37). The type of function module relies on the type of processing.

Function module types are:

• Regular function module: It will be EXECUTED IMMEDIATELY and synchronously on the current SAP system of the user. It is the default option.

• Remote-enabled function module: It is called by remote systems(R/2 or R/3) that utilize the RFC protocol. For example, it is possible to define a Remote Function Module in an EWM(Extended Warehouse Management) system which will be later called by your ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning) system for obtaining further information related to stock levels or shipment details.

The above statement calls the target system mentioned under dest synchronously. The unique name of a destination should be used for the parameter dest.

• UPDATE function module: This module will not be executed immediately. This update process will be triggered by the COMMIT WORK statement. The ROLLBACK WORK statement is responsible for deleting all update function module registrations.

IN UPDATE TASK will bundle database modifications into a single database called LUW. Since the update happens asynchronously, it is proved beneficial for performance.

• BAPI(Business Application Programming Interface) function module: BAPI is a Function Module that PROVIDES a standard interface for business objects available in SAP. Common usage of BAPI is to create/delete/update/read business objects such as Business PARTNERS, Purchase Orders, or Sales Orders.

Lock Object is an ABAP Dictionary provided feature used for synchronizing the access to the same data by multiple users or programs. Lock Objects in SAP ABAP are used for avoiding inconsistency during data insertion or modification in the database. Tables WHOSE data records are gonna locked must be defined with their key fields in a Lock Object.

Consider an example for the usage of Lock Object, suppose a travel agent wants to book a place in flight. Also, the customer WISHES to fly to a particular city on a particular day with a particular airline. The BOOKING will be possible only if there exists a free place on the flight. The database entry for the flight must be locked through access prevention for other transactions to avoid the possibility of OVERBOOKING. This will make sure that a user can find out the number of free places, do the booking, and change the AVAILABLE number of free places without the data being changed at the same time by another transaction.

ITS(Internet Transaction Server) in SAP is the necessary LINK between the internet and the SAP R/3 SYSTEM. It is integrated into the kernel that belongs to SAP Netweaver APPLICATION Server. ITS creates an interface between the R/3 system and HTTP server for converting screen-provided data by the R/3 system into HTML files and vice versa. Because of integration with ITS, a web browser is able to do direct communication with an SAP System. ITS is accessed with the help of “Internet Communication Manager”.

Merits of ITS are:

• It is possible to develop and test the comprehensive web transaction in the R/3 system.
• It acts UPON all transaction components, including those components used outside of ITS.
• In the R/3 system, using automatic language processing utilization of language-dependent HTML documents can be done during runtime.

The two ABAP/4 editors are:

• SE38: It allows you for the program creation and to view the online reports and ESSENTIALLY performs all the object development in ABAP/4 editor.
• SE80: It supports additional features like the creation of PACKAGES, module pool, function group, programs, CLASSES, and BSP(Business SERVER Page) applications.

SAP Smart FORMS is a tool USED for printing and sending documents. It is useful in the DEVELOPMENT of forms, e-mails, PDF files, and documents for the Internet. This tool offers an interface for building and maintaining the layout and LOGIC of a form. SAP delivers a form selection for business processes such as those used in Sales and Distribution(SD), Customer Relationship Management(CRM), Human Resources(HR), and Financial Accounting(FI).

This tool permits you for form modification with the help of simple graphical tools rather than using any programming tool. It implies that a user WITHOUT any programming knowledge will be able to easily configure these smart forms with data for a business process.

Web Dynpro(WD) is an SAP STANDARD USER interface technology for ABAP and is used for developing the web-based application in SAP using the development CONCEPTS and techniques of SAP. It provides a front-end web user interface for connection with backend SAP R/3 systems to access data and also for reporting. It has a graphical development environment along with a RUNTIME environment that has specific development tools that are combined in the ABAP Workbench.

• ABAP data dictionary REPRESENTS metadata(i.e. data about data) that is present inside the SAP database in addition to the metadata maintained by the database. Data dictionary allows the necessary description of all the data without redundancies that are used in the system. New or updated information will be provided AUTOMATICALLY for all the system components. This ensures data security, data consistency, and data integrity.
• It is used to describe the logical structures of certain objects that can be used in the development of the ABAP/4 application and it can also display the underlying relational database in tables.
• The data dictionary is useful in CREATING and managing data definitions as well as in creating Tables, Domains, Views, Data Elements, and Types. Also, it supports a few standard functions for editing screen fields LIKE assigning input help to the field of a screen.

SAP(Systems, Applications, and Products in data processing) is an ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning) type of software that is used to manage the daily affairs of a large company. Advanced Business Application Programming or ABAP is the fourth-generation programming language and is used to allow the mass-processing of data in SAP business applications. It is possible to build enterprise applications for a larger business and financial institution with the help of the SAP ABAP platform. So, SAP ABAP will protect from organizational data breaches and security THREATS to information leakage.

SAP ABAP is suitable for integrated applications that a company will use to collect, manage, store, and interpret data from various functional AREAS. It will act as a single data source and share data within all the units of an ORGANIZATION. It helps the customers for running their business with greater accuracy.