Seriously consider using ABAP Query
Of course there are some limitations with this
functionality, but if you want to provide your users with a series of reports
quickly with minimum maintenance requirements, then this functionality will
serve you very well!
If you do code, then code your reports using ALV (ABAP List Viewer)
Unbelievably good, cost-saving functionality by
SAP! Cut your report development time to an hour or two (literally), minimize
your testing effort and still have the most advanced reporting
capability and flexibility your users have ever seen!
Sounds just like a commercial, doesn't it?
In the simplest scenario, you prepare the data to be displayed and pass it to
SAP's standard ALV functions - that's it!
Use Data Dictionary (DDIC) structures to define report layouts
ALV essentially demands this approach, but you
can use it in 'old-style' abap reports as well. Instead of hard-coding what
fields are output in a list, define them in a DDIC structure. To expand the
display, you can add a field to the DDIC structure without changing code.
This greatly simplifies both you and your users' lives. It does mean that you
have to make use of more general MOVE-CORRESPONDING statements when you read
data from tables, but that is a small price to pay for the added flexibility
and decreased maintenance effort that results.
Read databases via their SAP-maintained indexes, not directly
Want lousy performance? Read directly from a
database table like VBAK, VBAP or VBEP - I'm ignoring the automatic index
selection and reading that your database does at lower levels. You can do one
better than your databases optimizations!
Example: Starting off with "SELECT * from VBAK..."
is really inefficient. Read the relevant entries by using VAKPA (Partner
index) or VAPMA (material item index) first if possible. It makes the world
of difference to your run-times - especially when large data volumes are
present.
Old-style userexits: Use INCLUDE files
The 'old-style' userexits I'm referring to are
those like MV45AFZZ, MV45AFZA, etc - empty forms where SAP allows you to enter
your own code for specific purposes. The fact that different developers can
use the same code (MV45AFZZ) to extend the system can potentially cause
maintenance nightmares. Like all ABAP reports, this code is versioned, so
multiple developers have to pay greater attention to the sequence of
transports when moving the code via the Correction and Transport System (CTS)
to the test environment.
Avoid administrative and upgrade headaches by
creating a series of include files that are referenced by each form. Into
each of these includes, create additional includes for each developer change.
Click here for an example.
Use "CALL TRANSACTION" or use only SAP "approved for customer" function modules
SAP provides function modules that act as BAPIs to update transactions in SAP directly. Be careful, however!
Officially, SAP may not support their use by customers as these function
module are not "approved for customer use". If you get inconsistent or
erroneous results using them, there are likely no SAP-provided solutions to
your problem!
Unless you're sure - or have it on good authority - stick with CALL
TRANSACTION using BDC internal tables.
