Table name, 16 characters DATABASE TABLE Tables can be defined independently of the database in the ABAP Dictionary.

The fields of the table are defined together with their (database-independent) data types and lengths. A table definition in the ABAP Dictionary has the following components: Table fields: The field names and the data types of the fields contained in the table are defined here. Foreign keys: The foreign keys define the relationships between this table and o ther tables. Technical settings: The technical settings define how the table is created on th e database. Indexes: Indexes can be defined for the table to speed up data selection from th e table. There are three categories of database tables in the ABAP Dictionary. A physical table definition is created in the database for the table definition stored in the ABAP Dictionary for transparent tables when the table is activated . The table definition is translated from the ABAP Dictionary to a definition of the particular database. On the other hand, pooled tables and cluster tables are not created in the datab ase. The data of these tables is stored in the corresponding table pool or table cluster. It is not necessary to create indexes and technical settings for poole d and cluster tables.

VIEW Name of an SAP table view, 16 characters A view is a logical view on one or more tables, that is, a view is not actually physically stored, instead being derived from one or more other tables. In the simplest case, this derivation process can involve simply suppressing the display of one or more fields from a table (projection) or transferring only ce rtain records from a table to the view (selection). More complicated views can b e assembled from several tables, with individual tables being linked using the r elational join operation. Use Logical views for the application permitting direct access to the data can be ge nerated with the definition of view. The structure of such a view is defined by specifying the tables and fields involved in the view.

DATA TYPE Name of Dictionary Type User-defined types in the ABAP Dictionary You can define any user-defined types in the ABAP Dictionary. These can be used in the ABAP program to define data objects and types analogously to types that a re predefined in the ABAP program (such as C or I) or types that are defined loc

ally in ABAP programs. The following type categories can be defined in the ABAP Dictionary: Data elements (elementary types) Elementary types have no structure. They describe the data type attributes (such as given Dictionary data type, number of places) and information that is releva nt for the screen (such as title) of unstructured data objects (variables/fields ). Structures (structured types) Structured types describe the structure and functions of any structured data obj ects, that is of data structures with components of any type. A component can be a field with an elementary type or can itself be a structure. A table can also be used as a component in a structure. A database table always has a structure and is therefore implicitly a structured type. However, the fields of a database table can only have an elementary type. Table types Table types describe the structure and functions of internal tables in the ABAP program. Their rows can have any row type. Table types with elementary row type therefore can be defined just the same as multi-dimensional table types (table t ypes with a table type as row type) or table types using structures with table-l ike components. The options for creating types with structured types and table types can be comb ined as required. In this way you can define any complex types globally in the A BAP Dictionary and use them in ABAP programs. The runtime object of the Dictiona ry type (nametab) is the interface for their use in ABAP programs. The runtime o bject permits very efficient access to the relevant information for the type in compressed form. The central definition of types that are used more than once in the ABAP Diction ary allows them to be changed centrally. These changes are made at all the relev ant locations by the active ABAP Dictionary. For example, ABAP programs adjust t o the changed type definitions when they are recreated. When a type is changed, all the objects (e.g. types or tables) that use this type are automatically adju sted to the change at activation. All Dictionary types lie in a common namespace. A data element, for example, the refore may not have the same name as a structure. However, a type defined in an ABAP program and a Dictionary type may have the same name. The following shadowing rule is valid when using types in ABAP programs: If the names are identical, the local types shadow the types of the type groups and the types defined globally in the Dictionary.

TYPE GROUP ABAP program managed by the ABAP Dictionary that is introduced by the statement TYPE-POOL and contains the definitions of globally visible data types and consta nts. A type group is declared with the statement TYPE-POOLS in an ABAP program.

DOMAIN Name of a domain with Set/Get parameter A domain describes the technical attributes of a field, such as the data type or the number of positions in a field. The domain defines primarily a value range describing the valid data values for the fields referring to this domain.

SEARCH HELP Name of a Search Help A search help is an object of the ABAP Dictionary with which input helps (F4 hel ps) can be defined. There are the following types of search helps: Elementary search helps implement a search path for determining the possible ent ries. Collective search helps contain several elementary search helps. A collective se arch help therefore provides several alternative search paths for possible entri es. Append search helps can be used to enhance collective search helps delivered by SAP with customer-specific search paths without requiring a modification. The three components of the input help process described by a search help are th e outer interface, the online behavior and the method of data collection. The outer interface is defined by specifying the interface parameters. They defi ne the context information to be used in the input help process and the attribut es to be sent to the screen by the input help. The search help attachment defines the field contents for parametrizing an impor t parameter and the fields of the input template in which the contents of the ex port parameters should be returned. The dialog behavior and data collection are defined differently for elementary s earch helps and collective search helps. The behavior of a search help can be made more flexible than usual with search h elp exits.

LOCK OBJECT Lock object name A lock object is a virtual link of several SAP tables which is used to synchroni ze simultaneous access by two users to the same set of data ( SAP lock concept). Locks are requested and released in the programming of online transactions by ca lling certain function modules which are automatically generated from the defini tion of the lock objects. These lock objects must be explicitly created in the A BAP Dictionary. To set locks, you must perform the following steps: 1. You must define a lock object in the ABAP Dictionary. The name of the lock ob

ject should begin with E. 2. The function modules for requesting and releasing locks which are created aut omatically when the lock object is activated must be linked to the programming o f the relevant online transactions. Different technical fields of the same type can be combined in a domain. Fields referring to the same domain are changed at the same time when a domain is chang ed. This ensures the consistency of these fields.