SAP Interview Questions

What is screen flow logic? What are the selections in it? Explain PAI and PBO?

When transaction is executed, the screen is displayed, user enters few fields, selects few functions. Then the screen is processes and processing of screen is done by flow logic.

PBO : This event is triggered b4 the screen is displayed. PAI : This is responsible for processing of screen after the user enters the data and clicks the pushbutton.

POV : This is triggered when the user clicks the F4 function key. List of possible values are displayed using this.

POH : This is triggered when the user clicks the F1 function key. Own help is displayed using this.

What should be the approach for writing a BDC program?

Analysis of data from Local File
Analysis of Transaction
Declaring Internal Table like BDCDATA
Transferring data from Local file to Internal Table
Population of BDCDATA
Session Method/Call Transaction/Direct Input
Check Data for Error

What is batch input session?

Contains all the necessary information and data required for a data transfer with batch input.

A batch input session (BI session) is generated with a BI program. You must then process this BI session with a batch input monitor.

When the BI session is processed, the data is saved to the database using the online transaction.

What are the problems in processing batch input sessions? How is batch input process different from processing on line?

Problems

Sessions cannot be run in parallel and not fast.
Updation in database table is always synchronous
Data is not updated in database table unless session is processed for Session method;

Differences

Can process large data volumes in batch Can be planned and submitted in the background

No manual interaction is required when data is transferred

Data integrity is maintained as whatever data is transferred to the table is through transaction.

Can a transparent table exist in data dictionary but not in the database physically?

What are the domains and data elements?

Domain describes Technical Characteristics (attributes) of a table fields e.g. value range, type
Elements describe role played by a field in technical content e.g. Form of field text.

Types of locking?

Exclusive (E)
Shared (S)
Exclusive not cumulating (X)

What is a check table and what is a value table?

When we define a foreign key in a table (A). If this key refers to primary key of another table (B). Table B is check table
Fields referring to a domain may assume values contained in the corresponding fields of the value table. Field referring to the domain should have a foreign key

What is a View?

A view is a "virtual table" containing data, which are really stored in one or more other tables. The contents of the View are dynamically generated when called from a program.

Difference between Structure and Table?

Table:
Table is a two-dimensional data matrix containing rows and columns. The rows contain the data and the columns indicate fields. There can be 0 or multiple rows.
Structure:
Structure refers to the Definition of an Object, mostly Table or a View, and doesn’t have any contents. Structure doesn’t exist at the underlying database system level. It exists as a definition in the dictionary.

Difference between Subroutines and Function Modules?

Functions are stored in central library and have global presence while subroutines are confined to particular program.

Functions can return values while subroutines cannot return values. Functions can handle exceptions while subroutines cannot.

Different ways of passing data to a subroutine?

There are two types of Parameters

Formal Parameter, which is defined during the definition of the subroutine.
Actual Parameter, which is defined during the call of the subroutine.

Parameters are passed to the form in 3 ways.

By Value:

Changes made to the formal parameter have no effect to the actual parameter

By Reference: (Default)

Changes made to the formal parameter reflects in the actual parameter while in the form itself

By value and Return:

Changes made to the formal parameter reflects in the actual parameter only after returning from the form

Modes in Sequential files?

Binary
Text

Difference between Local files and Sequential files?

Local Files are stored in Presentation Server while Sequential Files are stored in Application Server
Upload or Download of Local files is done in a single shot while for the Sequential Files, the data has to read or Transferred, Line by Line or character by character depending upon the mode.

Chain and Endchain in Transactions?

In case of a wrong entry for a field, if the user has to be given a chance to input a set of related fields, these validations for this fields should be grouped together under Chain – EndChain. Else, only the field which violated the validation will be enabled and the rest all will be disabled for user input.

What are logical databases? What are the advantages/disadvantages of logical databases?

LDB consists of logically related tables grouped together – used for reading and processing data.

Advantages

No need of programming for retrieval , meaning for data selection
Easy to use standard user interface, have check completeness of user input.

Disadvantages Fast in case of lesser no. of tables But if the table is in the lowest level of hierarchy, all upper level tables should be read so performance is slower.

What is sap script and layout set?

If the user wants to print document such as invoices,purchase order ,then all such documents are printed with the use of forms and SAP allows the user to define these forms by using layout sets.The tool which is used to create the layout set is SAP scripts.

What are different ABAP/4 Editors? What are the differences?

Command mode Editor
PC Mode with line numbering
PC Mode without Line numbering

What are user exits? What is involved in writing them?

User defined functionality included to predefined SAP standards.

Should find the customer enhancements belonging to particular development class.

What are field symbols and field groups? Have you used “component idx of structure” clause with fields groups?

Field Group:
A field group combines several existing fields together under one name. A field group does not reserve storage space for the fields, but contains pointers to existing fields. When filling the extract dataset with records, these pointers determine the contents of the stored records. An extract dataset consists of a sequence of records. These records may have different structures. All records with the same structure form a record type. You must define each record type of an extract dataset as a field group, using the FIELD-GROUPS statement.
Field Symbol:
The field symbol can have data objects of any type assigned to it. When you assign a data object, the field symbol inherits its technical attributes. The data type of the assigned data object becomes the actual data type of the field symbol. The static field symbol is only a pointer to the field in memory, and does not have the complex type attributes of a reference or structured field until runtime. You can only use the field symbol to address the whole field.
IDX:
Typically function modules must specify the exact structure of each parameter they are passed, hence runtime structures cannot be handled easily in normal function module creation. However, by using the ABAP programming construct ASSIGN COMPONENT idx OF STRUCTURE record to , a function can determine the structure of a record. For an example of how to develop a function to do this refer to function Z_LIST_SELECT_OPTIONS, which reads the structure of a RANGES table in a SELECT-OPTION parameter.

Differences between SAP and ABAP memory?

SAP memory is for cross-transaction Applications and ABAP/4 memory is transaction-specific.

The SAP memory, otherwise known as the global memory, is available to a user during the entire duration of a terminal session. Its contents are retained across transaction boundaries as well as external and internal sessions. The contents of the ABAP/4 memory are retained across internal sessions.

SAP Memory can be used to pass data from one program to other with in a session, or to pass data from one session to other, where as ABAP memory is used to pass data to a program ,which you are calling. The SET PARAMETER and GET PARAMETER statements allow you to write to, or read from, the SAP memory. The EXPORT TO MEMORY and IMPORT FROM MEMORY statements allow you to write data to, or read data from, the ABAP memory.

What is the typical structure of an ABAP/4 program?

ABAP/4 Programs are modular, event oriented and top-down Programs.It consists of 2 general types of application programs. They are

Reports

Dialog Programs

SAP Interview Questions