TABLES is a keyword used in SAP ABAP programming.This tutorial covers its introduction & syntax details.
TABLES
Basic form
TABLES dbtab.
Effect
Makes the database table ,
view or structure dbtab
known to the program. These objects are created by selecting
Development -> ABAP/4 Dictionary . This transaction
automatically defines an identical field string – the table work
area – in the program. The names and the sequence of the fields of
the table work area dbtab correspond exactly to the names and
the sequence of the fields when declaring the database table or view in
the ABAP/4 Dictionary . The ABAP/4 data type (see
DATA ) and the length of the fields are
derived from the data types in the ABAP/4 Dictionary as follows:
| Dict. data type | ABAP/4 data type |
|---|---|
| ACCP | -> N(6) |
| CHAR n | -> C(n) |
| CLNT | -> C(3) |
| CUKY | -> C(5) |
| CURR n, m, s | -> P((n + 2) / 2) DECIMALS m [NO-SIGN] |
| DEC n, m, s | -> P((n + 2) / 2) DECIMALS m [NO-SIGN] |
| DATS | -> D |
| FLTP | -> F |
| INT1 | -> No correspondence |
| INT2 | -> No correspondence |
| INT4 | -> I |
| LCHR n | -> C(n) |
| LRAW n | -> X(n) |
| LANG | -> C(1) |
| NUMC n | -> N(n) |
| PREC | -> X(2) |
| QUAN n, m, s | -> P((n + 2) / 2) DECIMALS m [NO-SIGN] |
| RAW n | -> X(n) |
| TIMS | -> T |
| UNIT n | -> C(n) |
| VARC n | -> C(n) |
The fields of the table work area are set to the initial values for
their ABAP/4 data types (see DATA ). For
the ABAP/4 Dictionary data types INT1 and INT2 ,
whole number fields of length 1 or 2 are created with the initial value
0 in the table work area.
The length of the table work area is not just the sum of the lengths
of the individual fields. Depending on how different fields have to be
aligned (Alignment ), the structure can contain
nameless “holes”.
Example
TABLES SPFLI.
SELECT * FROM SPFLI.
WRITE: / SPFLI-CARRID, SPFLI-CONNID.
ENDSELECT.
Notes
You can display the structure of the table work area in
the ABAP/4 Editor by double-clicking on the table name.
The divisions for determining ABAP/4 field lengths are whole
number divisions without rounding. The field of the table work area can
accept numbers which contain one digit more than the ABAP/4
Dictionary data type allows. Such a situation results in a runtime
error when writing to the database.
The table work area always has a global validity area. Even if the
TABLES statement is specified in a FORM or
FUNCTION , the work area is known when the subroutine has been
defined. However, changes to the work area in a subroutine remain local
to the FORM or FUNCTION . Therefore, it is advisable to
specify the TABLES statement globally. You can keep changes to
the table work area local to the subroutine with LOCAL .