Data Interfaces 

The data with which the ABAP programs work, is mostly stored in the central databank of the SAP System. However ABAP programs can also access the file systems of the other two layers of the client-server architecture. That means they can also save or read persistent data from the workstations of the application layer or the desktop computers of the presentation layer.

A common use of this possibility is the transfer of data within the SAP system. You can import files into an ABAP program, regardless of what format they have in the file system of the server, edit them there and then save them to the databank. You can also write data from a databank to be edited further in these file systems, as for example with desktop applications for presentation purposes.

 

Working with Files on the Applications Server

Working with Files on the Presentation Server

 

As the names of files and directory paths vary from operating system to operating system, it is usually the case that programs that access files directly are not platform-independent. The SAP Web AS ABAP System contains a function module and a range of transactions that allow you to work with platform-independent filenames.

Using Platform-Independent Filenames