SELECT, WHERE - ABAP Keyword Documentation

ABAP - Keyword Documentation → ABAP - Programming Language → Processing External Data → ABAP Database Access → ABAP SQL → ABAP SQL - Read Access → SELECT, clauses →

Mail Feedback

SELECT, WHERE

Short Reference

Syntax

... WHERE sql_cond ...

Effect

The addition WHERE restricts the number of rows that are included in the result set by the statement SELECT of a query by using a logical expression sql_cond. A row is only included in the result set if the logical expression is true.

Except for columns of type STRING, RAWSTRING, or GEOM_EWKB, or LCHR and LRAW, all columns of the data sources specified after FROM can usually be evaluated in the WHERE condition of a query. Special rules apply to some logical expressions. The columns do not necessarily have to be a part of the result set.

Implicit ABAP SQL client handling applies to the WHERE clause. The client column of a client-dependent data source cannot be used as an operand in the WHERE condition.

Hints

If the data source is accessed using generic table buffering, the buffered area must be specified completely in the WHERE condition, otherwise buffering is bypassed.
If the data sources are accessed using single record buffering, the conditions combined using AND in the WHERE condition must be specified for all key fields of the primary key, otherwise buffering is bypassed.
For frequently used SELECT statements with an identical WHERE condition, it can be useful to create an index. In WHERE conditions, the fields of the index should be expressed as equality comparisons and combined using the AND operator. All the fields of an index that are behind a field, for which a comparison other than = or EQ is specified in the WHERE clause, cannot be used for searching in the index.
It is currently not possible to use aggregate expressions as operands in a WHERE condition. This is only possible in the HAVING clause.
If one of the columns involved in the logical expression sql_cond contains the null value, its result is unknown, and no row is included in the result set.
The client column of a client-dependent data source can still be used in the ON condition if implicit client handling is disabled using the obsolete addition CLIENT SPECIFIED.

Example

Reading of all objects in the ABAP keyword documentation from the table DOKIL using a suitable WHERE condition. Messages of the code inspector regarding the bypassing of the table buffer are suppressed using pseudo comments.

SELECT FROM dokil
       FIELDS object, langu
       WHERE  id = 'SD'  AND
              typ = 'E'  AND
                   ( object LIKE 'ABAP%'    OR
                     object LIKE 'ABEN%'    OR
                     object LIKE 'DYNP%'  ) AND
                     ( langu = 'D' OR langu = 'E' ) "#EC CI_GENBUFF
      ORDER BY object, langu                        "#EC CI_BYPASS
      INTO TABLE @FINAL(dokil_tab).

Executable Examples

Continue

SELECT, SQL Expressions in the WHERE Condition