TABLES - ABAP Keyword Documentation

ABAP - Keyword Documentation → ABAP - Reference → Declarations → Declaration Statements → Data Types and Data Objects → Declaring Data Objects →

TABLES

Quick Reference

Syntax

TABLES table_wa.

Effect

This statement is not allowed in classes and declares a data object table_wa as a table work area whose data type is taken from the identically named structured data type table_wa in ABAP Dictionary. table_wa must be defined as a flat structure in ABAP Dictionary. This means either database tables or classic views can be specified for table_wa.

Table work areas declared using TABLES are interface work areas and should only be declared in the global declaration part of a program for the following purpose:

The statement TABLES is required for exchanging data between dynpro fields and the ABAP program, if the fields were defined in a dynpro in the program by being taken from ABAP Dictionary, . In the dynpro event PBO, the content of the table work area is passed to identically named dynpro fields. In PAI, the system takes the data from identically named dynpro fields.
In executable programs, flat table work areas can be used to apply data that is provided for the event GET table_wa from an associated logical database. TABLES is synonymous with the statement NODES for this purpose.

Programming Guideline

No table work areas except for classic dynpros

Notes

Table areas declared using NODES behave like shared data declared using the addition COMMON PART. They are shared by the programs of a program group. This feature should not be exploited due to the reasons outlined in Program Groups in External Procedure Calls.
Table work areas declared using TABLES can be declared in subroutines and function modules, however this is not recommended. A table work area declared in a procedure is not local but belongs to the context of a master program. The table work area is visible as soon as the master program is declared and exists for the duration of the master program. In contrast to normal program-global data, the content of the table work areas declared in subroutines and function modules is stored temporarily when these subroutines and function modules are called. Assignments that were made during runtime of the procedure are preserved until the procedure is completed. When the procedure is exited, the table work areas are filled with the content they had when the procedure was called. Table work areas declared in procedures behave like global data to which the statement LOCAL is applied in the procedure.
It is advisable to always use NODES and not TABLES for interface work areas for logical databases. This makes it clear that they are nodes of logical databases.
A CDS entity cannot be specified after TABLES. However, a CDS database view of a CDS view can be specified.
The variant TABLES * is completely obsolete.

Example

Declaration of a table work area demo_conn with reference to the dictionary structure of the same name DEMO_CONN in a module pool.

PROGRAM demo_dynpro_module.

TABLES demo_conn.

...