The database utility represents the interface between the ABAP Dictionary and the relational database that underlies the R/3 System. You can use the database utility to create, convert and delete ABAP Dictionary objects, as well as database table, database views and other R/3 objects. You can do this online or in the background. In a conversion, the definition of a table in the database is adapted to its changed definition in the ABAP Dictionary. You can also implement various analysis options, for example to display table and index definitions, or check the consistency of objects.

For some SAP objects, particularly transparent tables, you can set user-specific database parameters (INITIAL, NEXT, MINEXTENTS, MAXEXTENTS, tablespace name, FREELIST GROUPS, FREELISTS, PCTFREE, PCTUSED). You can also set flags to determine which parameters you want to apply the next time a table is created (deleted and created, converted) and which ones you want to take effect immediately. Not all the values can be changed immediately, just MAXEXTENTS, NEXT, PCTFREE and PCTUSED (these values are valid if a new area of memory is requested for the object).