Mapping of ABAP Data Types
The following table lists the predefined types in the ABAP Dictionary. These types cannot be used directly in ABAP programs and are known as external data types. They are used in the ABAP Dictionary for definition of data types to which ABAP programs can refer.
The predefined data types of the ABAP Dictionary must also be taken into account in Open SQL statements and when working with screens. Open SQL statements work with database tables defined in the ABAP Dictionary whose columns have external data types. Screen fields are also declared in the Screen Painter with reference to external data types.
If a data element or a field of an ABAP Dictionary object (structure, table type, table, or view) is used in an ABAP program, the dictionary data type is converted to the corresponding ABAP data type.
Mapping of the ABAP Dictionary and ABAP Processor Data Types
| Type | Permitted Places m | Meaning | ABAP Type |
|---|---|---|---|
|
ACCP |
6 |
Accounting period |
n(6) |
|
CHAR |
1-1333 |
Character string |
c(m) |
|
CLNT |
3 |
Client |
c(3) |
|
CUKY |
5 |
Currency key |
c(5) |
|
CURR |
1-31 |
Currency field |
p((m+1)/2) |
|
DATS |
8 |
Date |
d |
|
DEC |
1-31 |
Calculation/amount field |
p((m+1)/2) |
|
DF16_RAW |
16 |
Normalized decimal floating point number |
decfloat16 |
|
DF16_SCL |
16 |
Scaled decimal floating point number |
decfloat16 |
|
DF34_RAW |
34 |
Normalized decimal floating point number |
decfloat34 |
|
DF34_SCL |
34 |
Scaled decimal floating point number |
decfloat34 |
|
FLTP |
16 |
Floating point number |
f(8) |
|
INT1 |
3 |
1 byte integer |
b |
|
INT2 |
5 |
2 byte integer |
s |
|
INT4 |
10 |
4 byte integer |
i |
|
LANG |
1 |
Language |
c(1) |
|
LCHR |
256-… |
Long character string |
c(m) |
|
LRAW |
256-… |
Long byte string |
x(m) |
|
NUMC |
1-255 |
Numeric text |
n(m) |
|
PREC |
2 |
Obsolete data type |
s |
|
QUAN |
1-31 |
Quantity field |
P((m+1)/2) |
|
RAW |
1-255 |
Byte sequence |
x(m) |
|
RAWSTRING |
256-… |
Byte sequence |
xstring |
|
SSTRING |
1-255 |
Character string |
string |
|
STRING |
256-… |
Character string |
string |
|
TIMS |
6 |
Time |
t |
|
UNIT |
2-3 |
Unit key |
c(m) |
The character m used in the table specifies the number of places of the field in the ABAP Dictionary.
- For types LCHR and LRAW, the maximum number of places in a transparent database table is the value of the preceding INT2 field.
- The types RAWSTRING and STRING have a variable length. A maximum length for these types can be specified, but has no upper limit.
- The type SSTRING has a variable length. Its maximum length must be specified and is limited to 255. The advantage of this type compared with CHAR is that it is assigned to the ABAP type string.
- The type PREC is obsolete and should not be used.
The table below shows the data types of the ABAP Dictionary that are based on the predefined types in the above table and that can be addressed in an ABAP program. The elementary components of these data types are converted to predefined ABAP data types according to the final column in the above table, whereby the number of places m of each type is converted to lengths.
| Data types in the ABAP Dictionary | Data types in ABAP |
|---|---|
|
Data element |
Elementary data type, reference type |
|
Structure, database table, view |
Structured data type |
|
Table type |
Table type |