In SAP environments, transferring large volumes of data from external systems or legacy systems into SAP is a common requirement. Batch Data Communication (BDC) is a classic technique used in ABAP to automate and simulate user transactions for mass data uploads. This article covers the fundamentals of BDC, its implementation methods, and best practices for ABAP developers.
BDC is a batch input technique used to automate data entry into SAP by simulating user actions at the SAP GUI level. Instead of manually entering data transaction by transaction, BDC programs process data in the background, performing transactions exactly as a user would but without manual intervention.
This is useful for:
There are two primary methods to implement BDC in ABAP:
CALL TRANSACTION statement.BDC_OPEN_GROUP, BDC_INSERT, and BDC_CLOSE_GROUP.Create an internal table to hold the data you want to upload. Typically, the data comes from flat files, internal tables, or external sources.
Use transaction SHDB to record the target transaction and capture the screen flow, including field names and values.
The BDC data structure contains three key components:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
PROGRAM |
Program name of the screen |
DYNPRO |
Screen number |
DYNBEGIN |
Flag to indicate screen start |
FNAM |
Field name on the screen |
FVAL |
Field value to be entered |
Populate this internal table according to the recorded screens.
CALL TRANSACTION 'MM01' USING it_bdcdata
MODE 'N' " No display, background processing
UPDATE 'S' " Synchronous update
MESSAGES INTO it_messages.
CALL FUNCTION 'BDC_OPEN_GROUP'
EXPORTING
client = sy-mandt
group = 'Z_BATCH1'
keep = ' '
user = sy-uname.
CALL FUNCTION 'BDC_INSERT'
EXPORTING
tcode = 'MM01'
dynproprog = 'SAPLMGMM'
dynpronr = '0100'
record = it_bdcdata.
CALL FUNCTION 'BDC_CLOSE_GROUP'.
COMMIT WORK.
MESSAGES INTO it_messages) to analyze errors.Batch Data Communication remains a powerful and flexible method for data migration and batch processing in SAP systems. By simulating user transactions programmatically, BDC enables automated mass data uploads with minimal manual effort. Understanding how to implement BDC using both Call Transaction and Session methods is a vital skill for ABAP developers involved in data migration or integration projects.
While newer technologies are emerging, BDC continues to be relevant in many SAP landscapes, particularly where standard interfaces do not exist.