In the world of SAP, reports are critical tools for extracting and analyzing business data. ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) is the primary programming language used for developing applications on the SAP platform. In the SAP-ABAP-CRM (Customer Relationship Management) context, generating accurate and timely reports helps in understanding customer data, tracking activities, and making informed decisions.
This article provides a beginner-friendly guide to creating basic reports in ABAP, focusing on the key components, structures, and an example report relevant to the CRM module.
A report in ABAP is a program that reads data from the database and displays it in a structured format. Reports are categorized into two types:
For beginners, starting with Classical Reports is the best way to understand data selection and output display.
A simple classical report in ABAP includes the following components:
Create a report to display customer information (like name, city, and customer number) from table KNA1, which stores general data for customers.
TABLES: kna1. "Declares the KNA1 table
PARAMETERS: p_kunnr TYPE kna1-kunnr. "Customer number as input
START-OF-SELECTION.
SELECT SINGLE * FROM kna1 INTO kna1 WHERE kunnr = p_kunnr.
IF sy-subrc = 0.
WRITE: / 'Customer Number:', kna1-kunnr,
/ 'Name:', kna1-name1,
/ 'City:', kna1-ort01.
ELSE.
WRITE: / 'Customer not found.'.
ENDIF.
If the user enters customer number 100000, the output may look like:
Customer Number: 100000
Name: ABC Industries
City: New York
In CRM, reporting may involve more specific tables like:
CRMD_ORDERADM_H – Order Administration HeaderCRMD_PARTNER – Business partners in transactionsBUT000 – Business Partner Master DataYou can apply similar logic to these tables, depending on the business requirement.
Creating basic reports in ABAP is a fundamental skill for SAP consultants, especially in CRM environments where customer data analysis is crucial. By mastering classical reports, you lay the groundwork for more advanced reporting techniques, including ALV and interactive reports.
As you grow in your SAP career, remember that effective reporting not only involves coding but also understanding business needs and presenting data clearly and usefully.