abapdev/.claude/skills/abap/SKILL.md

---

name: abap

description: ABAP development guidance. Use when creating, modifying, checking, or activating ABAP objects, writing ABAP code, RAP development, CDS views, function modules, classes, or any SAP ABAP coding task.

ABAP Development Skill

This skill provides guidance for working with ABAP code in SAP systems via the mcp-abap-adt MCP server.

When to Use

• Creating new ABAP objects (classes, tables, CDS views, function modules, etc.)
• Modifying existing ABAP code
• Checking object syntax for errors
• Activating ABAP objects
• Debugging ABAP compilation errors
• RAP (RESTful ABAP Programming Model) development
• CDS view development
• ABAP unit testing

Core Principle

ALL ABAP operations go through mcp-abap-adt tools. NEVER write ABAP code to local files.

Object Naming Conventions

Object Type	Format	Example
Classes	ZCL_<prefix>_<desc>	ZCL_MY_CLASS
Interfaces	ZIF_<prefix>_<desc>	ZIF_MY_INTERFACE
Tables	ZTB_<prefix>_<desc>	ZTB_MY_TABLE
Structures	ZST_<prefix>_<desc>	ZST_MY_STRUCTURE
Data Elements	ZDE_<prefix>_<desc>	ZDE_MY_DATA
Domains	ZDM_<prefix>_<desc>	ZDM_MY_DOMAIN
CDS Views	Z<V><underscore>_<desc>	ZVW_MY_VIEW (V4) / ZRI_MY_VIEW (V2)
Behavior Def	Root entity name	ZI_MY_ENTITY
Behavior Impl	ZBP_<entity>	ZBP_MY_ENTITY
Function Group	Z<FG>_<desc>	ZFG_TEST
Function Module	Z<FM>_<desc>	ZFM_TEST
Programs	Z<desc>	ZMY_REPORT
Message Class	Z_MSG_<desc>	Z_MSG_ERRORS

All custom objects must start with Z or Y.

Standard Workflow Pattern

1. Plan & Discover

• Use GetPackage to verify package exists
• Use SearchObject to check if object already exists
• Use GetWhereUsed to check dependencies

2. Create (with activate: false)

• Create object using Create* tool
• Include all parameters/fields at creation time when possible
• Set activate: false unless you're done

3. Update Source/Code

• Use Update* or Update* with source code
• For classes: UpdateClass with complete source
• For CDS: UpdateDdl with DDL source
• For behavior: UpdateBehaviorDefinition + UpdateBehaviorImplementation

4. Check Syntax

• Use Check* tool for the object type
• Review all errors/warnings
• If errors exist: fix source and re-check
• If clean: proceed to activation

5. Activate

• Use Activate* or ActivateObjects (batch)
• For dependencies: activate in order (Domain → Data Element → Structure → Table → View → Behavior → Service)

6. Verify

• Use Get* to confirm activation
• Check GetInactiveObjects if needed

RAP Development

Architecture Layers

1. CDS View (DDLS) - Data model with annotations
2. Behavior Definition (BDEF) - Business logic definition
3. Behavior Implementation (CLAS - ZBP_*) - ABAP code for behavior
4. Service Definition (SRVD) - Expose the service
5. Service Binding (SRVB) - Define OData/UI binding

Creation Order

CreateDdl → UpdateDdl (DDL source) → CheckDdl → ActivateDdl
CreateBehaviorDefinition → CheckBehaviorDefinition → ActivateBehaviorDefinition
CreateBehaviorImplementation (ZBP_*) → UpdateBehaviorImplementation → ActivateClass (for ZBP_*)
CreateServiceDefinition → CheckServiceDefinition → ActivateServiceDefinition
CreateServiceBinding → CheckServiceBinding → ActivateServiceBinding

Key CDS Annotations

• @AbapCatalog.sqlViewName: SQL view name
• @AccessControl.authorizationCheck: Authorization check mode
• @EndUserText.label: Description
• @OData.publish: Mark for OData exposure
• Standard CDS entities: _comment, _association, _parameter

Behavior Definition Patterns

• Managed: Framework handles CRUD automatically
• Unmanaged: Full control, write all handlers
• Abstract: For inheritance scenarios
• Include read, create, update, delete, action definitions as needed

CDS View Development

Structure

@AbapCatalog.sqlViewName: 'ZMYVIEW'
@AccessControl.authorizationCheck: #NOT_REQUIRED
@EndUserText.label: 'My CDS View'
define view Zmy_view as select from my_table {
  key client,
  key id,
       field_name,
       status
}

Common Patterns

• Use select from for standard CDS
• Use _as select for projections
• Define associations with association [0..1|0..*]
• Use as _association for navigation properties
• Expose parameters with _parameter annotation

Class Development

Structure

CLASS zcl_my_class DEFINITION
  PUBLIC
  FINAL
  CREATE PUBLIC.

  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS get_data RETURNING VALUE(rv_result) TYPE string.
    METHODS set_data IMPORTING iv_value TYPE string.

  PROTECTED SECTION.
  PRIVATE SECTION.
    DATA my_attr TYPE string.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_my_class IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD get_data.
    rv_result = me->my_attr.
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

Local Types/Definitions

• Add types to implementations include via UpdateLocalTypes
• Add definitions to definitions include via UpdateLocalDefinitions
• Include methods to main class source via UpdateClass

Function Module Development

Structure

FUNCTION z_fm_test.
*"Local Interface:
*"  IMPORTING
*"     VALUE(IV_INPUT) TYPE  STRING OPTIONAL
*"  EXPORTING
*"     VALUE(EV_OUTPUT) TYPE  STRING
*"  EXCEPTIONS
*"     ERROR_OCCURRED
*"
*"  ev_output = iv_input.
*"
*  IF ev_output IS INITIAL.
*"    RAISE error_occurred.
*"  ENDIF.
ENDFUNCTION.

Key Points

• Function modules live in function groups
• Use CreateFunctionInclude + UpdateFunctionInclude for include code
• Or use UpdateFunctionModule which sets complete source
• Check using CheckFunctionModule which requires function group name

ABAP Message Classes

Creating Messages

1. CreateMessageClass with class name
2. CreateMessageClassMessage for each message (number + text)
3. Messages use placeholders &1, &2, &3, &4 for dynamic content

Message Format

CreateMessageClassMessage with:
message_class_name = "Z_MSG_ERRORS"
msgno = "001"
msgtext = "Error: Invalid value for field &1 (&2)"

Common Pitfalls

Naming

• Object names are case-insensitive in ABAP but uppercase in ADT tools
• Always use uppercase in tool parameters
• Custom objects MUST start with Z or Y

Activation Chain

• Domains must be activated before data elements that use them
• Data elements before structures that use them
• Structures before tables that use them
• Behavior Definition before Behavior Implementation
• CDS View before Service Definition references it

Transport Handling

• $TMP = local, no transport request needed
• Customer packages need valid transport_request number
• Create with CreateTransport if none exists

Syntax Errors

• Check* ALWAYS run before Activate*
• Read error messages carefully - they indicate line numbers and nature
• Some errors are fatal, others are warnings
• Fix the root cause, not just the symptom
• Re-check after fixes

DDL Source Code

• For UpdateDdl/UpdateTable/UpdateStructure: provide COMPLETE DDL source
• Include all annotations
• Use Get* (active version) as reference if updating existing object

Batch Operations

Multiple Object Activation

When creating many related objects:

1. Create all objects with activate: false
2. Update all source code
3. Check all objects (Check*)
4. Fix any errors (Update*)
5. Activate in dependency order using ActivateObjects batch

Object Discovery

• GetPackageTree(parent_name, include_descriptions: true) - visual tree
• GetPackageContents(package_name, include_subpackages: true) - recursive flat list
• SearchObject(object_name: "Z*") - wildcard search across repository
• GetObjectStructure(objecttype: "CLAS/OC", objectname: "ZCL_X") - object tree for specific object

Version Diff

• Use Get*Versions to list versions
• Use GetObjectVersionDiff(content_uri_from, content_uri_to) to compare
• Use Get*VersionSource to fetch specific version

Performance Tips

1. Batch activation: Use ActivateObjects with multiple objects to save API calls
2. Lazy checking: Check multiple objects before batch activation
3. Create with parameters: Set all fields at creation time
4. Source reuse: Copy existing object source, then modify only what's needed
5. Error accumulation: Fix all syntax errors before activating anything

Testing

ABAP Unit Tests

• Create test class with CreateClass + CreateClassVersion (final keyword: TEST_DOUBLE for doubles)
• Create local test class with UpdateLocalTestClass
• Run with RunUnitTest or CreateUnitTest
• Check results with GetUnitTestStatus and GetUnitTestResult

CDS Unit Tests

• Create with CreateCdsUnitTest for CDS view validation
• Provides test doubles for dependencies
• Run with CDS-specific tooling

Migration & Transport

• Use CreateTransport to create transport requests
• Add objects to transport during creation/modification
• Check transport status with GetTransport
• Use ListTransports to find open transport requests

ADT Low-Level Operations

For advanced scenarios:

• GetNodeStructureLow: Navigate object tree with session management
• GetAdtTypes: Validate object type codes
• RuntimeAnalyzeProfilerTrace: Profiling & performance analysis
• SqlQuery: Execute direct SQL queries
• GetTableContents: Data preview for database tables