ABAP Classic — SAP Programming from Scratch/Data Dictionary & Database

Table Types, Structures, and Ranges

Learn reusable ABAP type definitions: TYPE TABLE OF, nested structures, RANGE for flexible selections, and organizing complex data models.

Table Types, Structures, and Ranges

What You'll Learn

Defining reusable structures with TYPES
Table types for method parameters
Nested structures and deep structures
The RANGE type for flexible selections
Using ranges in SELECT statements

Defining Structures with TYPES

REPORT z_type_definitions.

* Define a structure type (reusable blueprint)
TYPES: BEGIN OF ty_order,
         order_id    TYPE vbeln,
         customer_id TYPE kunnr,
         order_date  TYPE datum,
         amount      TYPE netwr_ap,
         status      TYPE c LENGTH 1,
       END OF ty_order.

* Use it to declare variables
DATA: ls_order  TYPE ty_order,          " One row
      lt_orders TYPE TABLE OF ty_order. " Table of rows

TYPES defines a blueprint. DATA creates actual variables from that blueprint. You can reuse ty_order throughout your program — any change to the type definition automatically updates all variables using it.

Table Types

A table type explicitly defines the table's access type and key:

* Standard table (most common)
TYPES: tt_orders TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF ty_order WITH DEFAULT KEY.

* Sorted table with explicit key
TYPES: tt_orders_sorted TYPE SORTED TABLE OF ty_order WITH UNIQUE KEY order_id.

* Hashed table
TYPES: tt_orders_hashed TYPE HASHED TABLE OF ty_order WITH UNIQUE KEY order_id.

* Use in method signatures
CLASS lcl_processor DEFINITION.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS: process_orders IMPORTING it_orders TYPE tt_orders.
ENDCLASS.

Table types are essential for method parameters — you can't pass TYPE TABLE OF ty_order directly to a method, you need a named table type.

Nested Structures

TYPES: BEGIN OF ty_address,
         street TYPE string,
         city   TYPE string,
         zip    TYPE string,
         country TYPE land1,
       END OF ty_address.

TYPES: BEGIN OF ty_customer_full,
         customer_id TYPE kunnr,
         name        TYPE string,
         address     TYPE ty_address,           " Nested structure
         orders      TYPE TABLE OF ty_order WITH DEFAULT KEY, " Deep structure
       END OF ty_customer_full.

DATA: ls_customer TYPE ty_customer_full.

ls_customer-name = 'Alice'.
ls_customer-address-city = 'Mumbai'.
ls_customer-address-country = 'IN'.

Nested structures access fields with chained dashes: ls_customer-address-city. Deep structures (structures containing internal tables) are common in complex business objects.

RANGES — Flexible Selection Criteria

A RANGE is an internal table that represents a set of selection conditions — like a WHERE clause stored in a variable:

* Define a range for customer numbers
DATA: lr_kunnr TYPE RANGE OF kunnr.

* Add conditions: single value
lr_kunnr = VALUE #(
  ( sign = 'I' option = 'EQ' low = '0000001001' )
  ( sign = 'I' option = 'EQ' low = '0000001002' )
  ( sign = 'I' option = 'EQ' low = '0000001003' )
).

* Use in a SELECT
SELECT * FROM kna1
  INTO TABLE @DATA(lt_customers)
  WHERE kunnr IN @lr_kunnr.

Range Components

Each range row has four fields:

SIGN    'I' = Include, 'E' = Exclude
OPTION  'EQ' = Equal, 'BT' = Between, 'CP' = Pattern, 'GT' = Greater Than
LOW     Start value (or the single value for EQ)
HIGH    End value (only for BT = Between)

Common Range Patterns

* Include a range of values
lr_kunnr = VALUE #(
  ( sign = 'I' option = 'BT' low = '0000001000' high = '0000001999' )
).

* Include everything EXCEPT specific values
lr_kunnr = VALUE #(
  ( sign = 'I' option = 'BT' low = '0000000001' high = '9999999999' )
  ( sign = 'E' option = 'EQ' low = '0000001050' )  " Exclude this one
).

* Pattern matching
DATA: lr_name TYPE RANGE OF name1_gp.
lr_name = VALUE #(
  ( sign = 'I' option = 'CP' low = '*Corp*' )  " Names containing 'Corp'
).

Why Ranges Are Powerful

Ranges are used everywhere in SAP:

Selection screens (PARAMETERS and SELECT-OPTIONS) generate ranges automatically
Function modules accept ranges as parameters
You can build dynamic WHERE conditions by constructing ranges programmatically

* Build a range dynamically based on business logic
DATA: lr_status TYPE RANGE OF c LENGTH 1.

IF lv_include_open = abap_true.
  APPEND VALUE #( sign = 'I' option = 'EQ' low = 'O' ) TO lr_status.
ENDIF.
IF lv_include_closed = abap_true.
  APPEND VALUE #( sign = 'I' option = 'EQ' low = 'C' ) TO lr_status.
ENDIF.

SELECT * FROM zorders INTO TABLE @DATA(lt_orders)
  WHERE status IN @lr_status.

INCLUDE TYPE — Reusing Structures

TYPES: BEGIN OF ty_base_fields,
         created_by   TYPE syuname,
         created_date TYPE datum,
         changed_by   TYPE syuname,
         changed_date TYPE datum,
       END OF ty_base_fields.

TYPES: BEGIN OF ty_order_extended.
         INCLUDE TYPE ty_order.           " Pulls in all fields from ty_order
         INCLUDE TYPE ty_base_fields.     " Adds audit fields
TYPES: END OF ty_order_extended.

INCLUDE TYPE inlines all fields from another structure — like composition/inheritance for data types.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the SIGN field in ranges. Without sign = 'I', the range condition doesn't include anything. Always set SIGN explicitly.
Using an empty range in a SELECT WHERE ... IN. An empty range (lr_kunnr IS INITIAL) matches ALL rows — no filtering happens. Check before using: IF lr_kunnr IS NOT INITIAL.
Confusing TYPES and DATA. TYPES creates a blueprint (no memory allocated). DATA creates an actual variable (memory allocated). You can't WRITE to a TYPE or APPEND to a TYPE — only to DATA variables.
Forgetting WITH DEFAULT KEY on table types. Without a key specification, some table type declarations cause syntax warnings or errors in strict mode.

Key Takeaways

TYPES defines reusable blueprints for structures and table types.
Table types with explicit keys are required for method parameters.
Nested structures use chained dashes: ls_record-address-city.
RANGE tables store flexible selection criteria (SIGN, OPTION, LOW, HIGH).
Ranges integrate directly with SELECT ... WHERE ... IN — dynamically build your WHERE clauses.
Use INCLUDE TYPE to compose structures from reusable parts.
An empty range in WHERE ... IN matches everything — always check IS NOT INITIAL.

Next Lesson

Module 3 is complete! You can define tables, query data, modify records, and organize complex types. In Module 4: Reports & User Interfaces, we start with Lesson 18: Selection Screens — how to build user input screens for your ABAP reports.

← PreviousModifying Data — INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, MODIFY Next →Selection Screens — PARAMETERS and SELECT-OPTIONS