Re: Using Structure how to know the Table Name

Former Member — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:24:33 GMT

These following techniques defines how to find tables

Hope this will help you

SAP Table and Field search techniques

Dennis Barrett, SAP America

1999 Dennis Barrett, Austin Texas 7/10/2001 3:06 PM Page 1

The problem: You want to create an ABAP query or ABAP report using fields that you can find on transaction

screens, but you don't know where the data are stored. This paper describes some techniques you can use to find

the data. Some fields may still resist these techniques; there are certainly more ways yet to chase them down.

Thanks to the many SAP consultants and others who contributed to these strategies.

1. The first step is always to find out the table and field name of the screen field. With the cursor in the field

you want, press F1 or click on the "?". The initial help screen will give you descriptions and information about

the field. From there press F9 or click on [Technical info . Here you can get names of the table, field and the data

element.

2. Double-click on the field labeled Field data /Table name.

Screen title Object label Name description Result

Dictionary: Table/Structure: Display fields Name Structure Keep looking

Dictionary: Table/Structure: Display fields Name Transparent table Success

Dictionary: Display View Database view (none) Success

Many screen fields are presented using structures which are Data Dictionary objects that have fields but do not

carry data. They are like empty tables. If the field is in a structure, you'll have to keep looking.

Transparent tables store data, and views are linked groups of transparent tables. You'll find the field's name

somewhere in the list. If the field is in a view, you can look at the definition of the view to find out the underlying

table that contains the field.

3. Back out to the "Technical Information" dialog box and double-click on the field labeled “Field data/Data

element”. This will show you the value table if there is one. If you're just looking for master data like customer

name - KUNNR - then the value table will give you what you want. If you need the data from a transaction, then

the master data won't do and you get to keep looking.

4. When R/3 moves data from one table to another (or into a structure), it often (not always) moves it into a

target field having the same Data element as the source field. From the Data element display, follow the path

{Utilities {Where-used list {Table fields {Enter. This will list the tables, views and structures that use this data

element. If your field is a commonly used one, this list may be so large that it's hard to find your data storage

location. For example KUNNR shows up in 743 objects in Release 4.0B. An infrequently-used field may show

up in fewer objects, and you can find your data source in the list. Note also that the list includes (sometimes lots

of) structures. When you drill into a fieldname in the list, you'll see the table display which will identify it as a

structure or a transparent table. If it's a structure, you'll have to keep looking. If the Data element doesn't work,

you can try the same thing with the Domain.

SAP Table and Field search techniques

Dennis Barrett, SAP America

1999 Dennis Barrett, Austin Texas 7/10/2001 3:06 PM Page 2

5. Since the data element Where-used list generally contains so many (non-data carrying) structures, the list

is not terribly useful for this purpose. You can create the data dictionary view “Z_DATA_ELEMENT” described

below which will show only the data tables that use your data element. Use /SE11 or {Tools {ABAP/4

Workbench {Dictionary <Z_DATA_ELEMENT {Utility {Table contents and enter name of the data element

you are searching for in its selection field. This view will give you a list of only data tables that use that data

element.

Z_DATA_ELEMENT Base tables

Table

DD03L

DD02L

DD02T

DD04T

Z_DATA_ELEMENT Joins
Table	Field	=	Table	Field
DD03L	TABNAME	=	DD02L	TABNAME
DD03L	TABNAME	=	DD02T	TABNAME
DD03L	ROLLNAME	=	DD04T	ROLLNAME

Z_DATA_ELEMENT Fields
Base table	Base field	View field
DD02L	TABNAME	TABNAME
DD03L	FIELDNAME	FIELDNAME
DD02L	TABCLASS	TABCLASS
DD03L	POSITION	FLD_POSNR
DD03L	KEYFLAG	KEYFLAG
DD03L	MANDATORY	MANDATORY
DD03L	ROLLNAME	DATA_ELEM
DD03L	CHECKTABLE	CHECKTABLE
DD03L	NOTNULL	NOTNULL
DD02T	DDTEXT	TBL_DESCR
DD04T	DDTEXT	D_E_DESCR

Z_DATA_ELEMENT Selection cond.
NOT	Table	Field name	Op	Comparison value	AND/OR
	DD04T	DDLANGUAGE	EQ	'E'	AND
	DD02T	DDLANGUAGE	EQ	'E'	AND
	DD03L	AS4LOCAL	EQ	'A'	AND
	DD02L	AS4LOCAL	EQ	'A'	AND
	DD02L	TABCLASS	EQ	'TRANSP'	OR
	DD02L	TABCLASS	EQ	'CLUSTER'	OR
	DD02L	TABCLASS	EQ	'POOL'

6. Go to SE16 or follow the path {Tools {ABAP/4 Workbench {Overview {Data Browser. Press F4, then

SAP Applications. Drill down through the menu tree to find the tables associated with your application. Your

field may well be in one of those tables.

7. Alternatively, use 'RunTime Analysis'. Go to transaction SE30 or follow {System {Utilities {Runtime

Analysis {Execute. Enter the transaction code, then [Execute the transaction. After you post the transaction, the

system will return you to the RunTime Analysis screen. Choose [Analyze then [Tables to see all the transparent

and pool tables that were accessed during the transaction. [Hit list will show you all the program calls and specify

the ABAP program that was running.

SAP Table and Field search strategies

1999 Dennis Barrett, Austin Texas 7/10/2001 3:06 PM Page 3

8. Sometimes the Where-used list for the original screen structure with $Programs checked will show the

place where the field is associated with the database. Compare the programs in this list to those you found in the

RunTime Analysis Hit List to narrow your search.

8a Here’s another technique that two people sent after seeing the article: Satyanarayana Hadeed in Saudi Arabia

and Roberto Vaccaro in Brazil. Thanks, people:

1. Data element field - Utilities - Where used List

2. Sub screen as shown in Figure 8 of your article is displayed.

3. Select "Indirect application" or function "F6".

4. Here we get another sub screen, where one can directly go to list of Tables by double clicking "Table". The

list contains only database Tables (e.g. no structures or views) in which the Data element is used.

5. A big advantage of this approach is that you can drill into the table and see its entire structure.

9. One or more of the other screen fields may be directly connected to their database tables. If you can

discover the "Header" table of the transaction, it may include the field you want. For example, assume you want

the "Sold to" data from the Sales order initial screen. It's listed as RV45S-KUNNR, but you find that RV45Z is a

structure. Its data element is KUNAG, but Release 4.0B uses that data element in 276 tables, so it would be tough

to find it there. On the same screen, the "Order" is listed as VBAK-VBELN. When you look up the VBAK table,

you find that it does include KUNNR.

10. Transaction data is normally stored in several hierarchically-connected tables, and R/3 may have one or

more views defined for the transaction you're dealing with. You can search through those views to find other

associated tables. Any one of those might store your data. For example, assume you want the "Order quantity"

data from the Sales order: Single-Line Overview. It's listed as RV45A-KWMENG, but you find that RV45A is a

structure. You already know that "Order" is VBAK-VBELN, so you look for views in the Where-used list for

VBAK. View VIVEDA connects VBAK, VBUK and VBAP and you find that VBAP includes the field

KWMENG.

11. Tables that are related in a business process are sometimes connected in a Logical Database. The VBAK

Where-used list for Logical databases, for example, can steer you to lots of other candidate tables.

12. Many transactions have header information and detail or item lines. Remember that R/3 is a German

product. "Kopf" is German for "head", and "position" can be interpreted in German as "detail" or item. You'll

often find header/item table pairs with "K" and "P" in their names, such as VBAK & VBAP.

13. Sometimes text fields are stored in structure RSTXT or the like. Texts are stored all over the place in R/3,

but the long texts frequently are stored in tables STXH and STXL, text header and text line respectively. The

texts are stored in raw (i.e. non-ASCII) form, so you must use function modules to get them.

There are several function modules for processing these texts, including Read_Text which reads text lines from

the database. You'll need the Text Name, ID and Object parameters to execute the function modules. Those

parameters are available from the text field by following {Long Text {GoTo {Header.

SAP Table and Field search strategies

1999 Dennis Barrett, Austin Texas 7/10/2001 3:06 PM Page 4

14. R/3 records changes that are made to many documents, and frequently the change information includes

the name of the table and field affected. You can change the field you're looking for in such a document, and then

read the change record to find the table and field name. Some examples of menu paths to change records in

release 4.0B are:

In Plant Maintenance or Service Management

Technical Objects: {Extras {Display Changes

Order: {Extras {Order documents {Changes

Notification: {Extras {Notification documents {Changes

Contracts & planning: {Environment {Changes

Technical Objects: {Extras {Display Changes

In Sales and Distribution

Order: {Environment {Changes

Delivery: {Environment {Changes

Tables TCDOB and TCDOBT list all the available object classes for change document creation. You can get

clues there about whether your application supports change documents.

15. If you can't find the change document in your transaction, have a look in the change document tables

CDHDR and CDPOS (Now there's a mix of English and German naming conventions: CD Header and CD

Position!) as follows. After you have changed and saved the field you're searching for, open CDHDR in the

ABAP Workbench dictionary, the follow {Utilities {Table contents to find the change record. In the selection

screen enter today’s date, time range and your user name. It should pull the one matching record. Ctrl-C copy the

value of CHANGENR, and use it to pull the appropriate record from CDPOS. This record contains the names of

the table and field affected as well as the new and old values so you can assure that you're looking at the right

record.

16. If your field is in a structure, that structure may contain one or more .INCLUDEs which themselves are

actually tables. For example in a Sales Order Item Overview, the Condition Type is listed as KOMV-KSCHL but

KOMV is a structure. KOMV does contain the .INCLUDE KONV which is itself a table that contains the field

KSCHL.

17. In /SE11 or {Tools {ABAP/4 Workbench {Dictionary <Tablename {Display {Extras {Graphics

you’ll see a graphical representation of the selected table and its links to other tables. You can use this to see the

entire family of tables related to a business object, and may be able find where your field is located.

18. If all else fails, it's time for some serious archeology. In one session go into transaction /ST05 or {Tools

{ABAP/4 Workbench {Test {SQL Trace. In another session, go to your transaction but don't run it yet. Switch

over and click on the [Trace On button and [Ok. Switch back and run your transaction. Switch over and click

[Trace off, then [List trace and [Ok. You'll have a list of all the SQL calls to the tables with their parameters. It

may be easier to download it into a word processor document for searching {System {List {Save {Local file

{unconverted <Filename = "c:\mypath\filename.doc". Search for your field name and notice the tables it is

associated with. It may involve detective work to determine which table actually stores the data. This approach

requires an understanding of SQL commands and principles.

19. Another heavy-duty ABAP approach is to debug the program. Go to SE38 or follow {Tools {ABAP/4

Workbench {ABAP/4 Editor, enter the program name and click [Debugging. Press [Enter to get to the debugging

screen, put a watchpoint on the variable, and then click on [Continue. Any change in the variable triggers the

watchpoint, presenting you with the code immediately below the line that changed the variable. You may be able

see references to the data table where the information is stored.

SAP Table and Field search strategies

1999 Dennis Barrett, Austin Texas 7/10/2001 3:06 PM Page 5

20. Finally, extract some data from the set of tables associated with your transaction, and copy those records

into a text file. Use the “Search” function in your word processor to find data flows by content where the source

and destination fields may have different names and data elements. R/3 often uses internal numbers to link

records that you'd never think of, such as Object ID and Object Type. Their values however can be quite

distinctive, and you may be able to find the path of data flow by searching for the values (ignoring the field

names) when you have pulled data from several transactions.

For example, to find Measurement documents associated with a Service order, we needed to trace the following

connections. There was nothing obvious about which fields linked the data.

Tables | Joins | Conditions

AUFK or AFIH | AUFNR |

AFKO | AUFNR AUFPL |

AFFH | AUFPL OBJID | OBJTY='FH'

CRVE_A | OBJID EQUNR |

EQUI | EQUNR OBJNR |

IMPTT | MPOBJ POINT |

IMRG | POINT |

We created a Service Order and several Measurement documents in R/3. Then we pulled out the records starting

with the Service order numbers, and chased through the various joins to pull all the associated records. While

displaying each table in /SE11 we used {Utilities {Table contents to extract the data. We exported the records as

text documents using /%pc or {System {List {Save {Local file and merged them all into a single Word document.

We then used Word’s Find function to follow the data through the tables.

Note: Navigation instructions in this paper use the York-Mills Notation described in "York-Mills

Notation: SAP Interactive Command Recording System" by Dennis Barrett and Tipton Cole, 1996-1998. That

paper is available at http://www.mindspring.com/~dennis.barrett/ymn/ymn.html.

regards,

Paliwal

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Using Structure how to know the Table Name

Re: Using Structure how to know the Table Name

Re: Using Structure how to know the Table Name