ABAP Objec Oriented t vs. SAP TechEd

[Former Member]

My boss gives me green light to go training this year. I have a mix feeling between ABAP OO class and SAP TechEd. Anyone see which one is more advantage?

I am a developer and most often, I write code use old traditional way, function group, FM etc. I seldom get into ABAP Object using class, method etc... only sometimes I want to use SAP provided method like sending email, read, view, create or attach document etc...

I do not know JAVA, so the idea of class will be new to me. None of my co-worker use ABAP object and they keep saying that they do not need it. But when you get into debug SAP code you run into OO programming all the time. I hate the idea of going to training and do not use it just like the course BAPI, EDI I went last year and I already forgot.

Thanks for your input.

[Former Member]

My boss gives me green light to go training this year. I have a mix feeling between ABAP OO class and SAP TechEd. Anyone see which one is more advantage?

I am a developer and most often, I write code use old traditional way, function group, FM etc. I seldom get into ABAP Object using class, method etc... only sometimes I want to use SAP provided method like sending email, read, view, create or attach document etc...

I do not know JAVA, so the idea of class will be new to me. None of my co-worker use ABAP object and they keep saying that they do not need it. But when you get into debug SAP code you run into OO programming all the time. I hate the idea of going to training and do not use it just like the course BAPI, EDI I went last year and I already forgot.

Thanks for your input.

[RichHeilman]

First, let me start by saying that the importance of ABAP Objects(OO concepts) will be increasing moving foward. You can see this in newer transaction in R/3, like the enjoy transactions. Also, you may notice that Web Dynpro ABAP components are entirely built on the OO concepts. Also, other new technologies have been implemented using OO concepts, like persistant objects, and shared memory objects. So if you are not using OO now, you should definintly start getting comfortable with it. I have taken the course that you mentioned, and I have to say, while it is very informitive and does cover the basic concepts, you could certainly learn the same by simply going thru the help.

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw2004s/helpdata/en/ce/b518b6513611d194a50000e8353423/frameset.htm

If I had my choice between any SAP course, or attending TechEd, I would certainly choose TechEd. Why? Because instead of covering one particular aspect of SAP, you can attend different sessions covering a much wider scope. So you can learn about Web Dynpro ABAP in one session, and then go to another session covering Web Services. Or maybe even skip over to a BI related session in the afternoon. You can see what I getting at here. Also, the networking opportunities at TechEd are excellent, there will be a lot of diverse people there willing to share experiences and knowledge with you.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Rich Heilman

[GrahamRobbo]

Hi Aki,

I recommend you go to TechEd. But before you go teach yourself as much as possible about ABAP Objects and start coding using OO concepts. Use the Online Help. Buy the .<a href="http://www.sappress.com/product.cfm?account=&product=H1934">ABAP Objects</a> book from SAP Press - I think it is great. The new <a href="http://www.sappress.com/product.cfm?account=&product=H1986">Next Generation ABAP Development</a> book by Rich and Thomas is also quite good.

While TechEd allows you to cover much more ground, do not expect in-depth training. Even the longest sessions can only provide you with a quick taste of each subject. So the more you know and understand when you arrive the more you will be able to pick up.

And as Rich says the networking opportunities at TechEd are the most valuable part of the event.

If you are the sort of person who best learns in a formal training course you may find the "wham, bam, thankyou mam" format of the TechEd sessions a bit frustrating so formal training might be better for you.

Cheers

Graham

[uwe_schieferstein]

Hello Akinosora

I fully agree with Rich and Graham. Attend the SAP TechEd (it is a thrilling event) and - if still in the budget - attend a Java beginner's course.

Why Java?

Java is a pure OO-language and almost all OO-concepts can be applied to ABAP-OO.

Start now with ABAP-OO, and start with simple tasks.

To get a taste of the huge difference between classical programming vs. ABAP-OO you may have a look at my posting

<a href="https://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/profile/2007/07/09/UnderstandingABAPObjects">Understanding ABAP Objects</a>

The mindset of your colleagues is a <i>cul-de-sac</i> which you hopefully want to avoid since it will definitively affect your professional career.

Regards

Uwe

[Former Member]

Thank you very much for the quick response. I will definitely attend the SAP TechEd and look in to the help training of OO.