Data types

[Former Member]

What are the types of Data types?

[Former Member]

Hello Vel,

Welcome to SDN!!!

CHeck this:

Name of Dictionary type

  User-defined types in the ABAP Dictionary

    You can define any user-defined types in the ABAP Dictionary. These can
    be used in the ABAP program to define data objects and types analogously
    to types that are predefined in the ABAP program (such as C or I) or
    types that are defined locally in ABAP programs.

    The following type categories can be defined in the ABAP Dictionary:


    o   Data elements (elementary types)
        Elementary types have no structure. They describe the data type
        attributes (such as given Dictionary data type, number of places)
        and information that is relevant for the screen (such as title) of
        unstructured data objects (variables/fields).


    o   Structures (structured types)
       Structured types describe the structure and functions of any
       structured data objects, that is of data structures with components
       of any type.
       A component can be a field with an elementary type or can itself be
       a structure. A table can also be used as a component in a structure.
       A database table always has a structure and is therefore implicitly
       a structured type. However, the fields of a database table can only
       have an elementary type.


   o   Table types
       Table types describe the structure and functions of internal tables
       in the ABAP program. Their rows can have any row type. Table types
       with elementary row type therefore can be defined just the same as
       multi-dimensional table types (table types with a table type as row
       type) or table types using structures with table-like components.

   The options for creating types with structured types and table types can
   be combined as required. In this way you can define any complex types
   globally in the ABAP Dictionary and use them in ABAP programs. The
   runtime object of the Dictionary type (nametab) is the interface for
   their use in ABAP programs. The runtime object permits very efficient
   access to the relevant information for the type in compressed form.

   The central definition of types that are used more than once in the ABAP
   Dictionary allows them to be changed centrally. These changes are made
   at all the relevant locations by the active ABAP Dictionary. For
   example, ABAP programs adjust to the changed type definitions when they
   are recreated. When a type is changed, all the objects (e.g. types or
   tables) that use this type are automatically adjusted to the change at
   activation.

   All Dictionary types lie in a common namespace. A data element, for
   example, therefore may not have the same name as a structure. However, a
   type defined in an ABAP program and a Dictionary type may have the same
   name.

   The following shadowing rule is valid when using types in ABAP programs:
   If the names are identical, the local types shadow the types of the type
   groups and the types defined globally in the Dictionary.

If useful reward and close the thread.

VAsanth

[RichHeilman]

elementary data types are C - Character, N - Numeric, I - Integar, F - Float, P - Packed, X - Hex

Regards,

RIch Heilman

[RichHeilman]

Here is the help.

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/fc/eb2fd9358411d1829f0000e829fbfe/content.htm

Regards,

Rich Heilman

[Former Member]

There are two types of Data types.

1.Predefined

2.Custom Defined.

Predefined data types was already defined in SAP itself.

Custom Defined data types can be defined in program and also DDIC.

We can use predefined type if the Data type matches otherwise we go for custom defined type.