Edit primary fields of database table through debugging

[Former Member]

How to edit primary fields of database table through debugging?

[Sandra_Rossi]

In transaction SE16, SM30, something else?

[loyd_enochs3]

It is impossible to answer definitively without knowing what program you are debugging. Add that information the next time you ask a question.

I suspect that what you are seeing in the debugger is the table work area related to a TABLES statement in an old standard SAP program. This table work area location is a structure that is formatted exactly as the database table is and crucially HAS THE SAME NAME. The code looks something like this:

REPORT......
TABLES: MARA.
...
START-OF-SELECTION.
...

SELECT * FROM MARA WHERE.....

My guess is that while you were debugging something like this, you double clicked on the name MARA in the line of code containing the SELECT * , and then changed the the contents of MARA in the debugger.

When you change the values of MARA in the debugger, you are modifying the fields in the structure MARA, declared by the TABLES statement, NOT the database table MARA. Updating the database table would require writing a procedure that physically updates the database.

Of course, changing the primary key of any database table directly is strictly verbotten, so you wouldn't want to do this even if you could.

BTW, the Tables statement has been obsolete in ABAP OO programming since version 4.0 - today it used as the conduit to pass data from between a program and a Dynpro field and when working with logical databases. However, you will still see this construct in older SAP code (prior to version 4.0) and in custom code written consultants who haven't stayed up to date on syntax rules.

For reference, read up in transaction ABAPDOCU using the menu path: ABAP Programming Guidelines -> Robust ABAP -> Data Types and Data Objects -> Table Work Areas

[Former Member]

Through se16 we will not be able to edit the primary entries..

[Sandra_Rossi]

Can you elaborate in what context you want to "edit the primary fields of database table through debugging"? Do you mean the key components of an internal table?

PS: database table <> internal table !!

[SimoneMilesi]

Can you guess why? If they are the keys, they identify the record.

Can I suggest a quick read about keys in DB?
If you give a read, you'll understand why you cannot change them...

[SachinArtani]

No, you cannot change the structure of db tables while debugging. Though, changing the table structure can be done through T-code - SE11. So, you can change the structure of table and then start debugging.

[Former Member]

Would like to elaborate more on the same..

If we r hvng a database table mara and in that matnr is a key field..so if we will execute the table then we will not be able to edit the entries for matnr as that is the key field .So is there any way to edit these entries?

[SimoneMilesi]

I repeat myself: study the concept of Database Key!

Your question is no sense.

[Sandra_Rossi]

Aashna Sikka It's technically possible but why do you want to do that??? Like how to crash a computer, it's possible but nobody wants to answer because it's beyond the limit of acceptable.

[dev_parbutteea]

Aashna,

If someone messed up while creating a material, just put a deletion indicator on the material and create a new one.

Dev.

[Former Member]

Just to give more explanation on the same..for example if we are having a database table MARA and a primary key field MATNR,when we will execute the table after that is it possible to change the table entries for the field MATNR in database table as this is primary key field.?

[Sandra_Rossi]

Yes but nobody wants to answer as I said. Except if you give a good reason to do that...