extract

[Former Member]

Hi to all,

Can any body differentiate between internal table & extract please?

I went through sample example in ABAPDOCU..

Thanks a lot.

[Former Member]

I think this explains it quite well

[Internal Tables and Extracts|http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/bf/cf52e4003011d2952b0000e8353423/frameset.htm]

Jonathan

[Former Member]

Very simple definition for internal table: It is a table represents single structure of record.

Extracts: It is also a table represents data records of various structure.

[Former Member]

Hi Rani,

INTERNAL TABLES

Internal tables provide a means of taking data from a fixed structure and storing it in working memory in ABAP. The data is stored line by line in memory, and each line has the same structure. In ABAP, internal tables fulfill the function of arrays. Since they are dynamic data objects, they save the programmer the task of dynamic memory management in his or her programs. You should use internal tables whenever you want to process a dataset with a fixed structure within a program. A particularly important use for internal tables is for storing and formatting data from a database table within a program. They are also a good way of including very complicated data structures in an ABAP program.

EXTRACTS

Since internal tables have fixed line structures, they are not suited to handle data sets with varying structures. For this purpose, ABAP offers the possibility to create so-called extract datasets (extracts, for short).

An extract is a sequential dataset in the memory area of the program. You can only address the entries in the dataset within a special loop. The index or key access permitted with internal tables is not allowed. You may only create one extract in any ABAP program. The size of an extract dataset is, in principle, unlimited. Extracts larger than 500 KB are stored in operating system files. The practical size of an extract is up to 2 GB, as long as there is enough space in the file system.

An extract dataset consists of a sequence of records of a predefined structure. However, the structure need not be identical for all records. In one extract dataset, you can store records of different length and structure one after the other. You need not create an individual dataset for each different structure you want to store. This fact reduces the maintenance effort considerably.

In contrast to internal tables, the system partly compresses extract datasets when storing them. This reduces the storage space required. In addition, you need not specify the structure of an extract dataset at the beginning of the program, but you can determine it dynamically during the flow of the program.

You can use control level processing with extracts just as you can with internal tables. The internal administration for extract datasets is optimized so that it is quicker to use an extract for control level processing than an internal table.

please check this link

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/9f/db9ed135c111d1829f0000e829fbfe/content.htm

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/9f/db9ede35c111d1829f0000e829fbfe/content.htm

Best regards,

raam

[Former Member]

hi,

The lines of an internal table always have the same structure. By using extract datasets, you can handle groups of data with different structure and get statistical figures from the grouped data. You have to define the structure of the internal table at the beginning. You need not define the structure of the extract dataset. In contrast to internal tables, the system partly compresses exact datasets when storing them. This reduces the storage space required.

pls reward if helpful.