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Introduction: The Journey from Classic to Cloud
In the S/4HANA world, we hear about Clean Core all the time. Most of us also understand why Clean Core is such a great approach. And when we talk about S/4HANA Cloud, the Core is clean by definition.
However, I can imagine how inconvenient and counterintuitive resolving a general development task can be for a developer experienced in standard ABAP when working in the Cloud or Clean Core environment.
So, what am I sharing? In this blog, my intention is not to reiterate the principles of Clean Core, nor is it to provide detailed documentation of ABAP Cloud. Instead, I aim to show you an example of what happens when you need to solve a classic task in a new, cloud-ready way.
Classic ABAP: The Good, the Bad, and the Background Jobs
Any experienced ABAP developer knows what background jobs are. We use them all the time, especially when we want to run tasks periodically and automatically in the system.
When we need our custom code to execute periodically, we create a report with the required logic and schedule it as a background job step. You can refer to this blog to refresh your memory on how this is done.
There’s no doubt that even as we step into the Cloud and leave many obsolete methods behind, we still need such essential functionality. But wait - reports are not available in the Cloud!
Real life scenarios:
Imagine this: you are a seasoned SAP developer with several trusty ABAP reports for background usage that have worked perfectly for years. One day, you move to the Cloud, and you can’t take those reports with you!
Another case: you’re implementing all your developments in a Clean Core way from the beginning. You receive a requirement to code several processes and have them run autonomously in the system (e.g., a periodic data update). You know exactly how to solve it: create a report, schedule it in SM36 - but these tools are no longer available. You need a new way.
The Cloud Awakens: Modernising with ABAP Cloud
Good news! A new, cloud-ready method exists, and it comes in the beautiful class-based form we love in modern ABAP development.
How to do it, in a nutshell:
- Terminology Update: Instead of “Background Job,” you’ll now deal with an “Application Job.” The transition from SAP GUI to Fiori means the Application Jobs app is now your tool for scheduling. Learn more here.
- Code the Business Logic: Instead of creating a report, you’ll create a class. To make the class compatible with Application Jobs, add two interfaces: IF_APJ_DT_EXEC_OBJECT and IF_APJ_RT_EXEC_OBJECT. For SAP BTP ABAP Environment, different interfaces apply (see links below).
- Register Your Class: Register your class for Application Jobs by creating a Job Catalog Entry.
- Create a Job Template: To create a "variant" of your Job Catalog with prefilled fields, create a Job Template. All these steps are done in Eclipse ADT.
Once you’re finished, use the Application Jobs Fiori app to schedule a job based on the Job Template.
Profit:
Old school reports | -> | Modern class-based implementation |
SAP GUI: SE38, SM36, SM37 | -> | Eclipse native configurations & Application Jobs Fiori app |
Classic development | -> | Clean Core-compliant development with all its advantages |
S/4HANA On Premise | -> | Any S/4HANA or BTP ABAP Environment |
Let's see a real-life example.
Real-World Example: A Customer's Case
The problem.
One of my customers relied on a standard Analytical Query built on a complex stack of CDS views and AMDP procedures. The data selection speed was insufficient.
The solution.
We decided to persist the analytical data daily for quick access. On top of this persisted data, we created a new analytical view for high-performance data selection. To automate this process, we needed a periodic job.
Additional conditions.
The project strategy required Clean Core implementation.
Let’s see how this was achieved.
The How-To: Step-by-Step Guide
1. Class with business logic
Create an ABAP class for your application job:
Define parameters for the Application Job (e.g., using class constants)
See how this parameters will look like in the Fiori App:
We now need to define what happens, when the Application Job framework calls our class:
2. Job Catalog
We need to create an entry and specify the class for job execution - all in Eclipse ADT:
3. Job Template
Finally, we create a variant for our job. We can add values for some of the parameters:
Now we are all set from the development point of view. We can launch the Application Jobs app and create a job.
P.S.
That’s it! The Application Jobs app includes additional features (e.g., job status monitoring) not covered in this blog. Refer to the official documentation for more.
For SAP BTP ABAP Environment, updated versions of class interfaces exist. At the time of writing, S/4HANA still uses the older versions.
This blog isn’t a comprehensive guide to all “Standard ABAP → ABAP Cloud” transformations but demonstrates how familiar concepts can be adapted for the Cloud.
I hope I’ve shown that there’s no rocket science here!
So, what’s next? Use this blog as a quick guide for ABAP Application Jobs or as inspiration for ABAP Cloud. Stay tuned for more on tackling challenges in the Classic ABAP → ABAP Cloud journey!
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