DEV200

ABAP
Strategy

Boris Gebhardt, SAP

December 2020

PUBLIC
Disclaimer

The information in this presentation is confidential and proprietary to SAP and may not be disclosed without the permission o f SAP.
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Agenda

Introduction

Main new topics for ABAP developers

SAP Cloud Platform, ABAP environment

Summary

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Introduction
ABAP Platform – Some keys and figures

Optimized for business applications

> 100.000
Rock solid and scalable foundation Installed productive SAP systems based on ABAP
for mission critical business systems
> 10.000
Comprehensive integrated lifecycle 02 Custom ABAP objects per average
management SAP system

Huge partner and

customer community ABAP
PLATFORM
Foundation for a large variety of > 5 MILLION
SAP, partner, and customer
03 Registered ABAP developers
developments

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ABAP Platform - Transformation to SAP S/4HANA and SAP Cloud Platform
High innovation speed because of SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA

SAP
SAP S/4HANA SAP Cloud Platform,
Business Suite
ABAP Environment

SAP NetWeaver ABAP

AS ABAP Platform

SAP HANA
Major
ABAP Platform SAP FIORI UX
innovations needed
for SAP S/4HANA
SAP Cloud Platform

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ABAP Platform - Versions and consumers

on premise on premise cloud

SAP Business Suite1 SAP S/4HANA On Premise SAP S/4HANA Cloud ABAP-based SaaS solutions
SAP NetWeaver hubs Extensions for SAP S/4HANA
SAP NetWeaver add-ons Custom cloud apps
Custom applications

SAP NETWEAVER ABAP PLATFORM 2020 ABAP PLATFORM CLOUD 2011 SAP Cloud Platform
2
AS FOR ABAP 7.5x (indirect shipment only) (indirect shipment only) ABAP Environment 2011

PUBLIC INTERFACES
CLASSIC ABA LAYER NEW ABA LAYER NEW ABA LAYER NEW ABA LAYER
ANY DB & SAP HANA SAP HANA ONLY SAP HANA ONLY SAP HANA ONLY

Improvements One common ABAP Platform innovation codeline

1 2
(7.50) (7.50, 7.51 and 7.52)

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Main new topics for
ABAP developers
Extensions I – On-premise custom code versus in-app cloud extensions

On premise Cloud

Custom In-app extensions

code

Strict interface
SaaS APIs

SaaS
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP business system

DDIC appends, BAdIs,

Modifications
enhancements

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Extensions II – Side-by-side extensions using SAP Cloud Platform

On premise Cloud

Custom Side-by-side extensions In-app extensions

code

Strict interface Strict interface

PaaS APIs SaaS APIs
Call Call
remote APIs remote APIs

PaaS
SaaS
SAP Cloud Platform
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
(ABAP, Java, Node.js)
SAP business system

DDIC appends, BAdIs,

Modifications
enhancements

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ABAP development: Must learn topics
UX, SAP HANA, state-of-the-art development, cloud

Utilize SAP HANA

Focus on user experience Efficient development Cloud
capabilities

On any device ABAP managed code Secure app development, Stable cloud extensions
pushdown high code quality
Role based In-app and side-by-side
Agile and test driven
Device switch and Cloud-ready apps
collaboration Custom code
management
Browser based

SAP Fiori and SAPUI5 ABAP SQL, Core Data

ABAP tools, In-app extensibility,
ABAP RESTful Services and code
development methodology SAP Cloud Platform
programming model pushdown in SAP HANA

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Evolution of the ABAP programming model for SAP Fiori apps

SAP Cloud Platform, ABAP Environment

ABAP Platform ≤ 7.5 ABAP Platform ≥ 7.5
SAP S/4HANA ≥ 1909

Classic ABAP Programming Model for ABAP RESTful Application

ABAP Programming SAP FIORI Programming Model

SEGW / @OData
Business Service
Referenced Data Source
Best practice freestyle
ABAP programming
Core Data CDS-Based Core Data Behavior Definition &
Services (CDS) BOPF Services Implementation

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ABAP RESTful programming model – The big picture
Service SAP Fiori UX Web API
consumption Consume OData UI services Consume OData Web APIs

Service binding – Bind to protocol version and scenario

Service definition – Define scope to be exposed

Business services Business object projection

provisioning
CDS: Projection views

BDEF: Behavior projection

ABAP: Behavior implementation

Business objects Queries

CDS: Data modeling CDS: Data modeling
Data modeling
and behavior BDEF: Behavior definition

ABAP: Behavior implementation

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SAP Cloud Platform,
ABAP environment
SAP Cloud Platform – Elevate Your Enterprise Experience
Accelerate Integrations. Simplify Extensions. Expand Business Value.

Cloud On-Prem
Non-SAP SAP SAP Non-SAP
Extension Suite

Integration Suite
Multi-cloud Foundation

Best Run Vibrant

Methodologies Enterprise Grade Ready-to-use Partner Ecosystem
Tools & Services Business Content

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Motivation

Customer base Enterprise readiness Transition to cloud

Huge customer and partner base ABAP as proven environment for Growing market adoption of
running ABAP-based solutions with enterprise-ready business SAP S/4HANA Cloud with
custom code applications with competitive cost tailored extensibility for customers
of development and partners

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Vital parts of SAP Cloud Platform, ABAP environment

SAP Cloud Platform, ABAP environment SAP Cloud

Platform
services

ABAP platform as a service AI business

services
Cloud Process
cockpit automation
HTTP services and new
ABAP RESTful … Cloud
programming model
utilizing Analytics

Core data services

Cloud-optimized ABAP
ABAP language WEB
WEB API
API
WEB
WEBAPI
API
development
tools in Eclipse
Cloud

Connectivity

SAP HANA
GIT code SAP system
management SAP Cloud
SAP Cloud Platform Non-SAP system
Platform On premise
Connectivity service

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Extension scenario 1: Cloud ERP
Extend SAP S/4HANA Cloud or other SAP cloud offerings with cloud extensions

SAP Cloud Platform ABAP SAP Cloud

Environment Platform
Services
AI Business Use SAP Cloud Platform, ABAP
ABAP extension Services
environment, to extend
Process
Automation SAP S/4HANA Cloud or other cloud
… solutions from SAP.
connectivity Analytics
Cloud solutions from SAP such as SAP
S/4HANA Cloud provide in-app extensibility to
extend SAP applications and processes. But
SAP HANA
there is no support for classic custom ABAP
SAP Cloud development on top of SAP S/4HANA Cloud.
Platform
SAP Cloud Platform is the foundation to
develop and run custom cloud extensions. The
ABAP environment shall be used for ABAP-
based cloud extensions.

CLOUD

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Extension scenario 2: Innovation Platform
Develop and run innovative ABAP apps on a PaaS in the Cloud

SAP Cloud Platform, ABAP SAP Cloud

environment Platform
Services
AI Business
ABAP EXTENSION Services

Process
Automation Benefit from the newest ABAP Platform and
…
SAP HANA database technologies independent
from your existing on-premise system
connectivity Analytics landscape
Build your Fiori apps with the new future proof
ABAP RESTful Programming Model
SAP HANA Utilize SAP Cloud Platform services like IoT,
SAP Cloud machine learning etc. in your cloud extension
Platform Delegate operation of the ABAP PaaS and new
technologies to SAP
SAP Cloud Platform
Connectivity service

ON PREMISE SAP ERP

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Extension scenario 3: Hub-like usage
Decouple ABAP implementations from your core business systems

SAP Cloud Platform, ABAP SAP Cloud

environment Platform
Services
AI Business
ABAP extension Services

Process
Automation
External user group
… Make your cloud app available to a broader audience that does
not have access to your core business systems (e.g. consumer
connectivity Analytics
apps)
Integration hub
Integrate in your cloud extension multiple cloud/on-premise
systems with SAP/non-SAP cloud services
SAP HANA
Data integration
SAP Cloud Collect data from multiple sources in your cloud extension for
Platform further processing and analysis
Decoupled extension
Cloud extensions use only well defined (remote) APIs of the
SAP Cloud Platform Business system. This reduces the risk and effort for business
Connectivity service system upgrades.

SAP S/4HANA
WEB
WEB API
API
SAP System WEB
WEBAPI
API
ON PREMISE Non-SAP System CLOUD

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On-premise and Cloud extensibility today
on-premise Cloud

SAP Business SAP S/4HANA

Suite Cloud

remote API
remote API
SaaS IF SaaS IF
public interface

SAP NetWeaver SAP NetWeaver ABAP Platform Cloud Steampunk

Free-style ABAP custom code or partner extensions ABAP custom code or partner extensions following the
(use or modify any SAP object) Cloud Steampunk development model (public interfaces)

Key user extensions only (custom fields, Cloud BAdIs)

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Developer extensibility for SAP S/4HANA Cloud with ‘Embedded Steampunk’
on-premise Cloud
LAB PREVIEW 03

SAP Business SAP S/4HANA

Suite Cloud

public interface
remote API
remote API
SaaS IF SaaS IF
public interface public interface

ABAP Platform Cloud &

SAP NetWeaver SAP NetWeaver Embedded Steampunk Steampunk

Free-style ABAP custom code or partner extensions ABAP custom code or partner extensions following the
(use or modify any SAP object) Cloud Steampunk development model (public interfaces)

Key user extensions only (custom fields, Cloud BAdIs)

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Summary
Summary
The ABAP application server is the proven
01 platform of thousands of critical ERP systems

The ABAP Platform is the foundation of SAP

02 S/4HANA providing innovations for SAP
HANA, SAP Fiori and Cloud

SAP Cloud Platform ABAP Environment offers

03 the ABAP Platform as a Service for innovative
cloud apps and extensions
ABAP Platform

Lab preview - ‘Embedded Steampunk’

03 Reuse the cloud-ready Steampunk ABAP
development model to provide developer
extensibility in SAP S/4HANA Cloud
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More information

Related SAP TechEd sessions

▪ DEV102 – Major Updates on ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model
▪ DEV200 – SAP Cloud Platform ABAP Environment Overview
▪ DEV825 – Road Map ABAP Platform
▪ DEV260 – Build SAP Fiori Apps with the ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model
▪ DEV268 – SAP Cloud Platform ABAP Environment, Connectivity and Integration

Public SAP Web sites

▪ SAP Community: www.sap.com/community
▪ SAP products: www.sap.com/products

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Thanks for attending this session.

Contact for further topic inquiries

Boris Gebhardt
Chief Product Owner ABAP Platform
boris.gebhardt@sap.com
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any related presentation, or to develop or release any functionality mentioned therein. This document, or any related presentation,
and SAP SE’s or its affiliated companies’ strategy and possible future developments, products, and/or platforms, directions, and
functionality are all subject to change and may be changed by SAP SE or its affiliated companies at any time for any reason
without notice. The information in this document is not a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or
functionality. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, and they
should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.
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