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ABAP Keyword Documentation → ABAP − Reference → Declarations → Declaration Statements → Data Types and Data Objects → Declaring Data Objects →Syntax Forms
Using Predefined Types
1. DATA { {var[(len)] TYPE abap_type [DECIMALS dec]}
| {var TYPE abap_type [LENGTH len] [DECIMALS dec]} }
[VALUE val|{IS INITIAL}]
[READ-ONLY].
Reference to Existing Types
2. DATA var { {TYPE [LINE OF] type}
| {LIKE [LINE OF] dobj} }
[VALUE val|{IS INITIAL}]
[READ-ONLY].
Reference Variables
3. DATA ref { {TYPE REF TO type}
| {LIKE REF TO dobj} }
[VALUE IS INITIAL]
[READ-ONLY].
Structures
4. DATA BEGIN OF struc [READ-ONLY].
...
DATA comp ...
INCLUDE {TYPE|STRUCTURE} ...
...
DATA END OF struc.
Internal Tables
5. DATA itab { {TYPE tabkind OF [REF TO] type}
| {LIKE tabkind OF dobj} }
[tabkeys] [INITIAL SIZE n]
[WITH HEADER LINE]
[VALUE IS INITIAL]
[READ-ONLY].
Ranges Table
6. DATA rtab {TYPE RANGE OF type}|{LIKE RANGE OF dobj}
[INITIAL SIZE n]
[WITH HEADER LINE]
[VALUE IS INITIAL]
[READ-ONLY].
LOB Handle Structures
7. DATA dtype TYPE dbtab [READ-ONLY]
lob_handle_type FOR lob_handle_columns
[lob_handle_type FOR lob_handle_columns
...
].
Static Boxed Components
8. DATA struc TYPE struc_type BOXED.
Effect
The statement DATA declares a variable of any data type. The declared data object is visible within the current context as of this position. Within the declaration part of a class or an interface, DATA declares an instance attribute whose validity is bound to an instance of a class.
This statement has various syntax forms, which allow elementary data types, reference types, structured types, and table types to be defined. With the exception of two additions (VALUE and READ-ONLY), these are the same syntax forms as in the statement TYPES. In this way, a new data type can be defined when declaring a data object. The most important difference compared with the statement TYPES is that a data type defined using DATA (and not derived from an existing type) is available only as a property of the declared data object and is not independent. This kind of data type is bound to its data object.
For the definition of a structure struc, any data declarations specified are enclosed in two DATA statements with the additions BEGIN OF and END OF. Here a struc structure is declared that contains the enclosed data objects comp as a struc-comp component. Structure definitions can be nested.
For the names var, ref, struc, comp, itab, and rtab, the naming conventions apply.
Notes