SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP Release 740, ©Copyright 2014 SAP AG. All rights reserved.
ABAP Keyword Documentation → ABAP Overview →ABAP Programming Language # Overview
ABAP is a programming language developed by SAP for programming business applications in the SAP environment. Previously only procedural, ABAP is now also an object-oriented language thanks to the ABAP Objects enhancement.
ABAP and SAP NetWeaver
In SAP NetWeaver, ABAP is the programming interface of Application Server ABAP (AS ABAP). Prerequisite for the use of the ABAP programming language is the installation of an Application Server ABAP. Most of the components of an AS ABAP can be organized according to their tasks in the layers of a three-tier client-server architecture with presentation, application, and database layers.
These three layers are accompanied by the following communication components:
The main role of ABAP programs in the application layer is the processing and formatting of data from the database layer and its transfer to and receipt of input from the presentation layer or the communication components.
Scope and Application Areas of ABAP
ABAP is a 4GL language developed specifically for the mass processing of data in business applications. It offers the following advantages in comparison to elementary languages where these functions are stored in libraries:
The integration of these functions into the language is a particular benefit for the static check-enablement and performance of programs. In return, this means that ABAP also contains considerably more language elements than an elementary programming language.
Programming Models
ABAP supports an object-oriented programming model that is based on classes and interfacesand a procedural model based on subroutines and function modules. Both modules are interoperable.
Note
We recommend that you use ABAP Objects as much as possible for both new projects and for redesigning existing projects.
Multilingual Capability
The multilingual capability of ABAP programs is enabled by the extraction of language-specific program components from the source code, which are then reloaded when the program executes in accordance with the environment. A text environment determines the precise program behavior, for example the order in which text is sorted, at runtime. ABAP supports code pages, single-byte code, double byte code, and Unicode. For use in a Unicode system, a program must fulfill certain prerequisites and be identified as a Unicode program.