Technical Articles
Difference between ABAP and ABAP CDS View
ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) and ABAP CDS (Core Data Services) are both technologies used in SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) software development. However, they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. Here’s a brief overview of the differences between ABAP and ABAP CDS views:
1. Purpose:
– ABAP: ABAP is a high-level programming language used primarily for developing custom applications and business logic within the SAP ecosystem. It allows developers to create reports, forms, and custom functionalities for SAP applications.
– ABAP CDS View: ABAP CDS (Core Data Services) is a modeling approach used for defining and consuming data models within SAP. CDS views are primarily used for data modeling and querying data from the SAP HANA database.
2. Language vs. Modeling:
– ABAP: ABAP is a programming language that allows developers to write procedural and object-oriented code to perform various tasks, including data processing and application logic.
– ABAP CDS View: ABAP CDS is a modeling language used to define data models, views, and annotations for data consumption. It’s not a programming language but rather a way to define data structures and access patterns.
3. Usage:
– ABAP: ABAP is used for creating custom applications, reports, enhancements, and business logic within the SAP system. It is versatile and can handle a wide range of tasks.
– ABAP CDS View: ABAP CDS views are used for defining complex data models and querying data from the SAP HANA database efficiently. They are mainly used for reporting and data analysis.
4. Data Handling:
– ABAP: ABAP is used to process and manipulate data, often in a procedural or object-oriented manner. It can interact with various data sources, including databases and SAP applications.
– ABAP CDS View: ABAP CDS views focus on data modeling and querying. They define the structure of data and provide a way to access and transform it.
5. Integration with SAP HANA:
– ABAP: ABAP can be used with SAP HANA, but it may not fully leverage the in-memory capabilities of HANA without optimizations.
– ABAP CDS View: ABAP CDS views are designed to work seamlessly with SAP HANA, taking advantage of its performance optimizations for data retrieval and processing.
6. Skill Requirements:
– ABAP: Developing in ABAP requires knowledge of the ABAP programming language, SAP application logic, and various SAP modules.
– ABAP CDS View: Developing ABAP CDS views requires expertise in data modeling and understanding of the SAP HANA database.
In summary, ABAP is a programming language used for building custom applications and business logic in SAP, while ABAP CDS views are used for defining data models and querying data efficiently, particularly in SAP HANA environments. The choice between ABAP and ABAP CDS views depends on the specific requirements of your SAP development project.
Hi,
This is a very good summary of the differences. Thank you
Best Regards
Some kind of comparing apples with pears... (scnr) 😉
I had to compare because in many SAP Fiori Developer job descriptions I've noticed an interesting trend. While many positions still prominently mention "ABAP" in their job descriptions, in reality, what most organizations truly seek are talented CDS View developers.
ah, thank you, thats really interesting!
I personally believe that a developer needs both skill (at least in the long run), but my perspective is strongly product driven (we are building products and saas offerings here).
Just what I was thinking. In RAP you need ABAP and CDS skills.
I'm assuming future plans include a blog on Microsoft website to explain what C# is or on Oracle website to explain Java. 🙂
This could've been the shortest post, tbh, since there is no comparison to be had.
ABAP is a programming language.
ABAP CDS views represent data model, (it's not the same but it's reasonable to compare them to database view). The only reason they're called ABAP CDS is because there is also HANA CDS, which is different, although I honestly don't understand why it was needed to create these two different-yet-same things and use such confusing names. CDS views have nothing to do with ABAP, the programming language.
If SAP Fiori Developer job description contains ABAP as a requirement then it cannot be "Fiori developer" job. Likewise, ABAP Developer job would not include Fiori. If someone needs a developer with knowledge of both, then it would be a full-stack SAP Developer.
Employers, please stop adding irrelevant $*%^* to job descriptions and trying to get "two for the price of one". Thanks!
Hi Jelena,
Thank you for your reply. You explained it in short and crisp manner which I couldn't manage in long blog.
Thanks again 🙂