Ask the database for a summary when the summary is all you need

If a dashboard needs only the number of delayed shipments, fetching each row and incrementing an ABAP counter transfers more data than necessary. An aggregate computes the summary at the source.

Count matching rows

SELECT FROM zi_dispatch_order
  FIELDS COUNT( * ) AS delayed_count
  WHERE status = 'DELAYED'
  INTO @DATA(delayed_count).

The query returns an aggregate row with a count. The alias names the selected value; the target receives a scalar result.

Other aggregates

SUM, MIN, MAX, and AVG can summarize suitable numeric/date fields. Check null behavior, result types, currency/unit semantics, and rounding before using a total as a business amount. A raw sum of amounts with different currencies is not a meaningful total.

Choose SQL aggregation or ABAP processing

Use database aggregation for a compact summary over database rows. Fetch rows into an internal table when later program logic needs the individual records or when the source is already in memory. Keep the amount of data moved between database and application server intentional.

Practice

Complete the scalar target and assign it to result. The checker checks syntax fragments but does not calculate the count.

Sources

• SAP Samples, ABAP SQL
• SAP Help Portal, ABAP SQL

Version note: Aggregate expressions and result typing may differ across releases.

SELECT FROM zi_dispatch_order
  FIELDS COUNT( * ) AS delayed_count
  WHERE status = 'DELAYED'
  INTO @DATA(delayed_count).
DATA(result) = delayed_count.

WRITE result.

out->write( result ).