Review query shape, model semantics, and access boundaries

Good data access is not only the right SQL syntax. Decide what fields and rows the task needs, select the correct target shape, and know whether a relationship should be a join or a reusable CDS association.

A practical checklist

1. Inspect source fields, keys, semantics, and access policy.
2. Select only required fields and bind ABAP values with host-variable syntax.
3. Filter rows with WHERE; use ordering and a deliberate limit for previews.
4. Use aggregate/grouping when a summary is the true result; distinguish WHERE from HAVING.
5. Choose inner/outer joins based on whether unmatched rows should remain.
6. Model shared semantics in CDS; use DCL for read access control and RAP when a business-object/service contract is required.

No example here connects to a real SAP system. The quiz is original and the checker is structural only.

Sources and scope

This independently authored path introduces practical ABAP SQL and CDS reading concepts. It is not a full SQL/CDS reference; syntax and features vary by release and language version.

• SAP Samples, ABAP SQL
• SAP Samples, CDS View Entities
• SAP Samples, ABAP Dictionary
• SAP Samples, Authorization Checks
• SAP Help Portal, ABAP Core Data Services

Developer practice · ABAP

Practice: ABAP SQL and CDS knowledge check

Answer these original data-access review questions. They check concepts, not your ability to connect to a system.

1. What should you inspect before querying an unfamiliar source?

Its fields, keys, and intended useOnly its display labelWhether it has the shortest name

2. Why name fields explicitly in an application SELECT?

To communicate the needed projection and avoid unnecessary columnsTo force every field into the targetTo make a table persistent

3. What does @carrier_code mean in modern ABAP SQL?

A host variable from ABAPA database column named carrier_codeA CDS annotation

4. Why should a limited query define ORDER BY?

To make which rows are returned meaningful and predictableTo make every query faster in every systemTo replace WHERE

5. When is HAVING used instead of WHERE?

To filter aggregate groupsTo select a source tableTo set ABAP variable values

6. Which join keeps left-side orders with no matching scan event?

LEFT OUTER JOININNER JOINCROSS JOIN

7. What is a CDS view entity principally used for?

A reusable, semantically enriched data modelA new physical table for every queryA browser-side ABAP runtime

8. What does a CDS association describe?

A modeled relationship that consumers can navigateA guarantee that related rows are physically preloadedA user login

9. Does a CDS input parameter replace data authorization?

Yes, the caller can only request permitted rowsNo, input filtering and authorization are different concerns

10. What is an ABAP Cloud-specific source consideration?

SAP repository APIs must be released for the relevant useAll classic tables are automatically availableCloud has no ABAP SQL

11. Does this site's practice checker run SQL or activate CDS?

Yes, in an attached SAP databaseNo, it checks structure in the browser

Check answers

Choose one answer for each question.