ABAP - BOPF structure

When defining the structure of the business object, some minor points should be noted, but they are very important for the object to work. In today's article, we want to go into the structure and the way it works and what the object brings with it.

Structure

The structure of the object always begins with a root node. This node is the central component, the header data, of the business object. We will create a data model in the next series. There can be only one root node in the entire model, as it has to be unique.

All other nodes below the root are referred to as subnodes and are connected via relationshipsto the respective top node. In addition to this relationship, there is always a connection to the root node, no matter how deep you are in the hierarchy.

Data model

The data model has the contract as the root node. There are the relevant headers and simple relationships to data such as creator, partner, name and contract ID for example. Under the contract, the terms of the contract, so what is the signatory, the individual partners or parties that conclude the contract and certain rules to be observed. Under the conditions, there is also other data, such as notes and price ranges, which may be related to the terms.

The structure and composition of the individual nodes, we will introduce to you in one of the coming article and jointly create the structures and databases.

Functions

In the following picture, which comes from transaction BOB, all actions and possibilities on a node in the BOPF are displayed in a compact way. All these actions are needed to be able to work well with your model and to get the best out of it. One or more nodes belong to a business object.

Explanation:

• Attribute - Each node has different attributes, structures, tables
• Association - There are defined relationships to top nodes or subnodes in the tree
• Query - A defined interface for retrieving data from the model
• Action - Performs an action on the model. This is usually associated with changes to the data
• Determination - Are passive data collection, read routines and additions to the data in the model
• Validation - Checking the data for consistency and completeness for various defined actions

Conclusion

If you want to master BOPF, you need some knowledge and a safe handling of the ABAP tools. Furthermore, you should be familiar with ABAP OO and some design patterns. But do not worry, we will show this to you step by step.