SAP Learning Roadmap (Roles)
How can you use the SAP Learning Roadmap for yourself? Here we look at different situations and roles in ABAP development.
Table of contents
This article was created at the request of Sadullah TANRIKULU on LinkedIn. We would like to go into the Learning Roadmap in more detail and how you can deal with it in different roles.
Introduction
A while ago we published the SAP Learning Roadmap, which is the path from classic ABAP development towards ABAP Cloud. It touches on the various technologies along the way that are more or less important to achieving the goal. The roadmap is divided into different areas and requirements.
In any case, you should also consider the options available to you in your role and your company. If you do not have a system with a HANA database or an S/4 HANA release, you will not be able to use certain technologies in your everyday life.
Hint: The further to the left you are on the roadmap, the bigger the mountain of skills to learn looks. That's why you should start as early as possible and develop yourself step by step. However, companies should not assume that switching to ABAP Cloud is possible overnight, as there is enough new stuff to learn even for experienced developers.
Learning
However, there are other methods available to you to learn the current frameworks and methodologies.
- BTP ABAP Environment - With the BTP, you have the most up-to-date environment at your disposal. The ABAP Environment is pure ABAP Cloud and therefore best conveys the latest development concepts, as not everything is possible anymore.
- SAP BTP Trial - If your company does not want to cover the costs for an ABAP environment, you can still use the BTP trial account, which allows you to test the various services free of charge.
- SAP Cloud Appliance Library - With SAP CAL, you have a fully configured and functional S/4 HANA release at your disposal. You can install and operate this at a hyperscaler. This allows you to get straight into learning the technical modules, but also take a look at ABAP Cloud and the new development methods.
- ABAP Cloud Developer Trial 2022 - Do you have a computer with enough RAM? Then you can install the Community Edition on your computer via Docker. This means you have S/4 HANA 2022 at your disposal and with it the first steps towards the ABAP Cloud.
Role - Junior (Basics)
The ABAP programming language has been around for a very long time, as has ABAP OO. In this case, there are some basics that every ABAP developer should already have in their repertoire as standard and that are the basis for all further developments.
Details
- ABAP - How do you develop software in the ABAP programming language, what statements are there, what does a loop look like and where do you create your objects? You should be familiar with the basics of the ABAP language in order to gain your first experiences.
- ABAP OO - When it comes to object-oriented development with ABAP, it's not just about being able to create a class and then work with static methods and attributes. It's more about understanding concepts, writing testable and maintainable code, and mastering design patterns. Testable code requires a certain amount of knowledge about how to best implement it and how to provide options so that your colleagues can build on it.
- ABAP Unit - Equipping your developments with sustainable unit tests gives you as a developer a safety net when further developing and maintaining your software. Other colleagues can take care of further development without having to understand all the special features of the code in detail.
- Modern ABAP - With release 7.40, ABAP has started to change significantly. The new functional statements and the inline declaration shorten ABAP source code immensely and with a little practice, source code becomes easier to read.
- ABAP Development Tools - The ABAP Development Tools are now over 10 years old and the development environment has many very good features that clearly set it apart from SE80. In addition to refactoring and faster access to content, it is mandatory in ABAP Cloud, as many objects can only be created using the ADTs. It is therefore better to get into the development environment as early as possible.
Evaluation
With ABAP Cloud, report and GUI development become obsolete. However, if your company is still a long way from having a modern development environment, it is worth learning the basics of reports. With a view to the next few years, we recommend a minimum here in order to be able to implement simple applications. The basis for this would then be the ALV.
Role - Analytics
If you want to create evaluations and queries on the S/4 system, you will need slightly different skills than the ABAP developer junior. This is where working with the virtual data model on the HANA database is important.
Details
- ABAP Development Tools - The ABAP Development Tools are required for modeling the data. The tools are a prerequisite for creating Core Data Services and AMDP routines.
- Core Data Services - The CDS View is the new way of modeling the virtual data model in HANA. It uses tables and other Core Data Services as a basis and models evaluations on the data. Cubes and queries can be created for the evaluations, which you can then use in the SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) or in your Business Warehouse (BW).
- AMDP - If you need more logic for preparing the data, you can also use the ABAP Managed Database Procedures. These are executed via code push-down on the database and are often used in some scenarios.
- Key User Apps - In addition to the ABAP Development Tools, the Key User Apps can also be used to generate your own Core Data Services and create custom queries on them. These are low code tools.
Evaluation
In the analytical environment, you will be able to do more and more with Core Data Services to create evaluations in the system. The virtual data model can provide new data models from various sources. However, the learning effort is worth it if you are already working on a HANA database. Using a non-HANA database can cause performance problems.
Role - Architect (Extensibility)
How do you actually expand the system in the Clean Core concept and what resources are available to you? In this role, you know the standard and the starting points for extending the system, as well as the various options.
Details
- Clean Core - You should understand what Clean Core means and how you can achieve it using the various means that SAP provides.
- Extensibility - There are various types of extensibility available to you in SAP. In-App Extensibility, Side-by-Side and Developer Extensibility. Which ones should you use for the various scenarios and where can you make distinctions.
- Keyuser Tools - Which apps are delivered by SAP and which use cases can you use them to extend in the system? In addition to the various apps, there is also a process for setting them up and a process for going live.
- Steampunk - What are the differences to classic development or on-premise development? How can you best use Steampunk in your company and which use cases would you implement with it.
- Embedded Steampunk - This version is mainly implemented using ABAP Cloud. There are similarities to a Steampunk system, but you are on-stack with S/4 HANA.
Evaluation
An architect can differentiate between the various implementation scenarios and knows where a feature should best be implemented. In doing so, they must differentiate between the various extension scenarios, such as in-app extensibility, side-by-side or developer extensibility, and find the best path for the company. Experience in implementation will help you in this role.
Role - Frontend
The SAP GUI is slowly coming to an end and what options are there for the ABAP developer to build a frontend? The role has a clear focus on the ABAP RESTful Programming Model. You will need to know and learn some parts of Fiori, but with less focus on freestyle development.
Details
- Gateway - The gateway is the central node and pivotal point in SAP when it comes to providing OData services. How do you configure the interfaces and activate endpoints? How can you access and test the services?
- Web IDE - The Web IDE is the "old" development environment for Fiori applications. Many companies still rely on the browser-based environment. But BAS can now also cover all standard scenarios and has good integration into the ecosystem.
- Fiori / UI5 - You should be familiar with the concepts of UI5 and know how Fiori applications are structured. The basics will help you build simple applications and analyze applications.
- Core Data Services - The CDS views are the basis for building the RAP stack. You don't have to delve into the analytical part here, but you should know how to build the different layers and equip them with annotations.
- RAP - The central point of frontend development is the ABAP RESTful Programming Model. It provides the business objects that are made available as an OData service and on which the UI is placed.
- Business Application Studio - BAS is the new development environment for developing Fiori Freestyle or Fiori Elements applications. Standard SAP apps can also be extended here. Alternatively, VS Code with a plugin is available, but must be completely configured yourself.
- Fiori Elements - Is the simplest way to make applications available. The UI is generated based on the annotations in the RAP business object without having to write actual nodeJS code or set up XML views.
- Flexible Programming Model - If the features of Fiori Elements are not enough for you, you can easily implement additional features in your OData v4 applications using the Flexible Programming Model without having to delve too deeply into UI5 development.
Evaluation
Do you have a system with a current S/4 HANA release available or can you implement your side-by-side extensions in the ABAP environment? Then nothing stands in your way as a frontend developer in the RAP environment. With the RAP generators you can create simple applications in Fiori Elements and expand them with the Flexible Programming Model. Without the right system you currently have two options:
- SAP GUI - Simple developments in SAP GUI
- UI5 - Introduction to freestyle development with SAP UI5
Role - Quality
Would you like to bring more quality to your work as an ABAP developer? Then various tools, documentation and options are available to you. In this section we look at static analysis and other tools.
Details
- ABAP Test Cockpit - The ATC is an extension of the old Code Inspector and provides static code checks in the system. Whether locally in the system or as a central ATC, the system can automatically check the code when tasks are released. This also allows you to control the quality of the code when it leaves the development system.
- abapGit - The Git client for ABAP actually belongs in almost every role, but is mainly needed in the quality area to install various open source tools in the system. The open source tool is developed by the community and can be used to move source code from one system to another.
- Clean ABAP - For Clean ABAP you can find a document on GitHub that describes how to create clean ABAP source code and what you should pay attention to. In addition to the document, there is also the ABAP Cleaner, which can clean and format your entire source code at the push of a button.
- codePal - This is an extension of the ATC to implement additional checks that check the Clean ABAP rules, as well as provide hints and quick fixes.
- Code Review - The topic of code review is now standard in every programming language. This involves the review of finished source code by a second developer. Both developers learn different aspects from the review.
- Code Security - Security in software development should be standard today. Every developer can contribute something to the topic of security if they know about possible errors in the software and address them in code reviews. CVA checks through the ABAP Test Cockpit can also help here.
Evaluation
The topic of code quality is becoming more and more relevant, as good and clean source code is easy to read and maintain. The various tools help with the mass analysis of source code or build a quality gate in development. How do you configure and use the tools in the company and what is available to you? In this role you should know this and most of the concepts are already available on older releases.
Role - ABAP Cloud (Lead)
Once you have achieved the ABAP Cloud goal, you start learning again from the beginning. Many concepts change or are completely thrown out the window. You can find the collected information on this page as a summary. This is where the lead's actual work begins, as many of the new concepts must first be developed and brought into the organization.
Details
- Software components - How do software components work and how can you use them for clean development? In ABAP Cloud, they are a central component of new developments and their properties can be used in addition to build a clean software architecture.
- ABAP Cloud - Is not just a development model or a concept, there is much more to it. Which concepts can be used in ABAP Cloud and which concepts should you as a developer slowly bury? There is a lot to consider across the system.
Evaluation
In the ABAP Cloud area and as a lead, you should know and master most of the topics on the roadmap. The various building blocks interact with each other in your daily work in modern systems. However, this is only possible from release S/4 HANA 2022, but ideally with S/4 HANA 2023. If your company does not have this release, you can take a look at the SAP CAL or ABAP Environment to understand the initial concepts.
Conclusion
The subdivided roles are suggestions and our assessment. You will probably have to adapt some parts to your own company and your situation. Basically, they should split the entire roadmap into smaller parts and assign the corresponding roles.
