Appending structures to the tables

[Former Member]

Hi experts,

Why we are appending sturctures to the tables?

can any one tell me the main differences between the APPEND and INCLUDE structures

in Datadictionary.

Thanks in Advance.

[Former Member]

Include structures have been foreseen by SAP to be used in a limited number of tables, append structure can be added to any table/structure.

Regards,

John.

[Former Member]

For append structure

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/cf/21eb61446011d189700000e8322d00/frameset.htm

for include structure.

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/cf/21eb54446011d189700000e8322d00/content.htm

[former_member787646]

Hi,

In Customizing Includes the provision is already given by

SAP to add new fields in the table at customer namespace.

Whereas In Append Structures the provision is not given by

SAP to add new fields in the table and there are some rules to

be followed to append the structure to a table (like

table name should start with ZZ , etc. )

In addition to the above ....

An append structure can append to only one table whereas an

include strcuture can append to any no. of tables.

Hope it helps you.

Murthy.

Edited by: Kalyanam Seetha Rama Murthy on Jun 27, 2008 1:02 PM

[former_member181995]

Ankitha,

just refer:

/thread/281791 [original link is broken]

Amit.

[Former Member]

Hi Ankita,

Customizing Includes

A Customizing include is a structure that satisfies a special naming convention. The name of a Customizing include begins with u2018CI_u2019 and the include is in the customer namespace.

If enhancements are already planned in the R/3 standard using customer-specific fields, such Customizing includes are included. in the corresponding standard table or standard structure. The Customizing include (that is the definition of the structure itself) is usually first created in the customer system and filled with fields by special Customizing transactions.

Customers can thus enhance tables and structures of the R/3 standard system without themselves having to modify the table and structure definitions. This means that these enhancements will not be lost when upgrading. If a table or structure of the R/3 standard system is enhanced with customer fields using a Customizing include, these customer fields are automatically inserted in the new delivered table or structure definition during an upgrade.

If you create a Customizing include for a table or structure, only those enhancements are allowed that are consistent with the enhancement category of the enhanced table or structure. For more information, see Structure Enhancements.

Customers can but need not create a Customizing include and fill it with fields. If there is no Customizing include, there is no error message when the table or structure including it is activated.

A Customizing include can be contained in several tables or structures, so that they remain consistent when the include is modified.

Append Structures

Append structures are used for enhancements that are not included in the standard. This includes special developments, country versions and adding customer fields to any tables or structures.

An append structure is a structure that is assigned to exactly one table or structure. There can be more than one append structure for a table or structure.

The following enhancements can be made to a table or structure TAB with an append structure:

Insert new fields in TAB,

Define foreign keys for fields of TAB that already exist,

Attach search helps to fields of TAB that already exist,

These enhancements are part of the append structure, i.e. they must always be changed and transported with the append structure.

When a table or structure is activated, all the append structures of the table are searched and the fields of these append structures are added to the table or structure. Foreign keys and search help attachments added using the append structure are also added to the table. If an append structure is created or changed, the table or structure assigned to it is also adjusted to these changes when the append structure is activated.

Since the order of the fields in the ABAP Dictionary can differ from the order of the fields on the database, adding append structures or inserting fields in such append structures does not result in a table conversion.

The customer creates append structures in the customer namespace. The append structure is thus protected against overwriting during an upgrade. The fields in the append structure should also reside in the customer namespace, that is the field names should begin with ZZ or YY. This prevents name conflicts with fields inserted in the table by SAP.

Reward if found helpful.

Anirban Bhattacharjee

[Former Member]

Hello ankitha,

Here are some very important points related to your question..

1. Append structure : it will add Fields to the table from

last . we can't use that structure in another table.

2. Include structure: we can add fields in middle. we can

use include structure in more than one table.

Here are some differences between them:-

Append structures allow you to attach fields to a table without actually having to modify the table itself. Table enhancements using append structures therefore do not have to be planned by SAP developers. An append structure can only belong to exactly one table.

In contrast, CI_includes/Includes allow you to use the same structure in multiple tables. The include statement must already exist in the SAP table or structure. Table enhancements using CI_includes do, however, have to be planned by SAP developers.Here CI stands for Customizing includes.

You can go to this link to get more info on append structure;-

[http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw2004s/helpdata/en/cf/21eb61446011d189700000e8322d00/content.htm]

[http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw2004s/helpdata/en/cf/21eb54446011d189700000e8322d00/content.htm]

Hope it is useful..

Best of luck,

Bhumika

[Former Member]

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/cf/21eb61446011d189700000e8322d00/frameset.htm

this will help u

[Former Member]

Hi Ankitha.

Your question is very genuine and important.

I suggest,

There are three types of adding fields

1. Normal Structures (WHICH ARE NOTHING BUT INCLUDE STRUCTURES THAT START WITH ".INCLUDE)

2. Append Structures (FOR STANDARD TABLES) (START WITH ".APPEND")

3. Customizing Includes (FOR STANDARD TABLES) (".CI", THESE ARE DONE BY END USERS NOT BY US ).

STRUCTURE IS A COLLECTION OF FIELDS.

COMING TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INCLUDE STRUCTURES AND APPEND STRUCTURES.

INCLUDE STRUCTURES CAN USED BY US TO ADD FIELDS INTO ANY ZTABLES. BECAUSE, IN A ZTABLE, WE CAN ADD FIELDS WHER EVER WE WANT.

APPEND STRUCTURES ARE USED ONLY TO ENHANCE STANDARD TABLES.

STANDARD TABLES MAY HAVE INCLUDE STRUCTURES ALREADY CREATED , BUT IF WE WANT TO ADD SOME MORE FIELDS

TO THE STANDARD TABLES, WE NEED TO GO FOR APPEND STRUCTURES.

APPEND STRUCTURES SHOULD BE ADDED AT THE END OF A STANDARD TABLE. THIS IS A MUST. BECAUSE WE SHOULD NOT CHANGE THE ORIGINAL STANDARD TABLE IN THE MIDDLE.

SOME STANDARD TABLES FOR WHICH THERE ARE LONG DATA TYPE FIELDS cannot be enhanced because, LONG TYPE FIELDS SHOULD ALWAYS BE AT THE END AND APPEND STRUCTURES SHOULD ALSO BE AT THE END, SO THERE WILL BE A CONFLICT .

If you find this information usefull, I will be very glad.

If you need more clarification, feel free to discuss with me.

Reward points if you find this information usefull.

Regards Harsh.

[Former Member]

Hii!!

Hiii!

Append structures are used for enhancements that are not included in the standard. This includes special developments, country versions and adding customer fields to any tables or structures.

An append structure is a structure that is assigned to exactly one table or structure. There can be more than one append structure for a table or structure.

The following enhancements can be made to a table or structure TAB with an append structure:

Insert new fields in TAB,

Define foreign keys for fields of TAB that already exist,

Attach search helps to fields of TAB that already exist,

These enhancements are part of the append structure, i.e. they must always be changed and transported with the append structure.

When a table or structure is activated, all the append structures of the table are searched and the fields of these append structures are added to the table or structure. Foreign keys and search help attachments added using the append structure are also added to the table. If an append structure is created or changed, the table or structure assigned to it is also adjusted to these changes when the append structure is activated.

Since the order of the fields in the ABAP Dictionary can differ from the order of the fields on the database, adding append structures or inserting fields in such append structures does not result in a table conversion.

CUSTOMIZING INCLUDES=>

If enhancements are already planned in the R/3 standard using customer-specific fields, such Customizing includes are included. in the corresponding standard table or standard structure. The Customizing include (that is the definition of the structure itself) is usually first created in the customer system and filled with fields by special Customizing transactions.

Customers can thus enhance tables and structures of the R/3 standard system without themselves having to modify the table and structure definitions. This means that these enhancements will not be lost when upgrading. If a table or structure of the R/3 standard system is enhanced with customer fields using a Customizing include, these customer fields are automatically inserted in the new delivered table or structure definition during an upgrade.

Regards

Abhijeet Kulshreshtha

Edited by: Abhijeet Kulshreshtha on Jun 27, 2008 4:40 PM

[Former Member]

Hi,

Append structure :

It will add Fields to the table from last . we can't use that structure in another table.

Append structures are used for enhancements that are not included in the standard. This includes special developments, country versions and adding customer fields to any tables or structures.

An append structure is a structure that is assigned to exactly one table or structure. There can be more than one append structure for a table or structure.

The following enhancements can be made to a table or structure TAB with an append structure:

• Insert new fields in TAB,

• Define foreign keys for fields of TAB that already exist,

• Attach search helps to fields of TAB that already exist,

These enhancements are part of the append structure.

Include structure:

we can add fields in middle. we can

use include structure in more than one table.

[Former Member]

hi,

Append structures are used for enhancements that are not included in the standard. This includes special developments, country versions and adding customer fields to any tables or structures.

An append structure is a structure that is assigned to exactly one table or structure. There can be more than one append structure for a table or structure.

When an include is changed, all the tables and structures that include it are automatically adjusted.

Structure A was included in table B. A new field is inserted in structure A. When structure A is activated, table B is adjusted to this change, that is the new field is also inserted there.

You can assign the include a group name with which the group of fields in the include can be addressed as a whole in ABAP programs.

Includes can also be nested, that is structure A includes structure B which in turn includes another structure C, etc. The maximum nesting depth is limited to nine. The maximum length of a path of nested includes in a table or structure is therefore nine (the table/structure itself not included).

regards,

pritam.