Is ABAP RAP worth the modernization effort?

"𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐀𝐏 𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐏 𝐢𝐧 2025 — 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐎𝐧…" 𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕: Learning just classical ABAP in 2025 is like learning MS Paint when the world is using Figma. You’ll still get things done… but you’ll always be behind. So if I were starting as a new SAP ABAP developer in 2025, this is exactly what I’d focus on — step by step. 1️⃣ 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐏 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 — 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐏 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 Focus on ABAP 7.4+ syntax — inline declarations, expressions, constructor operators. Understand how FOR, REDUCE, FILTER make code clean and functional. Don’t waste time on WRITE: and TOP-OF-PAGE. 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞 > 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞 2️⃣ 𝐉𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐀𝐏 (𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐏 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥) RAP isn’t optional. It’s the future of SAP app development. Learn how to create: CDS-based data models Behavior definitions Fiori apps without writing a single line of UI5 Understand late numbering, draft-enabled apps, and managed vs unmanaged scenarios. 𝐑𝐀𝐏 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐒/4𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐓𝐏 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲. 3️⃣ 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐃𝐒 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 Learn how to: Expose data via CDS Use annotations for UI, analytics, OData Combine views using associations & joins Use VDM (Virtual Data Model) like a pro. 𝐂𝐃𝐒 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐀𝐏 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐏 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐬. 4️⃣ 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Learn OData V2 and V4 (you’ll need both) Understand how CPI, SAP Gateway, and API Management use your backend logic Practice building and consuming APIs — with Postman, CAP, or Integration Suite 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐏 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐀𝐏 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 — 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦. 5️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐲 Use ABAP Unit, Test Seams, and Test Classes Get into TDD mindset: write test cases first Learn how automated testing fits into CI/CD pipelines 𝐀 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬. 𝐀𝐧 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. 6️⃣ 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐀𝐏 𝐁𝐓𝐏 (𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦) Even if you’re ABAP-core, you must understand: SAP Build Apps for no-code UI SAP Event Mesh & Workflow for process integration Deployment in clean-core environments 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐓𝐏, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐆𝐔𝐈. If you're starting out or restarting your SAP journey in 2025, don't build muscle memory on outdated tools. Build for where SAP is going — not where it came from. And if you're already in the game? 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐁𝐀𝐏 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭. ************ Be a part of my SAP Community : https://lnkd.in/gspu3-Fd

ABAP Restful Programming Model (RAP): Modernization or Just Another Unnecessary Layer? RAP (ABAP Restful Programming Model) arrived with the promise of being the future of development in S/4HANA, but is that really true? Is RAP truly the revolution we need, or just another complexity imposed by SAP? What’s at stake here: modernization or forcing ABAP developers to adopt something that, for many, seems unnecessary? Why all the buzz around RAP? Sure, it offers integration with modern service standards and promises scalability. But let's be honest: how many critical projects that keep businesses running actually need this modernization? Are we forcing change just to follow a trend, without real benefit in the day-to-day life of developers? Classic ABAP is stable, proven, and continues to deliver what companies need. So why complicate something that already works? Many developers are asking: "Are we creating solutions or just more work?" RAP requires a new mindset, code refactoring, and doesn’t always offer immediate returns. Is it worth jumping on this bandwagon, or are we being pushed to adopt a technology that doesn’t solve our current problems? Is RAP truly the future of ABAP, or a risky bet? Some say RAP is essential for the future, with more efficient APIs ready for cloud integration. But the truth is, many experienced developers look at it and think: "Does this really bring business value, or is it just a technical fad?" So, what do you think? Is RAP the solution or just a distraction? Let’s face it: traditional ABAP still gets the job done, and many are questioning if we really need this “modernization” that’s being pushed. Are we truly modernizing or just complicating what already works perfectly? Share your perspective, and let’s discuss whether RAP is truly the evolution ABAP needed, or if we’re just following a fleeting trend without real benefits.

🔁 Modern ABAP = Smarter ABAP Over the past few weeks, I’ve been diving deep into modern ABAP practices, and it’s been a game-changer. What started as curiosity quickly turned into a mindset shift. Here's what stood out for me: 🔹 CDS Views + Annotations – Letting the DB do the heavy lifting 🧼 Clean ABAP – Writing logic that's readable, reusable, and testable ⚙️ RAP Model – Defining behavior-based services instead of just reports 🧠 Eclipse ADT – It’s faster, lighter, and debugging is smoother than I expected 🧪 Unit Testing in ABAP – Finally writing tests that actually run 😅 📍Recently, I refactored a legacy ALV report into a RAP-based app: • 🔻 Code reduced by 60% • ⚡ Performance improved using CDS pushdown • 🔧 Much easier to extend for future requirements Classical ABAP still has its place, but the evolution toward clean, service-oriented design is something I’d highly recommend exploring. 💬 Are you working with RAP or Clean ABAP in your projects? Would love to hear your experiences. #SAPABAP #CleanABAP #ABAPRAP #CDSViews #EclipseADT #SAPFiori #ModernABAP #ABAPonHANA #SAPDevelopers #LearningByDoing