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ABAP naming standards, anno 2013.

Just recently, I was asked to produce a document on abap naming standards. It felt like stepping back in time.

Back in the eighties, SAP had its large-scale boom into the large enterprises and SAP development was predominantly done in the ABAP language. Object oriented ABAP wasn’t around yet and large number of suitable and unsuitable people were trained very quickly in ABAP academies to go and produce lots of bespoke ABAP code to complement the standard SAP solution. The core SAP modules weren’t as feature-rich as they are today and a lot of add-ons that you can now get off the shelf didn’t exist. So we did what we had to do…  we produced lots of procedural code scattered around the SAP system. The problem with procedural coding is that as soon as you start to break the code down into reusable chunks, you end up having to carry loads of parameters around between the different coding blocks (you don’t really have to, but that’s what happened). And I believe this is where the idea of ‘naming standards’ was used and abused. Reading up on ABAP naming standards on the web, it looks like some coders were satisfied if importing parameters started with i_ and internal tables started with it_…  With hindsight, this was perhaps a necessity at the time to see the wood for the trees, but today we are looking at a very different picture and a very different set of options and opportunities. I think it’s fair to say that those old style-naming standards did nothing for the quality or maintainability of the code. People also confuse the naming conventions enforced by SAP with coding standards. My question is this: are naming standards of any value in today’s world? Do they help to deliver quality code?

What is good ABAP code in 2013?

Firstly, ABAP development is only a piece (small?) of the SAP development landscape. It is still core to SAP but we all know SAP GUI (the traditional consumer of abap code and screens) has big limitations and will never look as snazzy as a modern web page. SAP have gone out and bought a plethora of software solutions and integrated them (sometimes WIP) with the core modules.  Those software solutions inevitably use a different development platform.

Secondly, the core SAP modules are incredibly rich and well integrated and there are loads of add-ons that can be downloaded and activated for specific industries. The need to write lots of bespoke abap code has diminished dramatically. In fact, many companies have tried to go back to out-of-the-box SAP to reduce the maintenance overhead of bespoke code. Probably the best ABAP code, is the code that was not written! (Because the ABAPer made the effort to go and look for a standard out-of-the-box solution).

ABAP development can (should?) be done in OO now. In fact, all the newer technologies that have been introduced like web services and BADIs and the entire enhancement framework use it. It’s hard for a modern ABAPer to do a good job without ABAP objects. OO allows for a lot more structure and reusability in the code. Having said that,  it also allows for over engineering. Loads of objects (ABAP classes) are simply part of frameworks rather then representing business concepts and entities. We’re only a couple of decades into ABAP OO and you pretty much need a PhD to understand the frameworks and to work out what objects to use when and how. Sometimes I feel we haven’t made all that much progress towards good code.

I believe that good abap code is written in reusable classes using business language, naming objects for what they really stand for, leaving all “clutter” prefixes behind so the code says what it does. So no more customer master data called “it_tab” but rather “list_of_customers”.

Look at this small example: this code snippet works out what the next batch number is: for A000005, the next batch number is A000006; for B999999, the next batch number is C000001. You get the idea.

This code is readable with little effort. Note that the person who wrote this, investigated first if standard SAP number range functionality couldn’t do this already… so as to avoid writing this code altogether!

Good abap code anno 2013 is covered by unit tests. The two examples above (A000005 and B999999) are written as abap unit tests. These unit tests can run in automated fashion to prove that the code does what it’s expected to do. At the same time, they document the behaviour for the next coder.

In summary, I believe good ABAP code is code for which SAP offers no alternative, that is easy to maintain because it is readable, guaranteed to work (as proven by the automated unit tests), is not over engineered and mimics business concepts and process components and is therefor more likely to be reused.

In our busy work environment it is often common to have a line manager responsible for you and your “house keeping” and an assignment manager driving your daily objectives. In these busy times your personal aspirations can go unnoticed, and employers are often keen to remind people that it is “tough out there”…and we should “be grateful for our jobs”…whilst that might be true it isn’t going to help attrition is it?

2 things are different at G3; firstly employees are shareholders, and that means that there is more of a purpose than just the end of the month pay check; but the second difference is the role of the career counsellor.

All G3 employees have a line manager (and often an assignment manager when on projects); but all employees also have a Career Counsellor, and this is typically someone other than your line or assignment manager.

This means that everyone has someone to discuss career aspirations with…and if you are happy in your role and that’s all you want to do, then you get an opportunity to say so. But…if you have plans to grow, learn new skills or try new challenges then a plan can be put in place to help you make it happen

Take Jean…I asked her some questions at our UK annual kick off last week…

Jean, how long have you been on board…

“From the very beginning, I was employee number 3”

How many different jobs have you had?

“Well I can’t count them on one hand! At least 6 or 7”

Did you like them all?

“No, but sometimes you have to try a role to find out whether you like it, and whether you are good at it”

Are you now doing what you originally wanted  to do?

“Interestingly enough, no. Along the way I have also taken roles that just needed doing, some of these were outside my comfort zone and this has resulted in a different path”

What would you change?

“On reflection I wouldn’t change anything, although I did enjoy the days picking grapes and olives in Greece before working in IT! The different roles have kept my time at G3 exciting, and have helped me understand not only what I enjoy doing, but also what I don’t like doing. And I have worked with my career counsellors to help me find roles that make the best use of my skills, this has resulted in me finding roles that I not only enjoy, but roles that I can excel in…and in itself that is a great reward”

G3 Global completes acquisition of Diagonal Consulting, formerly a 2e2 company

WEYBRIDGE, United Kingdom —February 15, 2013 — G3 Global, a SAP Gold Partner, today completed a cash funded acquisition of Diagonal Consulting. Founded in 1986, Diagonal Consulting is an international systems integrator that provides SAP implementation and consulting services. G3 Global’s acquisition of Diagonal will form a more substantial services-rich organisation that will deliver a wider portfolio of services to the combined customer base.

In 2004, Diagonal was acquired by Morse PLC for ₤50m ($77m) and latterly transferred to 2e2 in 2010 as part of the Morse acquisition. 2e2 Administrators, FTI Consulting have agreed to support the transition of Diagonal customers as well as the Diagonal trademarks.

G3 Global has been quick to react to the challenging situation many 2e2 customers have found themselves in, by offering immediate access to the G3 Global helpdesk function, whilst deploying resources to develop transition plans. This activity has been helped by a significant number of the 2e2 delivery team and support team joining G3 Global, after they were made redundant by 2e2 UK Ltd. in the last week of January.

The broader solution offerings made possible by the acquisition include application maintenance and support, fully managed services, hosting and mobility. In addition, the two specialty technology companies will now enjoy stronger physical U.S. and European presence.

Now serving the UK, Europe, Africa, and the United States, G3 has a rapidly growing international business. Chris Gunter, CEO of G3 Global, noted “Having enjoyed an active US customer base over the last 10 year, we have been planning formal incorporation into North America for some time. The Diagonal acquisition is not only an important strategic opportunity to build a greater presence in the U.S., but also a fitting business match for both employees and customers.” Gunter added “The leadership Steve Woodgate and his Diagonal team bring to the table adds significant value to our global and local customer base.”

“This acquisition represents a significant step in G3 Global’s progress,” said Gunter. “There is excellent synergy between G3 and Diagonal, a matching of minds and business ethos that benefits employees of both companies, not to mention a strengthening of capabilities that will make the united customer base very happy.”

Both companies bring solid leadership to the table, as well as a deep-rooted dedication to strong, customer-focused consulting.

“We are very excited to join the G3 family,” says Diagonal President, Steve Woodgate, “and to have a home in a large organisation with such an incredible alignment of culture, methodology and management.

“Both companies really live and breathe this stuff –,” continues Woodgate, “high-touch, high-end consultancy that goes beyond a simple commodity service.”

G3 Global continues to be financially sound, without any debt encumbrances.

About G3 Global Founded in 1998, G3 Global is a SAP Gold Partner that delivers a portfolio of integrated SAP and Business Intelligence solutions. Incorporating strategic consulting and change management programs, G3 works with enterprises to enable them to reach strategic business goals through innovation and business process efficiency leveraging SAP, Oracle and other leading software.

For more information on G3 Global, visit http://www.g3g.com/

About Diagonal Founded in 1986, Diagonal Consulting is an international systems integrator,  SAP Partner and reseller that provides implementation, training and support services.  It is dedicated to helping businesses and organizations streamline operations, reduce IT costs, and improve reporting capabilities. Diagonal’s team of experienced consultants utilize unparalleled industry knowledge and expertise to deliver the powerful, sustainable IT outsourcing and SAP support solutions that drive business success.

In 2004, Diagonal was acquired by Morse PLC for ₤50m ($77m) and latterly transferred to 2e2 in 2010 as part of the Morse acquisition.

For more information on Diagonal Consulting, visit http://www.diagonal-consulting.com/

For more information, Media contacts Chris Gunter CEO, G3 Global +44 (0) 1932 871333 press@g3g.com

reed.co.uk to Transform IT Strategy With G3 Global and SAP Business ByDesign® Solution

Global Recruitment Provider Aims to Improve Key Business Functions, Increase Visibility and Empower Decision-Makers Through Real-Time Analytics Delivered in the Cloud

United Kingdom — Jan. 31, 2013 — G3 Global, a SAP VAR (Value Added Reseller) Partner, today announced that reed.co.uk, the UK’s No. 1 job site, has chosen the SAP Business ByDesign® solution to provide users with a single integrated platform for key business applications. The company selected cloud-based SAP Business ByDesign to replace a competitive solution, and to help enable executives to make smarter, faster decisions in business-critical areas, including finance and human resources.

Following a consultative engagement with G3 Global, reed.co.uk made the decision to select SAP Business ByDesign. The solution aims to improve reed.co.uk’s critical business systems, automating and streamlining legacy processes and reducing the need for manual intervention. In addition, SAP Business ByDesign has disaster recovery capabilities built in, which means there is no need for additional failover systems.

Lubin Hoque, G3 Global said: “We are delighted that reed.co.uk has chosen SAP Business ByDesign as the cornerstone of its IT strategy. Cloud, mobile and data analytics are three of the key areas businesses must address in 2013, and with SAP Business ByDesign, reed.co.uk is arming its workforce with a solution that addresses all three.”

“We have been looking for a fully-integrated solution that would improve upon our traditional IT systems and give us a platform to support future growth. As a business, speed, flexibility and the ability to react in real time are absolutely crucial; SAP Business ByDesign’s browser-based user interface will give our workforce access to analytics and insights, on the move and across a multitude of mobile devices, such as tablets or smartphones.” said Mark Ridley, director of Technology, reed.co.uk. “We are working with the leading technology providers, such as SAP, to develop an IT strategy for the future and make our business work smarter. SAP Business ByDesign will provide us with the power and flexibility to make the right decisions, quickly, in a constantly evolving business landscape.”

Gareth Whiting, head of Channel SAP Business ByDesign, SAP (UK) Limited said: “Today’s business leaders are under increased pressure to make faster decisions and turn back-office data into immediately actionable insights. Forward-thinking enterprises, such as reed.co.uk, continue to recognise the enormous potential of the cloud as a delivery platform for data analytics. SAP Business ByDesign provides a real solution for businesses of all sizes looking to empower employees, boost efficiency and amplify the competitiveness of their organisation.

About reed.co.uk reed.co.uk is the UK’s leading online recruitment service. Owned by Reed Executive PLC, reed.co.uk enables jobseekers to search over 120,000 jobs from more than 8,000 recruiters across 42 industry sectors.

Registered jobseekers can receive email job alerts, save searches and make their details available to a range of recruiters, including Reed’s network of trained recruitment consultants. reed.co.uk/courses also features over 1,500 courses and learning opportunities, including online, distance and classroom-based courses.   Recruiters of all types benefit from reed.co.uk’s range of innovative online recruitment solutions, including: online job posting and applicant management; CV Search; targeted branding and email services; and reed.co.uk’s Exchange marketplace.

About G3 Global G3 Global is a SAP VAR (Value Added Reseller) Partner that delivers a portfolio of integrated SAP and Business Intelligence solutions. With a deep understanding of the way business work, we incorporate well administered change management programs to ensure that delivery is consistently adopted throughout the organisation. We partner with our customers to establish robust business process platforms that enable rapid business innovation.

For more information please visit www.g3g.com

For more information, press only: press@g3g.com

We would like to welcome Lubin Hoque to the G3 Global family.

Lubin has joined as our Sales and Marketing Director and has responsibility for expanding our sales operation, a role that will enable him to leverage his experience in growing channel businesses.

Prior to joining G3 Global Lubin has spent the last 15 years in the business applications space working directly for vendors, including SAP, and working within the channel; most recently with 2e2 where he was responsible for the SAP and the Microsoft sales and pre sales team, and drove 2e2 to the position of number 1 reseller in 2011.

Lubin has a wealth of experience in helping organisations achieve their business objectives through consultative engagements to drive real business value from the deployment of business applications such as ERP, CRM and Business Intelligence.

We would like to welcome Claire Rickard to the G3 Global family. Claire brings with her a wealth of experience in delivering excellent service to clients.  Her SAP career started over 20 years ago as an SD consultant and Claire has gained great insight on just how crucial an SAP solution is to the success of a business.

Claire has built and managed support teams and well positioned to advise clients on the different types of support arrangements most widely used.  Claire is known for her integrity and her pragmatic approach in assisting clients facing support challenges.

G3 Global is growing and looking for a number of experienced professionals. There are vacancies across the business in consulting, solutions, and operational teams.

Please see current vacancies.

G3 Global and OGN Group today announced the successful Go Live of the G3 SAP Business All-in-One Solution at OGN Group.

OGN Group, based in Newcastle, England, are one of the UK’s leading EPC service providers (engineering, procurement, construction and installation) to the oil & gas and offshore wind energy sectors.

The decision to implement SAP Business All-in-One represented a strategic and long term investment for the OGN Group aimed at delivering a number of business benefits. These include integration under one system of key business processes covering procurement, materials management, project accounting and finance to provide for a robust platform to support future EPC projects. In addition, the system will facilitate speed and quality of financial and management reporting to allow better reporting on and management of financial and operational performance.

The implementation of the SAP solution by G3 Global was completed on time and on budget in 16 weeks and covered functionality in a number of areas, including Finance, Purchase to Pay, Project System, Inventory Management and Material Requirements Planning.

Richard Glasspool, Director of OGN commented “The successful Go Live of the SAP BAIO solution represents a major milestone for the OGN Group in supporting its corporate development and plans for growing the business. The SAP solution will enable OGN to take on and manage multiple EPC projects more efficiently thus delivering benefits to both OGN and to our end customers.”

“As a project based organisation with constant deadlines requiring focussed management attention, it was critical that the implementation of an integrated ERP solution ran smoothly and was delivered on time and with little distraction for OGN’s management team.“ said Stephen Law, Consulting Director at G3 Global “By using a pre-built template to reduce project delivery risk as the basis for the implementation we were able to work with OGN to rapidly deliver a successful go-live. OGN’s
project team and users have embraced the opportunity for change and now have a solid platform on which to grow their business.“

G3 Global today announced the signing of a contract to implement SAP Business All-In-One for The Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN Group). OGN Group provides engineering, procurement, construction and installation services to the offshore oil & gas and renewable energy industries.

G3 Global is committed to enabling small and medium size enterprises to derive the benefits of SAP ERP software though alignment with Industry Best Practices and this contract further demonstrates G3 Global’s leadership in the SME space.  The implementation is taking place within a rapid timescale of 14 weeks to ensure the business benefit is derived as early as possible with project go-live scheduled for Q4 2012.

OGN Group chose G3 Global and SAP’s Business All-in-One solution at it provides:

• A business application platform which can accommodate significant growth in company size and scope to support its strategic goals
• A world class business application platform quickly and with minimum disruption to business operations
• Improved quality and timeliness for management and financial reporting

The SAP ALE framework is a blessing if you know how to use it and it gets even better if you know how to extend it (as I did for financial statement versions). It offers the ability to exchange information between SAP systems without having to worry about any technicalities. SAP standard comes with a long list of objects (messages types) that can be sent/received, but just sometimes you have a need to send something that SAP has not catered for, like for example financial statement versions.

To build an extension to ALE, here is a quick guide. Most of these operations are accessible via transaction WEDI/Development and SALE.

1. Create an IDOC type with its necessary segments. In my case, I know the FSV transport contains tables T011, T011T, and FAGL_011*. So I have created segments for each of these.
2. Create a message type and assign it to the IDOC type
3. Copy a function module like MASTERIDOC_CREATE_GLMAST and replace the logic for GL accounts with logic for a financial statement version. The new function module will read an FSV from the database and store the data in the IDOC data table.
4. Copy a function module like IDOC_INPUT_GLMAST and do the same. This function module extracts the FSV details from the IDOC data and save an FSV locally.
5. Copy the report from BD18 (RBDSEGLM) and change it to create FSV IDOCs instead of GL master IDOCs.
6. Register the INPUT function module under BD51 and link it to the new message type in WE57
7. Create an inbound process code in WE42 and link it to the new message type
8. Assuming your SAP systems are all set up and RFC destinations exist, you can now go into BD64 and setup a distribution model, distribute the model and generate the partner profiles at both ends.
9. The report from step 5 should now create IDOCs for you and the ALE framework will send them over to the recipient system that you specified in your distribution model.
10. Transaction BD87 shows you the status of the IDOCs.