Discover the use of the implicit enhancement option, including all possible areas where the enhancement can be used. Learn about the implementation of dynamic and static implicit enhancements with examples. You can also see how to add one new column in SAP List Viewer (ALV) of a standard report using implicit enhancement (without modification) as an example.

Key Concept

The implicit enhancement is a new technology to enhance SAP’s standard objects such as includes, function modules, forms, global classes and all source code units. The enhancement option makes it possible to add your own functionality to standard SAP objects without changing the original object. The additional functionality you added to the system by enhancement does not create any problems while the system upgrades and can be available without making any adjustment. In SAP standard code there are some predefined positions where you can add custom code implicitly without any special enhancement. No enhancement spot is required for this type of enhancement. Implicit enhancements are available from SAP NetWeaver Application Server (SAP NetWeaver AS) 7.0. Sometimes you have requirements to set a default value for a standard field, or you have to add an extra column in the standard SAP List Viewer (ALV). Or you might have to include a custom include in standard code. All such requirements can be fulfilled by using implicit enhancements. Without using implicit enhancements, you have to modify the standard code, which can cause problems when upgrading your system. Later in this article I explain how to add new column in a standard SAP report using an implicit enhancement. The output of the report shows salaries in different time units (e.g., annually, monthly, weekly, and daily). I will show you the way to add one more column to ALV of this report output. You will see that I will do three enhancements to achieve the required result. First, I add a field in the structure, then I do calculations for converting all time units to a single time unit (annually) and assign the value to that field, and finally add the entry in the field catalog of ALV to display the new column in the output. I’ll show you how to implement implicit enhancements, but first let’s look at displaying implicit enhancement options and the various pieces of code in which they can be installed.

How to Display an Implicit Enhancement Option

Displaying an implicit enhancement option involves a three-step process:

• Open ABAP code and click the enhance icon from the toolbar or use shortcut key Shift+F4
• Follow menu path Edit > Enhancement Options > Show Implicit Enhancement Options
• You see a new line has been added in the code with an arrow sign on the left side. This is the position where you can add custom code by implementing an implicit enhancement.

Figure 1 displays the code before showing the implicit enhancement option and Figure 2 shows it with the implicit enhancement option.

Positions Available for Implicit Enhancement

Now I’ll show you all possible positions with screenprints where you can add custom code using an implicit enhancement implementation. Note that the implicit enhancement option is not available for some objects. For example, you can’t enhance the include LALFATOP and function module CONVERSION_EXIT_ALPHA_INPUT. Whenever you try to implement an implicit enhancement for an object like this, the system gives you a message that you can’t enhance the object. The implicit enhancement option is also not available at the end of a function module include. Figure 3 shows an implicit enhancement option at the end of an include. Figure 4 shows an implicit enhancement option before TYPES END OF. Figure 5 shows an implicit enhancement option before DATA END OF. Figure 6 shows an implicit enhancement option before CONSTANTS END OF. Figure 7 shows an implicit enhancement option before STATICS END OF. Figure 8 shows an implicit enhancement option before the ENDINTERFACE. Figure 9 shows an implicit enhancement option before the ENDCLASS in CLASS … IMPLEMENTATION. Figures 10 and 11 show implicit enhancements at the end of the CHANGING, IMPORTING, and EXPORTING parameter list of a method. The method in Figure 10 originally doesn’t have IMPORTING, EXPORTING, or CHANGING parameters, but the method in Figure 11 originally has two parameters: IMPORTING and CHANGING. Figure 12 shows an implicit enhancement option at the end of a PUBLIC, PROTECTED, PRIVATE SECTION of a class. Figure 13 shows an implicit enhancement option at the beginning and end of METHOD. This is placed after commands METHOD and before statements ENDMETHOD. Figure 14 shows an implicit enhancement option at the beginning and end of FUNCTION MODULE. It is placed after commands FUNCTION and before statements ENDFUNCTION. Figure 15 shows an implicit enhancement option at the beginning and end of FORM. It is placed after FORM commands and before ENDFORM statements.

Types of Enhancement

There are two types of implicit enhancements: declaration (static) and code (dynamic).

1. Static (declaration) enhancement
   • Data declaration is part of a static enhancement (e.g., structure definitions TYPES, DATA, CONSTANTS, and STATICS)
   • PUBLIC, PROTECTED, PRIVATE and SECTION of a class, include, interface definition, and class implementation are also part of a static enhancement
   • CHANGING, IMPORTING, and EXPORTING parameter list of a method
   • There is no option for selecting a type of enhancement while implementing it, but it automatically goes into the static enhancement category
2. Dynamic (code) enhancement
   • All ABAP code other than declarations is considered a dynamic enhancement
   • You can use dynamic enhancement for form, methods, and function modules
   • You can select the type of enhancement while implementing, so you can place it in both declaration and code type
   • If you want to place a form, local class, or method in an implicit enhancement you have to include these in the static type of enhancement. You can’t include it in a dynamic type.
   • Data declarations are always static, even if you will place them in the dynamic part of the enhancement

Implementing Implicit Enhancements

Now I’ll show you how to implement an implicit enhancement with two examples: dynamic (code) and static (declaration) types of enhancements. In the first example, I’ll deal only with a dynamic (code) enhancement and in the second I will implement both a dynamic and a static enhancement. In the first example there will be two dynamic enhancements and in the second there will be a static enhancement in addition to two dynamic enhancements.

First Example: Method Enhancement (Dynamic)

Step 1. Execute standard program ABAP_OBJECTS_ENJOY_4. The output of the program before implementing an implicit enhancement is shown in Figure 16. Step 2. Use transaction SE80 or SE38 and enter Program name ABAP_OBJECTS_ENJOY_4 (Figure 17). Click the Change button and you get the screen in Figure 18, which asks for the Access key. Because it is a standard program, you cannot make changes directly. The window in Figure 18 appears and asks for an access key. If you give an access key to change any standard object it becomes a modification, which SAP does not recommend. Click the Display button to open the program in display mode (Figure 19). Step 3. Click the enhance icon as shown in the screen in Figure 19. This brings up the screen in Figure 20. Step 4. Follow menu path Edit > Enhancement Operations > Show Implicit Enhancement Options (Figure 21). Step 5. Go to method WRITE and you can see two options for an implicit enhancement (Figure 22). Step 6. Right-click the first enhancement option and select Enhancement Implementation > Create Implementation (Figure 23). Step 7. For METHOD, you can use both Declaration (static) and Code (dynamic) enhancements (Figure 24). In this case, click the Code button. Step 8. Enter the Enhancement Implementation name and the Short Text (Figure 25). Then click the green check mark icon. Step 9. Give the Package name and click the save icon (Figure 26). Step 10. Click the new icon to create a new transport request (Figure 27). Step 11. Enter the transport request’s Short Description and click the save icon (Figure 28). Step 12. Now you can see the new transport request (Figure 29). Click the green check mark icon. Step 13. Now you can see a white line inside ENHANCEMENT 1 ... ENDENHANCEMENT (Figure 30). Here you can add custom code. Step 14. Add code and Click the Enhancements button to activate the enhancement (Figure 31). Step 15. The screen in Figure 32 appears with the enhancement already selected. Click the green check mark icon. Step 16. Now you are ready to test the enhancement. The output of the program after implementing the first implicit enhancement option (After Start of Method) produces the new line at the start (Figure 33). Step 17. Now you are ready to go for the second enhancement. Right-click the second enhancement option in Figure 22 and select Enhancement Implementation > Create Implementation (Figure 34). Step 18. The screen in Figure 35 appears. Click the Code button so the type of enhancement is a code enhancement. Step 19. The screen in Figure 36 appears. Select the enhancement and click the green check mark icon. Step 20. Now you can again see the line inside ENHANCEMENT 2 … ENDENHANCEMENT (Figure 37). You can add custom code here. Step 21. Add code line as in Figure 38 and activate the enhancement like you did in Figure 31. After activation, when you execute the program you get output like that in Figure 39. For checking your implemented enhancement, use transaction SE80 and follow menu path Open Package > Enhancements > Enhancement Implementations > ZIE_WRITE. Double-click ZIE_WRITE and you see the screen shown in Figure 40. On the right side, you can see that both enhancement types are Dynamic because I used the Code option in Figures 24 and 35.

Second Example: Structure Definition (Static) and Form (Dynamic) Enhancements

Here you have a standard transaction S_AHR_61015554 that shows the output in ALV. In this example, I add one more column in ALV, for which I need to do three implicit enhancements:

1. Include a new field in an internal table
2. Fill the new field with required data
3. Add the field to the field catalog for display in ALV

For this example, the requirement is that the output is showing Minimum, Maximum, and Average Pay, but it is in different Time Units (e.g., Annually, Monthly, Daily, and Weekly). You have to convert all these time units to Annually and show it in separate column of ALV. The output of the report before doing the enhancement is shown in Figure 41. Step 1. Add a column in the internal table disptable. Open program RPLCMP01 and display the implicit enhancement options using the same process used in the examples in Figures 19 and 21. You can see the implicit enhancement point just before the END OF disputable (Figure 42). Right-click this option and select Create Implementation. This time the system does not ask you to select Code or Declaration because you are including a field in an internal table, so it automatically marks this as a static (Declaration) enhancement. Step 2. Enter the Enhancement Implementation name, some Short Text, and click the execute icon (Figure 43). This time the system doesn’t ask for the selection of an old implicit enhancement, but prompts you to create a new implicit enhancement implementation. Step 3. Enter the name of the Package (e.g., ZFSL) and click the save icon (Figure 44). Step 4. Create a new transport request using the new icon in Figure 45 and save it to the same newly created request. Step 5. Enter a Short Description for the request in the screen in Figure 46 and click the save icon. Step 6. Add an object to the created request and click the green check mark icon (Figure 47). Step 7. Place a line of code inside the enhancement (Figure 48) and activate it as shown in the first example (Figure 31 and 32). The code is: DATA: zzpyavg LIKE t710-slmax. " Average Pay Annually You have added one more column to disptable and are ready to populate it with your calculations. Step 8. Now create the enhancement implementation for FORM disptable_fill just before ENDFORM. Select Enhancement Implementation > Create Implementation (Figure 49). In this enhancement, you need to do calculations. Step 9. Because this enhancement is in FORM, you can choose between a Declaration and Code option (Figure 50). Click the Code button. Step 10. Select the same enhancement implementation you just created for the internal table enhancement (Figure 51). After selecting this enhancement, click the green check mark icon. Step 11. In the resulting screen, you can insert your own code inside ENHANCEMENT 2 (Figure 52). The code in Figure 53 allows you to calculate the required annual salary and assign it to a new added field zzpyavg. This standard report shows salaries in different time periods (e.g., monthly, daily, weekly), but management often wants to see it on an annual bases. This code allows you to convert all salaries annually and show them in one new column. Step 12. You have calculated the required data in one field of the internal table. Now you have to add this field into the field catalog for display in ALV. For this, enhance the FORM fieldcatalog_fill. Create the implementation just before ENDFORM (Figure 54). Step 13. Select the Code option (Figure 55). Step 14. Copy the code in Figure 56 and paste it in the ENHANCEMENT 3 section of the screen in Figure 57 and activate it as shown in the first example (Figures 31 and 32). Now you are ready to test your enhancement. The output after implementing implicit enhancements is shown in Figure 58. You can see a new column at the end with heading Avg. Annually. Finally, if you go back to transaction SE80, you can see confirmation that you’ve done three enhancements, including two dynamic enhancements and one static enhancement (Figure 59).