/sap-abap-cds

ABAP CDS Built-in Functions Reference

Complete reference for all built-in functions available in ABAP CDS views.

Source: https://help.sap.com/doc/abapdocu_latest_index_htm/latest/en-US/abencds_f1_builtin_functions.htm

Version Note: concat(), substring(), replace(), length() are available from 7.40 SP08. upper() and lower() require 7.51+. Date/time conversion functions (tstmp_to_dats, dats_tims_to_tstmp, etc.) require 7.51+. Currency/unit conversion functions are available from 7.40 SP08. Numeric functions (abs, ceil, floor, round, division) are available from 7.40 SP08.

String Functions

concat(arg1, arg2)

Concatenates two strings.

concat(first_name, last_name) as FullName
-- 'John' + 'Doe' = 'JohnDoe'

concat_with_space(arg1, arg2, spaces)

Concatenates strings with specified number of spaces.

concat_with_space(first_name, last_name, 1) as FullName
-- 'John' + 'Doe' = 'John Doe'

length(string)

Returns the length of a string.

length(description) as DescLength
-- 'Hello' = 5

left(string, n)

Returns leftmost n characters.

left(material_number, 4) as MaterialPrefix
-- '12345678' = '1234'

right(string, n)

Returns rightmost n characters.

right(material_number, 3) as MaterialSuffix
-- '12345678' = '678'

substring(string, pos, len)

Extracts substring from position for length.

substring(document_number, 3, 5) as SubDoc
-- '1234567890' starting at 3 for 5 = '34567'

Note: Position is 1-based.

upper(string)

Converts to uppercase.

upper(name) as NameUpper
-- 'Hello World' = 'HELLO WORLD'

lower(string)

Converts to lowercase.

lower(name) as NameLower
-- 'Hello World' = 'hello world'

lpad(string, length, pad_char)

Left-pads string to specified length.

lpad(document_number, 10, '0') as PaddedDoc
-- '12345' = '0000012345'

Note: If original length exceeds target, string is truncated.

rpad(string, length, pad_char)

Right-pads string to specified length.

rpad(name, 20, ' ') as PaddedName
-- 'John' = 'John                '

ltrim(string, trim_char)

Removes characters from left side.

ltrim(document_number, '0') as TrimmedDoc
-- '0000012345' = '12345'

rtrim(string, trim_char)

Removes characters from right side.

rtrim(name, ' ') as TrimmedName
-- 'John     ' = 'John'

replace(string, old, new)

Replaces all occurrences of substring.

replace(phone, '-', '') as PhoneClean
-- '123-456-7890' = '1234567890'

instr(string, substring)

Finds position of substring (0 if not found).

instr(email, '@') as AtPosition
-- 'user@example.com' = 5

Numeric Functions

abs(number)

Returns absolute value.

abs(amount) as AbsoluteAmount
-- -100 = 100
-- 100 = 100

ceil(number)

Rounds up to nearest integer.

ceil(price) as CeilingPrice
-- 5.1 = 6
-- 5.9 = 6
-- -5.1 = -5

floor(number)

Rounds down to nearest integer.

floor(price) as FloorPrice
-- 5.1 = 5
-- 5.9 = 5
-- -5.1 = -6

round(number, decimals)

Rounds to specified decimal places.

round(price, 2) as RoundedPrice
-- 5.567 with 2 decimals = 5.57
-- 5.564 with 2 decimals = 5.56

Negative decimals: Round to left of decimal point

round(12345, -2) as RoundedThousands
-- 12345 = 12300

div(dividend, divisor)

Integer division (truncates decimal).

div(total_minutes, 60) as Hours
-- 125 / 60 = 2

division(dividend, divisor, decimals)

Division with specified decimal precision.

division(10, 3, 4) as Result
-- 10 / 3 with 4 decimals = 3.3333

mod(dividend, divisor)

Returns remainder (modulo).

mod(total_minutes, 60) as RemainingMinutes
-- 125 mod 60 = 5

Date and Time Functions

dats_add_days(date, days)

Adds days to date.

dats_add_days(order_date, 7) as DeliveryDate
-- '20241115' + 7 = '20241122'

Negative days: Subtract days

dats_add_days(order_date, -30) as PreviousMonth

dats_add_months(date, months)

Adds months to date.

dats_add_months(start_date, 1) as NextMonth
-- '20241115' + 1 = '20241215'

dats_days_between(date1, date2)

Returns days between two dates.

dats_days_between(order_date, delivery_date) as LeadTime
-- '20241101' to '20241115' = 14

Note: Returns negative if date1 > date2.

dats_is_valid(date)

Validates date (returns 1 or 0).

dats_is_valid(input_date) as IsValidDate
-- '20241115' = 1
-- '00000000' = 0
-- '20241332' = 0

Timestamp Functions

tstmp_add_seconds(timestamp, seconds, fail)

Adds seconds to timestamp.

tstmp_add_seconds(created_at, 3600, 'FAIL') as OneHourLater

tstmp_seconds_between(ts1, ts2, fail)

Seconds between timestamps.

tstmp_seconds_between(start_ts, end_ts, 'FAIL') as DurationSeconds

tstmp_current_utctimestamp()

Current UTC timestamp.

tstmp_current_utctimestamp() as CurrentTimestamp

Note: The third parameter in timestamp functions controls error handling. Use 'FAIL' to propagate errors if timestamps are invalid, or 'NULL' to return NULL on error. Ensure timestamps are in valid format (YYYYMMDDHHMMSS) before using these functions.

COALESCE Function

coalesce(arg1, arg2, ...)

Returns first non-null argument.

coalesce(customer_name, 'Unknown') as DisplayName
-- NULL = 'Unknown'
-- 'John' = 'John'

coalesce(override_price, standard_price, 0) as FinalPrice
-- First non-null value

CAST Expression

Syntax

cast(expression as data_type)

ABAP Data Types

Examples

-- Convert number to text with leading zeros
lpad(cast(document_number as abap.char(10)), 10, '0') as FormattedDoc,

-- Fixed currency literal
cast('EUR' as abap.cuky) as DefaultCurrency,

-- Decimal precision
cast(amount as abap.curr(15,2)) as FormattedAmount

PRESERVING TYPE

Maintain original type definition:

cast(field as abap.char(10) preserving type) as TypedField

Aggregate Functions

Used with GROUP BY clause.

sum(field)

Sum of values.

sum(amount) as TotalAmount

avg(field)

Average of values.

avg(price) as AveragePrice

min(field)

Minimum value.

min(order_date) as FirstOrder

max(field)

Maximum value.

max(order_date) as LastOrder

count(*)

Count rows.

count(*) as RowCount

count(distinct field)

Count distinct values.

count(distinct customer) as UniqueCustomers

Example with GROUP BY

define view Z_ORDER_SUMMARY as select from vbap
{
  vbeln,
  sum(netwr) as TotalAmount,
  count(*) as ItemCount,
  min(erdat) as FirstItemDate,
  max(erdat) as LastItemDate,
  avg(netwr) as AverageAmount
}
group by vbeln
having sum(netwr) > 1000

Special Functions

decimal_shift(amount, currency)

Shifts decimal based on currency decimals.

decimal_shift(amount => netwr, currency => waers) as ShiftedAmount

unit_conversion(quantity, source_unit, target_unit)

Converts units of measure.

unit_conversion(
  quantity => menge,
  source_unit => meins,
  target_unit => 'KG'
) as QuantityInKG

currency_conversion(amount, source_currency, target_currency, date)

Converts currency amounts.

currency_conversion(
  amount => netwr,
  source_currency => waers,
  target_currency => 'EUR',
  exchange_rate_date => erdat
) as AmountInEUR

Platform Note: unit_conversion and currency_conversion are primarily optimized for SAP HANA environments and may have limited support on other database platforms. These functions require the appropriate conversion tables (T006, TCURR) to be maintained. Verify availability with your system administrator before using in production queries.

Complex Function Examples

Time Formatting (Minutes to HH:MM)

concat(
  concat(
    lpad(ltrim(cast(div(flight_time, 60) as abap.char(12)), '0'), 2, '0'),
    ':'
  ),
  lpad(ltrim(cast(mod(flight_time, 60) as abap.char(12)), '0'), 2, '0')
) as FormattedTime
-- 125 minutes = '02:05'

Date Validation with Default

case
  when dats_is_valid(input_date) = 1 then input_date
  else '00000000'
end as ValidatedDate

Conditional Text Concatenation

case
  when last_name is not null
    then concat_with_space(first_name, last_name, 1)
  else first_name
end as DisplayName

Percentage Calculation

case
  when total > 0
    then division(part * 100, total, 2)
  else cast(0 as abap.dec(5,2))
end as Percentage

Function Nesting

Functions can be nested for complex transformations:

upper(
  replace(
    ltrim(
      concat_with_space(first_name, last_name, 1),
      ' '
    ),
    ' ',
    '_'
  )
) as NormalizedName
-- '  John Doe  ' = 'JOHN_DOE'

Best Practices

1. Use COALESCE for defaults: Avoid null in calculations
2. CAST for type safety: Explicit types prevent runtime errors
3. Aggregate with care: Always include GROUP BY for non-aggregated fields
4. Validate dates: Use dats_is_valid before date arithmetic
5. Consider performance: Complex functions may impact query time

Documentation Links

• ABAP Keyword Documentation — CDS Built-in Functions: https://help.sap.com/doc/abapdocu_latest_index_htm/latest/en-US/abencds_f1_builtin_functions.htm
• ABAP Keyword Documentation — CDS SQL Functions: https://help.sap.com/doc/abapdocu_latest_index_htm/latest/en-US/abencds_sql_functions_v2.htm
• SAP Learning - CDS Functions: https://learning.sap.com/learning-journeys/acquire-core-abap-skills/calling-built-in-functions-in-cds-views

Last Updated: 2025-11-23