(DV-2405) Table Variant Generator

Owned by SNP
May 21, 2024
7 min read

The Table Variant Generator functionality enables you to generate the Table Variants for either custom tables or standard SAP tables. You can access it from the Table Variants screen.

Accessing the Table Variant Generator

 

Table Variant Generator

 

  1. Import Standard Tables: SAP standard tables can be imported via this button. For more information navigate to this section Import Standard Tables.

  2. Before Image Table: Table names for Before Image can be specified here.

  3. After Image Table: Table names for After Image can be specified here.

  4. Before Image Box: Contains all Before Image related parameters that can be set.

  5. After Image Box: Contains all After Image related parameters that can be set.

  6. RFC destination: Set RFC destination parameter for specific Image.

  7. Description: By default, the description is set to [GEN]<INDEX>. <IMG>variant for table <TABNAME> [<PORTION>]. If the After Image description will not be specified, the default description will be used. Patterns in the default description will be accordingly replaced:

    • <INDEX>: Represents a number for a generated variant of a specific image.

    • <IMG>: Represents a specific image for which the variant will be generated.

    • <TABNAME>: This is a table name for which the variant will be generated.

    • <PORTION>: Represents the index of a portion.

  8. A pop-up window with an explanation of the default description will be displayed.

  9. Storage ID: Set storage ID parameter for specific Image (This parameter is not yet supported, thus is hidden. We are aware of this situation and we will proceed with adequate steps to incorporate this parameter).

  10. Key fields: Set Key Fields that will be either included for a display of variant results or excluded from a display of variant results.

  11. Value fields: Set Value Fields that will be either included for a display of variant results or excluded from a display of variant results.

  12. Static filter: New screen will be displayed where it is possible to define a static filter. The static filter can be set either for a field name or a data element.

     

  13. Dynamic filter: Set dynamic filter.

  14. Tags: Set tags.

  15. Field Mapping ID: Set table field mapping name. To create a new mapping fill the field with the mapping name and double-click it. If mapping with such a name does not exist yet, you will be navigated into the field mapping definition screen. See the section Field Mapping for more information on how to define the mapping.

  16. Data Conversion: Set Data Conversion enables the creation of Value mapping or ABAP rule Conversion Rule type. See Conversion Rules for more information about available Conversion Rule types. 

  17. Select Number of Rows: An option for the column ‘ROWCOUNT' to be added to the output of Table. If there is no match for the key fields of the table from the ‘Proposal list for key fields’ and simultaneously there are no suitable non-key fields in the table for value fields, the generated variant will have this option enabled (so the Table Variant won't have an empty output).

  18. Max portion size for variant: Defines the maximum portion size in MB for the output image of generated Table Variants. If the selected data from the table are bigger than the maximum size, there will be generated an adequate number of Table Variants for each portion. Each portion will have generated where condition with the range of values for determining the maximum portion size in the output image.

  19. This button allows copying a specific parameter from Before Image to After Image.

  20. This button allows copying all parameters set in Before Image to After Image.

  21. This button allows the user to perform a check if everything was set right. The correctness of set parameters and table names will be checked. The same check is performed right before generation. If the check was successful following message will be displayed:

    If something went wrong during the check with:

    • Set parameters: The user will be notified with an error message adequate to an invalid parameter.

    • Table Names for a specific Image, the following pop-up, will be displayed:

      Two options can be performed:

      • Yes: The user is allowed to continue but all invalid rows will be deleted.

      • No, Cancel: All invalid cells will be highlighted and the user can make the correction.

  22. Execute Table Variant Generation in the background job. Only one BG job will be triggered and the SAP GUI notification message will be sent to the user after the job will finish the generation of variants.

    Notification when BG job is finished

 

It is important to note that you should not try to adjust/change the variants on the selection screen while the generating jobs are running. You can exit the selection screen but should not save the variants selection because variants that are generated in the background are automatically saved under the appropriate Test Case / Run.

Generation of table variants is fast only if no portioning is required. If portioning is required then always execute the generator in the background job if the proximal count of records from all involved tables is greater than 3 million for 1MB portions.

Import Standard Tables

On the first access to the screen, the Table Variant Generator scans the systems tables and determines the classification of SAP Application Components (SAP modules) with the table size (only informative value from DB statistics). This takes some time, therefore there is a progress bar on the bottom left corner of the screen to show the state of the scanning procedure.

The estimated number of records in each table is determined from DB table statistics. If DB table statistics could not be used the following message is displayed in the status bar.

Each next access is fast till a refresh of the content is via the Refresh button.

The Table Variant Generator shows all the found tables in a tree structure, classified into SAP Application Components. Selecting a node in the tree also selects all the nodes in the nodes sub-tree.

SAP Standard tables screen

 

  1. RFC destination: If set, a tree for SAP standard tables on specified RFC destination will be displayed.

  2. Find: Input field for a table name to be searched in the tree.

  3. Refresh: Re-scans the target systems tables (needed if RFC destination is changed).

  4. Search/Find: Functionality for searching in the tree, supports search patterns.

  5. Allows the filtering of the output tree by the table name, component name, and description.

  6. Expand All: Expands the tree.

  7. Collapse All: Collapses the tree.

  8. Select All: Selects all the tree nodes.

  9. Deselect All: Deselects all the tree nodes.

  10. Export table list: Allows exporting the list of all the tables (with selection) from the tree into a CSV file.

  11. Imports tables selection from a CSV file.

After pressing the button to continue, all selected table names will be imported and appended to the Before Image Table column.