Become an ABAP Cloud Developer: The Complete Learning Path 2025

Where Are You? (Skill-Level Assessment)

Level 1: ABAP Newcomer

Current Status:

No or minimal programming experience
No SAP knowledge

What you need to learn:

Programming basics (variables, loops, functions)
ABAP syntax and basic concepts
SAP fundamentals (customizing, transaction, client)
OOP principles (classes, interfaces, inheritance)

Time Investment: 12-18 months to ABAP Cloud

Level 2: Classic ABAP Developer

Current Status:

ABAP syntax (SELECT, LOOP, IF/CASE)
Reports, Dynpro, Module Pool
Function Modules, Includes
Little OOP knowledge
No cloud experience

What you need to learn:

Object-oriented ABAP (classes, interfaces)
CDS Views (Core Data Services)
RAP (RESTful ABAP Programming)
Eclipse ADT (ABAP Development Tools)
Clean Core & Released APIs

Time Investment: 6-12 months to ABAP Cloud

Level 3: Modern ABAP Developer

Current Status:

OOP ABAP (classes, interfaces)
CDS Views basics
Eclipse ADT
HANA optimization
No RAP
No S/4HANA Cloud / BTP

What you need to learn:

RAP (Behavior Definitions, EML)
Fiori Elements Basics
SAP BTP (ABAP Environment)
Clean Core Strategy
OData Services

Time Investment: 3-6 months to ABAP Cloud

The 6-Month Learning Path (for Level 2)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Month 1-2: Solidify Fundamentals                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ - Deepen OOP ABAP                                       │
│ - Master Eclipse ADT                                    │
│ - CDS Views & Annotations                               │
│ - ABAP Unit Testing                                     │
└────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────┘
             │
             ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Month 3-4: RAP Core                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ - RAP Managed Scenario                                  │
│ - Behavior Definitions (BDEF)                           │
│ - EML (Entity Manipulation Language)                    │
│ - Determinations & Validations                          │
│ - Actions                                               │
└────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────┘
             │
             ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Month 5: Integration & UI                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ - OData V4 Services                                     │
│ - Fiori Elements Basics                                 │
│ - Service Bindings                                      │
│ - UI Annotations                                        │
└────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────┘
             │
             ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Month 6: Practice & Certification                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ - Own RAP project (see below)                           │
│ - SAP Learning Hub (optional)                           │
│ - Community contributions (Blog, GitHub)                │
│ - SAP Certification (optional)                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Phase 1: Solidify Fundamentals (Month 1-2)

1.1 Object-Oriented ABAP

Why important? ABAP Cloud is 100% OOP. Without OOP, no RAP.

What to learn:

" Understanding Classes & Interfaces
INTERFACE zif_calculator.
  METHODS add IMPORTING iv_a TYPE i iv_b TYPE i RETURNING VALUE(rv_result) TYPE i.
ENDINTERFACE.

CLASS zcl_calculator DEFINITION PUBLIC FINAL CREATE PUBLIC.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    INTERFACES zif_calculator.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_calculator IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD zif_calculator~add.
    rv_result = iv_a + iv_b.
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

" Inheritance
CLASS zcl_base DEFINITION ABSTRACT.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS process ABSTRACT.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS zcl_child DEFINITION INHERITING FROM zcl_base.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS process REDEFINITION.
ENDCLASS.

" Polymorphism
DATA(lo_calc) = CAST zif_calculator( NEW zcl_calculator( ) ).
DATA(lv_result) = lo_calc->add( iv_a = 5 iv_b = 3 ).

Learning Resources:

Book: “ABAP Objects” (Horst Keller, SAP Press)
YouTube: SAP Developers Channel - “OOP in ABAP”
Hands-on: openSAP Course “Object-Oriented Programming in ABAP”

Exercises:

Implement an interface-based strategy (e.g., different discount calculations)
Create an abstract base class with inheritance
Use Design Patterns (Factory, Singleton)

1.2 Eclipse ADT

Why important? ABAP Cloud is ONLY developed in Eclipse ADT (not SE80).

What to learn:

ADT Installation & Setup
Create ABAP project
Quick Fixes (Ctrl+1)
Refactoring tools
Shortcuts

Setup:

# 1. Install Eclipse
# https://tools.hana.ondemand.com/#abap

# 2. ABAP Development Tools Plugin
Help → Install New Software
→ https://tools.hana.ondemand.com/latest

# 3. Create ABAP Project
File → New → ABAP Project
→ System: [Your S/4HANA or BTP System]

Must-Know Shortcuts:

Ctrl+Space       Auto-Completion
Ctrl+1           Quick Fix
F3               Navigate to Definition
Ctrl+Shift+G     Find References
Ctrl+Shift+F     Format Code
Ctrl+/           Comment/Uncomment
F8               Activate
Ctrl+F11         Run

Learning Resources:

SAP Developers YouTube: “ABAP Development Tools Tutorial”
SAP Help: help.sap.com/adt

1.3 CDS Views

Why important? CDS Views are the data model in RAP. Without CDS, no RAP.

What to learn:

-- Interface View (I_*): Data Model
@AccessControl.authorizationCheck: #CHECK
@EndUserText.label: 'Customer - Interface View'

define view entity ZI_Customer
  as select from kna1
  association [0..*] to ZI_SalesOrder as _SalesOrders
    on $projection.CustomerId = _SalesOrders.SoldToParty
{
  key kunnr as CustomerId,
      name1 as CustomerName,
      ort01 as CityName,
      land1 as Country,

      @Semantics.user.createdBy: true
      ernam as CreatedBy,

      @Semantics.systemDateTime.createdAt: true
      erdat as CreatedOn,

      // Association
      _SalesOrders
}

-- Consumption View (C_*): UI-specific
@AccessControl.authorizationCheck: #CHECK
@EndUserText.label: 'Customer - Consumption View'
@Metadata.allowExtensions: true

@UI: {
  headerInfo: {
    typeName: 'Customer',
    typeNamePlural: 'Customers',
    title: { value: 'CustomerName' }
  }
}

define view entity ZC_Customer
  as projection on ZI_Customer
{
      @UI.facet: [{ position: 10, type: #IDENTIFICATION_REFERENCE }]

  key @UI.lineItem: [{ position: 10 }]
      @UI.identification: [{ position: 10 }]
      CustomerId,

      @UI.lineItem: [{ position: 20 }]
      @UI.identification: [{ position: 20 }]
      CustomerName,

      @UI.lineItem: [{ position: 30 }]
      CityName,

      @UI.lineItem: [{ position: 40 }]
      Country,

      _SalesOrders : redirected to composition child ZC_SalesOrder
}

Learning Resources:

Article: /en/cds-views/
openSAP: “Building Apps with the ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model”
Hands-on: developers.sap.com/mission.cp-starter-extensions-abap.html

Exercises:

Create CDS Views for your favorite tables (VBAK, EKKO, etc.)
Implement associations (1:n, n:m)
Use annotations (@Semantics, @ObjectModel)

1.4 ABAP Unit Testing

Why important? Testing is essential in ABAP Cloud. TDD (Test-Driven Development) is best practice.

What to learn:

CLASS ltc_calculator DEFINITION FINAL FOR TESTING
  DURATION SHORT RISK LEVEL HARMLESS.

  PRIVATE SECTION.
    DATA mo_cut TYPE REF TO zcl_calculator.  " CUT = Class Under Test

    METHODS:
      setup,
      teardown,
      test_add_positive FOR TESTING,
      test_add_negative FOR TESTING,
      test_add_zero FOR TESTING.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS ltc_calculator IMPLEMENTATION.

  METHOD setup.
    CREATE OBJECT mo_cut.
  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD test_add_positive.
    " Arrange
    DATA(lv_a) = 5.
    DATA(lv_b) = 3.

    " Act
    DATA(lv_result) = mo_cut->add( iv_a = lv_a iv_b = lv_b ).

    " Assert
    cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_equals(
      exp = 8
      act = lv_result
      msg = '5 + 3 should equal 8'
    ).
  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD test_add_negative.
    DATA(lv_result) = mo_cut->add( iv_a = -5 iv_b = 3 ).
    cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_equals( exp = -2 act = lv_result ).
  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD test_add_zero.
    DATA(lv_result) = mo_cut->add( iv_a = 0 iv_b = 0 ).
    cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_equals( exp = 0 act = lv_result ).
  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD teardown.
    CLEAR mo_cut.
  ENDMETHOD.

ENDCLASS.

Learning Resources:

Article: /en/abap-unit-testing/
SAP TechEd: “ABAP Unit Testing Best Practices”

Exercises:

Write tests for existing classes
Practice TDD: Test first, then implementation
Use Test Doubles for DB access

Phase 2: RAP Core (Month 3-4)

2.1 RAP Basic Concepts

What to learn:

┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│         Fiori UI (Browser)             │
└───────────────┬────────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼ OData V4
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Service Binding                  │
│       (ZUI_TRAVEL_O4)                  │
└───────────────┬────────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Service Definition               │
│       expose ZC_Travel as Travel       │
└───────────────┬────────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│    Projection Layer (C_*)              │
│    ZC_Travel (Consumption View)        │
│    + Projection Behavior               │
└───────────────┬────────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│    Business Object Layer (I_*)         │
│    ZI_Travel (Interface View)          │
│    + Behavior Definition (BDEF)        │
│    + Behavior Implementation (ABAP)    │
└───────────────┬────────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│         Database (ZTRAVEL)             │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘

Learning Resources:

Article: /en/rap-basics/
openSAP: “Building Apps with RAP” (free!)
SAP Press: “ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model”

2.2 Hands-On: Travel App (4-5 Days)

Project: Travel Booking App

Day 1: Data Model
- Tables: ZTRAVEL, ZBOOKING
- CDS Views: ZI_TRAVEL, ZI_BOOKING
Day 2: Behavior Definition
- CRUD Operations
- Field Properties (readonly, mandatory)
- Associations
Day 3: Validations & Determinations
- validateDates
- validateCustomer
- setInitialStatus
- calculateTotal
Day 4: Actions
- acceptTravel
- rejectTravel
Day 5: UI
- Projection Views (ZC_*)
- UI Annotations
- Service Definition & Binding
- Fiori Elements Preview

Tutorial: developers.sap.com/mission.cp-starter-extensions-abap.html

2.3 EML (Entity Manipulation Language)

What to learn:

" READ
READ ENTITIES OF zi_travel
  ENTITY Travel ALL FIELDS WITH VALUE #( ( TravelId = '00001' ) )
  RESULT DATA(lt_travel).

" CREATE
MODIFY ENTITIES OF zi_travel
  ENTITY Travel CREATE FIELDS ( AgencyId CustomerId )
  WITH VALUE #( ( %cid = 'CID_1' AgencyId = '001' CustomerId = '042' ) )
  MAPPED DATA(mapped).

COMMIT ENTITIES.

" UPDATE
MODIFY ENTITIES OF zi_travel
  ENTITY Travel UPDATE FIELDS ( Status )
  WITH VALUE #( ( TravelId = '00001' Status = 'A' ) ).

COMMIT ENTITIES.

" DELETE
MODIFY ENTITIES OF zi_travel
  ENTITY Travel DELETE FROM VALUE #( ( TravelId = '00001' ) ).

COMMIT ENTITIES.

Learning Resources:

Article: /en/eml-entity-manipulation-language/

Exercises:

Implement all CRUD operations
Use EML in a report
Practice error handling with FAILED/REPORTED

Phase 3: Integration & UI (Month 5)

3.1 OData Services

What to learn:

-- Service Definition
@EndUserText.label: 'Travel Service'
define service ZUI_TRAVEL_O4 {
  expose ZC_Travel as Travel;
  expose ZC_Booking as Booking;
}

Service Binding:
1. Eclipse ADT → New → Service Binding
2. Binding Type: OData V4 - UI
3. Service Definition: ZUI_TRAVEL_O4
4. Publish
5. Preview → Fiori Elements App opens

Learning Resources:

SAP Help: “OData V4 in RAP”
SAP Developers: “Building OData Services with RAP”

3.2 Fiori Elements Basics

What to learn:

List Report (Overview list)
Object Page (Detail view)
UI Annotations (@UI.lineItem, @UI.facet)
Value Helps (@Consumption.valueHelpDefinition)
Actions in UI

Example:

@UI: {
  headerInfo: {
    typeName: 'Travel',
    typeNamePlural: 'Travels',
    title: { value: 'Description' },
    description: { value: 'TravelId' }
  }
}
define view entity ZC_Travel
  as projection on ZI_Travel
{
      // Facets (Tabs on Object Page)
      @UI.facet: [
        { position: 10, type: #IDENTIFICATION_REFERENCE, label: 'General' },
        { position: 20, type: #LINEITEM_REFERENCE, label: 'Bookings', targetElement: '_Bookings' }
      ]

      // List Report Columns
  key @UI.lineItem: [{ position: 10 }]
      @UI.identification: [{ position: 10 }]
      @UI.selectionField: [{ position: 10 }]
      TravelId,

      @UI.lineItem: [{ position: 20 }]
      @UI.identification: [{ position: 20 }]
      AgencyId,

      // Action Buttons
      @UI.lineItem: [
        { type: #FOR_ACTION, dataAction: 'acceptTravel', label: 'Accept' },
        { type: #FOR_ACTION, dataAction: 'rejectTravel', label: 'Reject' }
      ]
      Status
}

Learning Resources:

SAP Fiori Design Guidelines: experience.sap.com/fiori-design
openSAP: “Developing Web Apps with SAPUI5”

Phase 4: Practice & Certification (Month 6)

4.1 Own Project: 3 Ideas

Project 1: Equipment Management (Easy)

Data Model:
- Equipment (ID, Name, Type, Status, PurchaseDate, Cost)
- Maintenance (ID, EquipmentId, MaintenanceDate, Cost, Notes)

Features:
- CRUD for Equipment & Maintenance
- Validation: MaintenanceDate not in future
- Determination: Auto-status based on last maintenance
- Actions: markAsDefect, markAsRepaired
- UI: Fiori Elements (List Report + Object Page)

Project 2: Leave Request App (Medium)

Data Model:
- Employee (ID, Name, Department, VacationDays)
- LeaveRequest (ID, EmployeeId, StartDate, EndDate, Type, Status, Approver)

Features:
- CRUD for LeaveRequest
- Validations:
  - EndDate after StartDate
  - Enough vacation days available
  - No overlap with other requests
- Determinations:
  - Auto-calculate LeaveDays
  - Update Employee.VacationDays on approval
- Actions:
  - approve, reject, cancel
- Draft-enabled (save as draft)
- Email notification (via save_modified hook)
- UI: Fiori Elements with custom actions

Project 3: Expense Management (Hard)

Data Model:
- ExpenseReport (ID, EmployeeId, TripDate, TotalAmount, Status)
- ExpenseItem (ID, ReportId, Date, Category, Amount, Receipt)
- Approval (ID, ReportId, ApproverLevel, Approver, Status, Comments)

Features:
- Composition: Report → Items
- Multi-level approval process
- Validations:
  - Receipts for items > 100 EUR
  - Budget check against cost center
- Determinations:
  - Auto-calculate TotalAmount
  - Set next approver
- Actions:
  - submit, approve, reject, requestChanges
- Business Events: ReportSubmitted, ReportApproved
- Integration: PDF generation (Receipt upload)
- Custom Entity: Currency conversion (via API)
- Authorization: Only see own reports (DCL)
- UI: Custom Fiori Elements (Freestyle for receipt upload)

Timeline:

Project 1: 1 week
Project 2: 2-3 weeks
Project 3: 4-5 weeks

4.2 SAP BTP Trial Account (FREE)

# 1. Register SAP BTP Trial (free for 90 days)
https://cockpit.hanatrial.ondemand.com

# 2. Provision ABAP Environment (Steampunk)
BTP Cockpit → Services → ABAP Environment → Create Instance

# 3. Connect Eclipse ADT
New ABAP Project → Enter Service Instance URL

# 4. Develop your own RAP project!
→ Full ABAP Cloud system, free!

Tutorial: /en/sap-btp-trial-account-create/

4.3 Certifications

SAP Certified Development Associate - SAP BTP, ABAP Environment

Topics:

ABAP Cloud Language
CDS Views
RAP (Managed & Unmanaged)
OData Services
Fiori Elements
Unit Testing

Preparation:

SAP Learning Hub (€40/month): Official trainings
SAP Press Books: “ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model”
Exam Prep: SAP Learning Room (practice questions)

Cost: ~€500 Validity: Unlimited (but new versions every 2-3 years)

Value: Very valuable in job market

Free Resources

Online Courses

openSAP (free!)
- “Building Apps with RAP”
- “ABAP Platform Introduction”
- “ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model”
SAP Developers YouTube (free!)
- RAP Tutorials
- ABAP Cloud Basics
- Hands-on Videos
SAP Community (free!)
- community.sap.com/topics/abap
- Blogs, Tutorials, Q&A

Books (Investment)

“ABAP RESTful Application Programming Model” (SAP Press, ~€70)
- Must-Have for RAP
“Core Data Services for ABAP” (SAP Press, ~€70)
- Deep dive into CDS Views
“ABAP to the Future” (SAP Press, ~€50)
- Modern ABAP patterns

Communities & Network

LinkedIn: SAP ABAP Community Groups
GitHub: github.com/SAP-samples
Stack Overflow: Tag [abap] + [sap-cloud-platform]
Discord/Slack: SAP Developer Groups

Career & Salary

ABAP Cloud Salaries (Germany, 2025)

Level	Experience	Salary (Median)
Junior	0-2 years	€50,000 - €60,000
Mid-Level	2-5 years	€60,000 - €80,000
Senior	5-10 years	€80,000 - €100,000
Lead/Architect	10+ years	€100,000 - €130,000+
Freelance	variable	€800 - €1,200/day

Premium for ABAP Cloud skills: +15-25% vs Classic ABAP

Job Titles

ABAP Cloud Developer
SAP BTP ABAP Developer
RAP Developer
S/4HANA Cloud Developer
SAP Fiori / ABAP Full Stack Developer

Remote Opportunities

Very good (80%+ of jobs remote-friendly from 2025)

Important Notes / Best Practices

Don’t do everything at once: Focus on one area (e.g., first RAP, then Fiori)
Hands-on > Theory: 80% practical exercises, 20% reading/videos
Use Trial Account: SAP BTP Trial is free - no reason not to practice!
Actively use community: Ask questions, read blogs, network
Own project: GitHub repository with RAP project = portfolio for applications
Continuous Learning: ABAP Cloud evolves quickly - stay current!
Don’t forget Classic ABAP: Many companies have legacy code that needs to be migrated
Understand Clean Core: Not just RAP, but also “why” and strategic context
Certification optional: Practical experience > Certificate (but certificate helps)
Patience: 6-12 months is realistic - don’t get discouraged!

Additional Resources

ABAP Cloud Definition: /en/abap-cloud-definition/
RAP Basics: /en/rap-basics/
Clean Core Strategy: /en/clean-core-strategie/
Migration Classic → Cloud: /en/migration-classic-zu-abap-cloud/
VS Code for ABAP Cloud: /en/vscode-abap-cloud/