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DELETE itab - itab_lines

Short Reference

Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54

Syntax


... itab [USING KEY keyname] [FROM idx1] [TO idx2] 

                 
           [WHERE log_exp|(cond_syntax)] ... .

Extras

1. ... USING KEY keyname

2. ... [FROM idx1] [TO idx2]

3. ... WHERE log_exp

4. ... WHERE (cond_syntax)

Effect

To delete several lines at once, you have to specify at least one of the additions FROM, TO, or WHERE. USING KEY keyname is used to determine the the table key to which the additions refer.

If you specify more than one of the additions, those rows are deleted that result from the intersection of the individual additions.

Addition 1

... USING KEY keyname

Effect

The USING KEY addition can be used to specify a table key in keyname used to carry out the processing. The specified table key influences the order in which the table rows are accessed, and the evaluation of the remaining conditions.

If the primary table key is specified, the processing behaves in the same way as when no key is explicitly specified. If a secondary table key is specified, the order in which the rows are accessed is as follows:

  • Sorted key specified
    The rows are processed by ascending row number in the secondary table index
  • Hash key specified
    The rows are processed in the order in which they were inserted into the table.


Notes

  • Unlike the processing of a hash table when a primary key is used, a preceding sort using the SORT statement has no influence on the processing sequence when a secondary hash key is specified.
  • If a secondary table key is specified, any WHERE condition also specified must be optimizable. Otherwise a syntax error occurs or an exception is raised.


Example

See Deleting Rows Using a Key

Addition 2

... [FROM idx1] [TO idx2]

Effect

These additions have the effect that only table rows from row number idx1, or up to row number idx2, are taken into account in the table index used. If only FROM is specified, all rows of the table from row number idx1 up to and including the last row are taken into account. If only TO is specified, all rows in the table from the first row up to row number idx2 are taken into account.

If the addition USING KEY is not used, or the primary table key is specified in keyname, the additions FROM and TO can only be used for index tables. In this case, they refer to the row numbers of the primary table index.

If a sorted secondary key is specified in keyname after USING KEY, the additions FROM and TO can be used for all table types and refer to the row numbers of the secondary table index.

idx1 and idx2 are numerical expression positions of operand type i. The following limitations apply:

  • If the value of idx1 is less than 0, it is set to 1 in the LOOP statement and causes a runtime error in every other statement. If the value of idx1 is greater than the total number of table rows, no processing takes place.
  • If the value of idx2 is less than 0, the LOOP statement is not carried out and in every other statement it leads to a runtime error. If the value of idx2 is greater than the number of table rows, it is set to the number of table rows.
  • If the value of idx2 is less than the value of idx1, no processing takes place.

Addition 3

... WHERE log_exp

Effect

Static WHERE condition. All rows are processed for which the condition after WHERE is met. You can specify WHERE for all table categories.

You can specify a logical expression log_exp after WHERE in which the first operand of each operation is a component of the internal table. You cannot specify a predicate function. The components of the internal table must be specified as individual operands and not as part of an expression. You cannot use parenthesized character-like data objects to specify a component dynamically here. The remaining operands of a comparison are general expression positions at which any suitable inidividual operands or expressions can be specified, but no components of the internal table. All logical expressions are possible except IS ASSIGNED, IS SUPPLIED, and the obsolete IS REQUESTED. The specified components can have any data type. The relevant comparison rules apply to the evaluation.

  • When standard tables are accessed without a secondary key being specified, the access is not optimized. This means that all rows of the internal table are tested for the logical expression of the WHERE addition.
  • the logical expression cannot be transformed to a key access
  • the logical expression has the same result as the resulting key access
then no optimization takes place when a sorted table or a hashed table is accessed using the primary table key. Any access using a secondary table key produces a syntax error or exception. If the remaining prerequisites for the optimization are met, then the static WHERE condition cannot contain any duplicate or overlapping key specifications.


Notes

  • When using a WHERE condition, note that the comparison rules for incompatible data types apply when comparing incompatible data objects. Here, the data types involved determine which operand is converted. If the additions WITH TABLE KEY and WITH KEY of the statement READ are used, however, the content of the specified data objects is always converted to the data type of the columns before the comparison. This can produce varying results.
  • If possible, all operands of the logical expression should be in compatible pairs, so enabling the WHERE condition to be optimized.
  • If a selection table is specified after IN as a logical expression, note that the expression at the initial table is always true and then all rows are edited.

Addition 4

... WHERE (cond_syntax)

Effect

Dynamic WHERE condition. You can declare a character-type data object or standard table with character-type data type for cond_syntax. This data object or standard table is initial or contains the syntax of a logical expression (in accordance with the rules of the static WHERE condition) when the statement is executed.

As in ABAP Editor, the syntax in cond_syntax is not case-sensitive. When you declare an internal table, you can distribute the syntax across multiple rows. If cond_syntax is initial when the statement is executed, the logical expression is true. An invalid logical expression raises an exception of the class CX_SY_ITAB_DYN_LOOP.

The obsolete logical operators (><, =>, and =<) are not supported by cond_syntax.


Notes


Example

Deletes all rows in an internal table from row 4. The result is the same as in the example for APPEND ... SORTED BY. The column seatsfree is not required by the SELECT statement but is filled by the program. For this reason, the associated syntax check warning is hidden by the appropriate pragma.

PARAMETERS: p_carrid TYPE sflight-carrid, 
            p_connid TYPE sflight-connid. 

DATA: BEGIN OF seats, 
        fldate TYPE sflight-fldate, 
        seatsocc TYPE sflight-seatsocc, 
        seatsmax  TYPE sflight-seatsmax, 
        seatsfree TYPE sflight-seatsocc, 
      END OF seats. 

DATA seats_tab LIKE STANDARD TABLE OF seats. 

SELECT fldate seatsocc seatsmax 
       FROM sflight 
       INTO TABLE seats_tab 
       WHERE carrid = p_carrid AND 
             connid = p_connid ##too_many_itab_fields. 

LOOP AT seats_tab INTO seats. 
  seats-seatsfree = seats-seatsmax - seats-seatsocc. 
  MODIFY seats_tab INDEX sy-tabix FROM seats. 
ENDLOOP. 

SORT seats_tab BY seatsfree DESCENDING. 

DELETE seats_tab FROM 4.