ABAP Keyword Documentation → ABAP − Reference → Built-In Types, Data Objects, Functions, and Constructors → Predefined Data Types → Built-In ABAP Types

Predefined Numeric Types

The data objects of the numeric data types are used to handle number values.

Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54

Properties

Type	Length	Standard Length	Name
`b`	1 byte		1-byte integer (internal)
`s`	2 byte		2-byte integer (internal)
`i`	4 byte		4-byte integer
`int8`	8 byte		8-byte integer
`p`	1 to 16 bytes	8 byte	Packed number
`decfloat16`	8 byte		Decimal floating point number with 16 places
`decfloat34`	16 byte		Decimal floating point number with 34 places
`f`	8 byte		Binary floating point number with 17 places

Value Ranges and Initial Values

Type	Value Range	Initial Value
`b`	0 to 255	0
`s`	-32,768 to +32,767	0
`i`	-2,147,483,648 to +2,147,483,647	0
`int8`	-9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to +9,223,372,036,854,775,807	0
`p`	The valid length for packed numbers is between 1 and 16 bytes. Two places are packed into one byte,where the last byte only contains one place and the sign (the number of places or digits is calculated from 2 * len1). After the decimal separator, up to 14decimal places arepermitted (as long as the number of decimal places does not exceed the number of places). Dependingon the field length len and the number of decimal places dec, the following applies to the value range:(-10^(2len-1) +1) / (10^(+dec)) to (+10^(2len-1)-1) /(10^(+dec)) in increments of 10^(-dec). Any intermediate values are rounded (decimal). Invalid content produces undefined behavior.	0
`decfloat16`	Decimal floating point numbers of this type are represented internally with 16 places in accordancewith the IEEE-754-2008 standard. Valid values are numbers between 1E385(1E-16 - 1) and -1E-383 for thenegative range, 0 and +1E-383 to 1E385(1 - 1E-16) for the positive range. Values lying between the rangesform the subnormal range and are rounded. Outside of the subnormal range, each 16-digit decimal number can be represented precisely with a decimal floating point number of this type	0
`decfloat34`	Decimal floating point numbers of this type are represented internally with 34 places in accordancewith the IEEE-754-2008 standard. Valid values are numbers between 1E6145(1E-34 - 1) and -1E-6143 forthe negative range, 0 and +1E-6143 and 1E6145(1 - 1E-34) for the positive range. Values lying betweenthe ranges form the subnormal range and are rounded. Outside of the subnormal range, each 34-digit decimal number can be represented precisely using a decimal floating point number like this.	0
`f`	Binary floating point numbers are represented internally in accordance with the IEEE-754 standard(double precision). In ABAP, 17 places are represented (one integer digit and 16 decimal places). Validvalues are numbers between -1.7976931348623157E+308 and -2.2250738585072014E-308 for the negative rangeand between +2.2250738585072014E-308 and +1.7976931348623157E+308 for the positive range, plus 0. Bothvalidity intervals are extended in the direction of zero using subnormal numbers in accordance with the IEEE-754 standard.	0

Programming Guideline

Select the numeric type

Notes

The numeric data objects are used to handle numeric values and numeric calculations. Here, the data type f for binary floating point numbers is replaced largely by the types decfloat16 and decfloat34 for decimal floating point numbers.

The types b and s are internal types and cannot be specified either statically or dynamically in ABAP statements. Self-defined data types and data objects in ABAP programs have the data types b or s if they were defined with reference to data elements in ABAP Dictionary that have the external data types INT1 or INT2.

The system class CL_ABAP_MATH contains constants for the minimum and maximum values of most numeric types. The methods GET_MIN_VALUE and GET_MAX_VALUE in the class CL_ABAP_EXCEPTIONAL_VALUES can also be used.

The system class CL_ABAP_ELEMDESCR in RTTS contains constants TYPE_P_MAX_LENGTH and TYPE_P_MAX_DECIMALS for the maximum length and the maximum number of decimal places p.

Since the decimal places in a floating point number of type f are represented internally as dual fractions, there is not an exact equivalent for every number that can be represented in the decimal system. This can produce rounding errors in conversions and intermediate results of calculations. These errors can be avoided by using a two-step rounding procedure (see Example).

The type p, for which a length interval is specified in the second column in the first table, is generic, which means that the length is not part of the type description. Also, both the decimal places and the length are undefined. The entry in the Standard Length column specifies the length used in declarations of data objects when using types with generic lengths, if no explicit length is specified in the relevant statement.

The data type p is used to implement fixed point numbers. The number of decimal places in a packed number with the type p is a type attribute defined using the addition DECIMALS and is not saved together with the number. Technically, the number value is determined by dividing the saved sequence of digits in the packed number by 10 to the power of the number of decimal places (10^(+dec)). In the definition of a packed number, the number of decimal places cannot be greater than the number of places calculated from 2 * len - 1. Otherwise, the decimal separator is outside the sequence of digits and not all decimal places can be given values. For example, if a packed number with length 1 and two decimal places has a value range of -0.09 to +0.09 in increments of 0.01, there is no possible value for which the first decimal place is filled, for example 0.14.

A number with the data type p that has more decimal places than places can raise exceptions when converted to external formats such as data types of the database in ABAP SQL or in serializations to asXML.

The built-in types in ABAP Dictionary mapped to the data type p cannot have more decimal places than places. In ABAP, declarations like this that are known statically produce a syntax check warning.

For data objects of data type p, the program attribute Fixed Point Arithmetic must be set so that the decimal separator is respected. Otherwise, in all operations, the content is handled as if there is no decimal separator. The sequence of digits in the variables of type p is interpreted as an integer value. Exceptions are:

Representation on screens

Formatting with WRITE [TO]

Assignments to character-like objects with the types c and string

See also Numeric Data Types.

Example

Declares variables with built-in numeric ABAP types for a numeric calculation.

DATA: num1   TYPE i, 
      num2   TYPE i, 
      result TYPE decfloat34. 

... 

result = num1 / num2.

Executable Example

Value Ranges of Packed Numbers

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Value Ranges of Packed Numbers