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Maintenance Views

A maintenance view is a special view for performing writes on multiple tables using extended table maintenance. A single maintenance view can be used to modify the content of multiple related database tables consistently.

A maintenance view is not defined on the database. The structure type defined using a maintenance view can be referenced in ABAP programs using TYPE. A maintenance view cannot, however, be accessed using ABAP SQL. Instead, the transaction SE54 can be used to create dialogs called maintenance dialogs for maintenance views, which can themselves be used to edit the tables of the maintenance views jointly in extended table maintenance (transactions SM30 and SM31).

When data records are inserted using maintenance views, all tables fields not in the view are given the type-specific initial values of the field. This is done regardless of whether the field is defined as NOT NULL on the database.

Other versions: 7.31 | 7.40 | 7.54

Primary Table and Secondary Tables

All database tables grouped in a maintenance view must be joined using foreign key dependencies, which means that the join conditions are always derived from a foreign key in the case of maintenance views. The first table included in the maintenance view is known as the primary table of the maintenance view. The tables added to this primary table using foreign keys are known as secondary tables. The following restrictions apply when selecting the secondary tables of a maintenance view:

  • The secondary tables must have an N:1 dependency on the primary table or on the transitively preceding secondary table. This makes sure that no more than one dependent data record exists in each of the secondary tables for a specific data record in the primary table. An N:1 dependency exists if the secondary table is the check table in the foreign key in question.
  • If the secondary table is the foreign key table, the foreign key fields must be key fields of a table or the foreign key must have the cardinality N:1 or N:C.

A maintenance view implements an inner join. All key fields in the primary table must be included in its maintenance view. All key fields of secondary tables that are not part of the foreign key (that is, they are not joined with a key field already in the view using a join condition) must also be included in the view. This makes sure that the records inserted using a maintenance view can be written correctly to the tables in the view.


Note

If a database table is joined with its text table in a maintenance view, the logon language is selected automatically for this table.

Time-Dependent Key

In maintenance views, the key can be divided into a non-time-dependent area and a time-dependent area. The time-dependent area can, for example, contain date fields and time fields. This means that the rows of these views have chronological importance.


Note

The ability to change time-dependent views makes it possible to restrict the new entries inserted to those that are only missing time information.

Maintenance Status

The Access setting in the maintenance status of a maintenance view can have the following values:

  • Read only
The maintenance view can only be used to read data.
  • Read, change, delete, and insert
The maintenance view can be used to change, delete, and insert data.
  • Read and change
The maintenance view can be used to change data, but not delete or insert it.
  • Read and change (time-dependent views)
The maintenance view can be used to insert only entries whose non-time-dependent part of the key does not differ from existing entries.


Note

Like a database table, the maintenance status of a maintenance view has a Display and Maintain setting alongside the Access setting. The setting must match the Access setting. The setting Display/maintenance not allowed is not possible here.

Maintenance Characteristics of View Fields

Alongside the maintenance status of the view, characteristics called maintenance characteristics can be defined for each view field:

  • Standard
There are no restrictions on the view field.
  • Read-only
The maintenance view cannot be used to perform writes on the view field.
  • Subset
A field of this type is used to construct subsets when data is edited in extended table maintenance. Only a subset of the data is displayed. This subset is defined by entering an appropriate value in this field.
  • Hidden
A field of this type is not displayed in extended table maintenance and cannot be edited there. The content is initialized implicitly.

Delivery Class

A maintenance view also has a delivery class. The delivery class of a maintenance view is analyzed in the extended table maintenance.

  • If the view is assigned one of the delivery classes G or E, the customer namespace for the entries of the view must be defined in the database table TRESC.
  • The transport interface of extended table maintenance must match the delivery class.

Regardless of this, the transport of the basis tables involved in upgrades and in transports between customer systems is determined solely by their delivery class.