GUI Download Excel in SAP ABAP

GUI Download to Excel in SAP ABAP: A Comprehensive Guide

In SAP ABAP development, there are numerous scenarios where you might need to export data from your internal tables to a user-friendly format. Microsoft Excel is a widely used spreadsheet application and is often the preferred choice for business users. SAP ABAP provides the powerful ‘GUI_DOWNLOAD’ function module to directly download internal tables to the user’s local machine in various formats, including Excel.

Key Steps

1. Prepare Your Internal Table:

• • Ensure your internal table contains the data you want to export.
  • Consider formatting or manipulating the data for better presentation in Excel (e.g., concatenating fields, inserting spaces).

1. Use the ‘GUI_DOWNLOAD’ Function Module:

• Import Parameters
  • • filename: The name and path where the file will be saved, including the extension (e.g., ‘report.xlsx’).
    • filetype: Specifies the file format. Use ‘ASC’ for tab-delimited text that opens readily in Excel, or ‘XLSX’ for a native Excel workbook.
    • data_tab: The internal table containing your data.
  • fieldnames: (Optional) An internal table specifying the column headers for your Excel file.
  • Example Code:

1. Code snippet
2. CALL FUNCTION ‘GUI_DOWNLOAD’
3.   EXPORTING
4.     filename = ‘C:\Users\MyUser\Desktop\sales_data.xlsx’ 
5.     filetype = ‘XLSX’
6.     write_field_separator = ‘X’ 
7.   TABLES
8.     data_tab = it_sales_report 
9.     fieldnames = it_header. 
10. Use code with caution.
11. content_copy

Important Considerations

• File Types:
  • ‘ASC’ (Text): Good for quick and basic exports. Excel will automatically recognize tab separated columns.
  • ‘XLSX’ (Excel Workbook): True Excel format. Requires OLE automation, leading to more complex code (we’ll cover this in a future post).
• Field Separators: Ensure the write_field_separator parameter is set according your desired format (‘X’ for tab is common).
• Error Handling: Implement robust error handling using the exceptions returned by the ‘GUI_DOWNLOAD’ function module.
• User Interaction: Use screen fields or a dialog box to allow the user to specify the desired filename and location.

Example with Error Handling

Code snippet

DATA: filelength TYPE i.

CALL FUNCTION ‘GUI_DOWNLOAD’

  EXPORTING

    filename = ‘C:\Temp\customer_list.xlsx’

    filetype = ‘ASC’ 

    write_field_separator = ‘X’

  TABLES

    data_tab = lt_customers  

  EXCEPTIONS

    file_not_found = 1

    frontend_not_found = 2

    OTHERS = 3.

IF sy-subrc <> 0.

  CASE sy-subrc.

    WHEN 1.

      MESSAGE ‘File not found’ TYPE ‘E’.

    WHEN 2.

      MESSAGE ‘GUI connection not found’ TYPE ‘E’.  

    WHEN OTHERS.

      MESSAGE ‘Error during download’ TYPE ‘E’. 

  ENDCASE.

ENDIF.

Use code with caution.

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Let me know if you would like me to expand on specific areas like handling ‘XLSX’ format or more robust user input with dialog boxes.