Hello and Welcome to the next podcast of ZAPping at ZAPYard with Manisha.

In our last podcast we talked about the glorious 50 years of SAP. In those 50 years, ABAP Developers were the backbone of SAP’s growth and progress. ABAP Developers worked behind the scene to make those complex business process a cake wake.

But from Early 2000s we have been hearing, ABAP will be dead? With Java intruding SAP’s space, was it successful to give ABAP a slow retirement? Is ABAP dying now?

The answer is a big NO. NO. NO. ABAP is that immortal programming language which will never be dusted, at least in the foreseen future.

Few years back, there was quite an unrest among the new ABAP developers who were not sure if they chose the right technology. There were rumours even at the highest levels that SAP ABAP might be shown the doors. But trust me, senior ABAP developers who have been working in SAP ABAP for more than two decades, sat back. Relaxed on their recliner and smiled. There is NO way SAP can sunset ABAP.

If ABAP is going to die, then who will take care of tons and tons of ABAP backend code written for all the Fortune 500 companies? Also, SAP themselves build their software based out of ABAP. So there is no way SAP ABAP can be in ventilation.

Few days back, our friend Bhavesh Kumar Ratnam from “SAP in a Minute” wrote an article on the same topic. And we are pulling some of his thoughts in this podcast. We both agree that there is no way SAP ABAP can afford to die.

In fact, we feel that SAP has entrusted even more power and responsibilities to ABAP developers, like never before. To be honest, it was never a better time than TODAY to be an ABAP Developer.

But, does it mean we can be that ABAP Developer of early 2000? The answer is NO. Darwin’s theory of evolution holds good even in the programming world. “Only the fittest would survive”.

That means, ABAP developers have to evolve and arm themselves with more arsenals to handle the modern days requirements. ABAP on cloud, the Rest calls, HANA development, Rapid app development, chatbot, artificial intelligence, no code low code, code to data etc. These days, if you do not know some of these topics, then you may not be a sellable ABAP developer.

Remember, you can either stay that age old ABAP developer and retire OR you can learn and work on these new areas of ABAP and Evolve. It depends all on you. Choice is yours. “Evolve or Die”. So, as long as ABAP developers are ready to upgrade and learn, no one can ever argue their existence.

My ABAP Developer Friends, do not wait for customer requirements for RAP or Fiori Elements to come in. Start using CDS even for conventional programs and enhancements from today. RAP and Data Models look very different - but below their appearances, they are not so different. So, the learning curve is easier than you think. It is the application and change in the thought process - that is what will take time.

If you followed SAP TechEd for the past few years you can clearly see, there has been changes in the SAP architecture, design and business processes, in favor of the ABAP developers. Even in keynote addresses, ABAP innovations are mentioned and remain one of the key focus of the entire TechEd.

So, ABAP is not dying or going anywhere. ABAP Developers now have even more power to expand their horizons to Business Technology Platform, Frontend developments, Cloud Analytics, Data Warehousing, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Chatbots, No Code Low Code development and what not!! ABAP Programming is FUN and easy to learn and evolve.

There was never a better timeframe than today to be that magical ABAP Developer. After all ABAP Developers indeed do the magic with their programming. Isn’t it?

Once again this in Manisha at this end.

Website: www.ZAPYard.com WhatsApp: +12517279273 mail@ZAPYard.com

PC007 - 3 more stories of ERP implementation disaster

ZAPping at ZAPYardBy ZAPYardFeb 17, 2023