4/26/2018 SELECT - JOIN - ABAP Keyword Documentation

SAP NetWeaver AS ABAP Release 750, ©Copyright 2016 SAP AG. All rights reserved.

ABAP - Keyword Documentation → ABAP - Reference → Processing External Data → ABAP Database Accesses →
Open SQL → Open SQL - Read Accesses → SELECT → SELECT - FROM →

SELECT - JOIN

Quick Reference

Syntax
... [(] { data_source [AS tabalias]}|join
{[INNER] JOIN}|{LEFT|RIGHT [OUTER] JOIN}
{ data_source [AS tabalias]}|join ON join_cond [)] ... .

Addition:
... ON join_cond

Effect

Joins the columns of two or more data sources in a results set in a join expression. A join expression
joins a left side with a right side, using either [INNER] JOIN or LEFT|RIGHT [OUTER] JOIN. A
join expression can be an inner join (INNER) or an outer join (LEFT OUTER) or RIGHT OUTER) join.
Every join expression must contain a join condition join_cond after ON (see below). The following
applies to entries specified on the left side and on the right side:

data_source is a single data source. Database tables must be transparent. As when specified
as a single source after FROM using AS, an alternative table name can be specified for the data
source. A data source can exist more than once within a join expression, and can have various
alternative names. Pooled and cluster tables cannot be joined using join expressions.

A join expression can be specified for join on both sides. A join expression can therefore be
nested recursively. The number of data sources linked to each other is limited. The maximum
number is defined so that the SELECT statement can be executed on all supported database
systems and is currently set to 50 . If statically identifiable, more than 49 joins produce a syntax
error. If not, they produce a runtime error.

The priority in which nested join expressions are evaluated is specified by the position of the ON
conditions. From left to right, each ON condition is assigned to the directly preceding JOIN and creates
a join expression. Join expressions of this type can be enclosed in parentheses, ( ). This is optional.
Explicitly specified parentheses must match the parentheses specified implicitly by the ON conditions.

Example

See Multiple Joins.

https://help.sap.com/doc/abapdocu_750_index_htm/7.50/en-US/abapselect_join.htm 1/5
4/26/2018 SELECT - JOIN - ABAP Keyword Documentation

Results set for inner joins

In a single results set, an inner join joins the columns of the rows in the results set of the left side with
the columns of the rows in the results set of the right side. This results set contains all combinations of
rows whose columns meet the condition join_cond. If there are no rows in the results set of the left
and right sides that meet join_cond, a row is not created in the resulting results set.

Example

See Inner and Outer Joins.

Results set for outer joins

The outer join creates the same results set as the inner join. The difference is that, for each selected
row on the left side as LEFT OUTER JOIN or on the right side as RIGHT OUTER JOIN, at least one
row is created in the results set, even if no rows on the other side meet the condition join_cond. The
columns on the other side that do not meet the condition join_cond are filled with null values.

Notes

Explicit parentheses can be used in nested join expressions to stress the parentheses
specified by the ON conditions and are recommended for readability.

Certain restrictions apply to other clauses in the current SELECT statement when join
expressions are used. For example, a join expression cannot be used together with the addition
ORDER BY PRIMARY KEY. These restrictions are documented in the clauses in question.

A WHERE condition for a SELECT statement with joins is applied to the results set created using
the joins.

Inner joins between two individual data sources are commutative.

If the same column name appears in multiple data sources of a single join expression, these
sources must be identified in all other additions of the SELECT statement using the column
selector ~.

Join expressions bypass SAP buffering. Therefore they should not be applied to buffered tables.
Instead it may be a good idea to use the addition FOR ALL ENTRIES in these cases, which can
access the table buffer.

If columns from the right side are specified as LEFT OUTER JOIN or columns from the left side
are specified as RIGHT OUTER JOIN, after the addition ORDER BY, the sort order (in the case
of null values) can depend on the database system.

The function coalesce can be used to replace zero values created due to an external join with
other values or the result of expressions.

The syntax check is performed in strict mode for SP05 in the following cases:

Not all comparisons of an ON condition contain a column from a data source specified
on the right side as an operand.

https://help.sap.com/doc/abapdocu_750_index_htm/7.50/en-US/abapselect_join.htm 2/5
4/26/2018 SELECT - JOIN - ABAP Keyword Documentation

In the case of multiple consecutive joins, a join expression (and not a database
source) is on the right side of a join expression.

RIGHT OUTER JOIN is used.

In LEFT OUTER JOIN, fields from the right side of the WHERE condition of the current
SELECT statement are specified. In RIGHT OUTER JOIN, fields from the left side are
specified.

The syntax check is performed in strict mode for SP08 in the following cases:

Use of the additions LIKE, IN, and NOT plus the operators OR or NOT in an ON
condition.

Outer join without a comparison between columns on the left and right sides.

Example

See Inner and Outer Joins.

Addition
... ON join_cond

Effect

Join condition. The syntax of the join conditions join_cond is the same as for the conditions
sql_cond after the addition WHERE, but with the following differences:

After ON, at least one comparison must be specified.

SQL expressions cannot be used on the right side.

The expression [NOT] IN seltab cannot be used.

Subqueries cannot be used.

Path expressions cannot be used.

A dynamic condition (cond_syntax) can be specified only if the FROM clause is specified
statically and is not specified dynamically as (source_syntax).

Comparisons between table columns that do not have the same data type and length in the
database can behave differently on different database platforms. The differences in behavior can
produce different results or in SQL errors on individual platforms. This is because the join
condition is evaluated fully in the database and no ABAP type conversion takes place
beforehand. The behavior displayed depends fully on the conversion rules of the database.
However, databases generally offer fewer conversion options than ABAP.

Notes

It is strongly recommended that join conditions are used only between database columns with
the same type and length.

https://help.sap.com/doc/abapdocu_750_index_htm/7.50/en-US/abapselect_join.htm 3/5
4/26/2018 SELECT - JOIN - ABAP Keyword Documentation

If the pattern consists of precisely one "%" character in a comparison using LIKE, the same
optimization takes place as when using WHERE. The condition col LIKE '%' is always true,
even if the column col contains null values.

If a host expression occurs on the right side of the ON condition, the syntax check is performed in
a strict mode from Release 7.50, which handles the statement more strictly than the regular
syntax check.

If

SQL expressions are used on the left side of the ON condition of any join or

the expression IS [NOT] NULL is used in the ON condition of an outer join,

the syntax check is performed in a strict mode from Release 7.50, which handles the statement
more strictly than the regular syntax check.

Example

Join of the columns carrname, connid, and fldate of the database tables scarr, spfli, and
sflight using two inner joins. This creates a list of flights from p_cityfr to p_cityto. An alias
name is assigned to each table.

PARAMETERS: p_cityfr TYPE spfli-cityfrom,

p_cityto TYPE spfli-cityto.

TYPES: BEGIN OF wa,

fldate TYPE sflight-fldate,
carrname TYPE scarr-carrname,
connid TYPE spfli-connid,
END OF wa.

DATA itab TYPE SORTED TABLE OF wa

WITH UNIQUE KEY fldate carrname connid.

SELECT c~carrname, p~connid, f~fldate

FROM ( ( scarr AS c
INNER JOIN spfli AS p ON p~carrid = c~carrid
AND p~cityfrom = @p_cityfr
AND p~cityto = @p_cityto )
INNER JOIN sflight AS f ON f~carrid = p~carrid
AND f~connid = p~connid )
INTO CORRESPONDING FIELDS OF TABLE @itab.

cl_demo_output=>display( itab ).

Example

Join the columns carrid, carrname, and connid of the database tables scarr and spfli using a
left outer join. For all flights that do not depart from p_cityfr, the column connid is set to the null
value that was transformed to the type-friendly initial value (when passed to the associated data
object). All the airlines that do not fly from p_cityfr are displayed.

https://help.sap.com/doc/abapdocu_750_index_htm/7.50/en-US/abapselect_join.htm 4/5
4/26/2018 SELECT - JOIN - ABAP Keyword Documentation

PARAMETERS p_cityfr TYPE spfli-cityfrom.

TYPES: BEGIN OF wa,

carrid TYPE scarr-carrid,
carrname TYPE scarr-carrname,
connid TYPE spfli-connid,
END OF wa.
DATA itab TYPE SORTED TABLE OF wa
WITH NON-UNIQUE KEY carrid.

SELECT s~carrid, s~carrname, p~connid

FROM scarr AS s
LEFT OUTER JOIN spfli AS p ON s~carrid = p~carrid
AND p~cityfrom = @p_cityfr
INTO CORRESPONDING FIELDS OF TABLE @itab.

DELETE itab WHERE connid <> '0000'.

cl_demo_output=>display( itab ).

Continue
Inner and Outer Joins
Multiple Joins

https://help.sap.com/doc/abapdocu_750_index_htm/7.50/en-US/abapselect_join.htm 5/5