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Review of Abap/4-Learning program
110 hours of theoretical education and permanent programming assistance. From Ute Wolter* published in the German Computerworld magazine 35/99 (IDG Group) and translated from German into English.
An inter-active learning system for the Abap/4 programming language designed to improve the quality of program development and to simplify SAP R/3 software development.
The Abap/4 self-learning course is designed to simplify the transition from programming theory to practice. The developer (CT-Softwareberatungs GmbH, from Verl, Germany) has 15 years of work experience with R/3. The course consists of the self-learning module, CT-Professional Abap100, and the CT-Help-Workbench. After the course has been completed, CT-Workbench serves as a permanent programming aid. CT Professional ABAP 100 can be used for pre- and post-training of beginners as well as for the primary education of programmers changing from other programming languages, such as Cobol or Pascal to Abap/4.
The course, a computer based training course combined with a help function data base, connects to a live R/3 system. It has 6 course components with a total of about 110 hours of education. The elements consist of texts, examples and reports. Important, frequently used language elements and commands are described in detail; 9000 text sections are available. Live-training is also an available option to assist the learning process. The user can load 600 report examples directly into the debugging mode of the linked R/3-Host-System. These examples can be tested or copied into the user's own programming work. Navigating hints help the user become familiar in working with the program.
The user decides how to learn
The contents, objectives and requirements are briefly described at the beginning of each module. The user decides for himself how he can best learn. He can follow the suggested guidelines with about 100 learning sections or refresh his knowledge of specific programming essentials. For example, he can place an information tree of language elements or report examples into the foreground or he can choose to navigate graphically through the string of commands with "explorer mode". Furthermore, he has virtual note cards at his disposal. These permit him to obtain additional information about vital strategic questions and illustrate the most important points.
CT-Help Workbench is used as a permanent programming aid even after completion of the course. At the press of a button, the programmer can immediately call up and use information from CT-Workbench. Fast access is possible via the function's full text search or synonym search.
The course was deliberately developed without audio because it is designed for use at the users workstation. The program's advantage in being more than a simulation with its own direct connection to a R/3 system does have one minor disadvantage; long programming lines, structure surveys, learning texts and working instructions accumulate on the screen as windows. However, the user can arrange the size, position, and assignment of these elements. The programs are available in German and English. More information is available in Internet under www.ct-software.com or from CT-Software-beratungs GmbH in Verl, Germany Telephone: +49-(0)5246/93 10 15
*Ute Wolter is a freelance journalist in Bensheim, Germany. |
