SAP / SAP Beginner (0 to 2 yrs) Interview questions
What is the difference between an internal table and a database table?
A database table stores data persistently on disk, managed by the underlying database and shared across every program and user that accesses it. An internal table exists only in memory, scoped to a single running program, and disappears once that program ends (or the variable is cleared).
| Database Table | Internal Table |
| Persistent, stored on disk. | Temporary, exists only in memory during program execution. |
| Shared across programs/users. | Local to the program that declared it. |
| Defined in the ABAP Data Dictionary. | Defined within the ABAP program itself. |
| Accessed via Open SQL statements. | Accessed via ABAP statements like LOOP, READ TABLE. |
A typical program pattern is reading data from a database table into an internal table, processing it in memory (which is much faster than repeatedly querying the database), and then optionally writing results back to the database afterward.
Where does a database table's data persist?
Why is it common to read data into an internal table before processing it?
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