Debugging

Seeing what an ABAP program did at runtime in the system it runs in: the variables, internal tables and object instances at a step, the calls that led there, and where a value changed.

Overview

SAP SHIPS

The ABAP Debugger stops a running program and shows up to four tools at once on its desktops; debugger scripting automates it from inside, stepping, reading and changing values and writing custom traces.

Not covered: At the current step. The documentation checked describes no way back to a step already passed, in the debugger or in a script.

THE COMMUNITY ADDS

Community debugger scripts and extensions sit on the debugger's own scripting: Smart Debugger records every step so execution can be stepped backwards, and abap_debugger_object_graph_extension and ABAP-Object-Visualizer draw an object as a Graphviz graph. dbg_value_statement turns a variable into the VALUE statement that recreates it, and dump_info shows the variables a short dump captured.

Artifacts8

8 of 8 artifacts
ArtifactSignals
Apps4
abap_debugger_object_graph_extensionABAP debugger extension drawing objects as a Graphviz graph
Signals
Quiet
ABAP-Object-VisualizerDebugger script exporting an object hierarchy as Graphviz
Signals
Quiet
dump_infoDisplays the variables of ABAP short dumps
Signals
Quiet
Smart DebuggerSAP GUI debugger script recording steps so execution can run backwards
Signals
none
Generators1
dbg_value_statementDebugger script generating a VALUE statement for a variable
Signals
Quiet
IDE extensions1
ABAP remote filesystemVS Code extension editing ABAP systems over ADT as a filesystem
Signals
none
MCP servers1
abapsmithABAP MCP server over ADT with a local journal that can undo writes
Signals
Functional boundary
Web tools1
Graphviz-browserStatic page drawing Graphviz graphs for the ABAP debugger extension
Signals
none

Content3

Group by
Piece, what it offers
ABAP - Create dump
Software-Heroes, Björn S., Blog
Debugging in ABAP Development Tool (Part 1)
SAP Community, M_Sumaiya_Khatoon, Blog
SAP BAIP, ABAP environment: Monitoring and troubleshooting
SAP TechEd — session catalogue, TalkA recipe

Seen working1

ArtifactSignals
Samples1
SAP-samples/teched2025-DT266TechEd 2025 workshop on troubleshooting ABAP Cloud extensions
none

Details

Coverage
statecore and community, ABAP
assessed
relationshipunassessed
also inCAP
For your agent