SAP ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) is SAP’s programming language for building reports, interfaces, enhancements and custom applications on SAP systems. An SAP ABAP developer extends standard SAP functionality to fit a company’s processes. Today the role also requires ABAP on HANA, CDS views and RAP skills for S/4HANA.
Hiring for these roles is tricky because SAP experience on a resume can mean ten years of classic report writing or two years of modern S/4HANA development. This guide explains the skills that matter and how Glider AI Technical Assessments help TA teams and SAP practice leads test them before interviews.
An SAP ABAP developer writes and maintains the custom code that sits on top of standard SAP modules such as finance, sales, procurement and logistics. The work is usually split into a few recurring object types, often described with the acronym RICEFW.
Developers work closely with functional consultants, who translate business requirements into technical specifications.
Moving from SAP ECC to S/4HANA changed what a strong ABAP developer looks like.
| Area | Classic ABAP (ECC) | ABAP on HANA / S/4HANA |
|---|---|---|
| Data access | Open SQL, logic in the application layer | Code pushdown to the database with CDS views and AMDP |
| Programming model | Procedural reports, dialog programs | ABAP Objects, RAP (RESTful ABAP Programming model) |
| User interface | SAP GUI screens | SAP Fiori apps through OData services |
| Extensibility | Modifications and user exits | Clean core extensions, BADIs, side by side extensions |
| Hiring signal | Report and enhancement depth | Modern data modeling, Fiori integration, clean core thinking |
Many companies run both. Be explicit in the job description about which landscape the hire will support, and test for that landscape.
For a wider view of enterprise roles that work alongside ABAP developers, see our guide to enterprise software top jobs and skills.
Certifications and project lists help, but they do not show how someone writes code. A practical assessment process looks like this.
Keep the test focused on the work the hire will do in the first six months.
Glider AI Technical Assessments let TA teams and SAP practice leads build SAP ABAP developer tests from a library covering 250+ technologies, including enterprise software skills. You can mix multiple choice, scenario and open ended question types, and score answers against clear rubrics.
System integrators and staffing firms that place SAP consultants can also use the same tests across many requisitions; see Glider AI for staffing firms.
Core ABAP syntax, ABAP Objects, internal tables, Open SQL performance, debugging, and enhancement techniques like BADIs and user exits. For S/4HANA roles, add CDS views, AMDP, RAP and OData for Fiori.
ABAP on HANA is the same language used with techniques that push data heavy logic down to the SAP HANA database, mainly through CDS views and AMDP. It requires a different approach to data modeling and performance than classic ABAP.
Combine a short knowledge check with scenario and coding questions drawn from your landscape. Score correctness and design choices, and use proctoring so results reflect the candidate’s own work.
Certification shows baseline knowledge, but it does not show coding quality or problem solving. Pair it with a practical assessment and a review of past project work.
RICEFW stands for Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Enhancements, Forms and Workflows. It is a common way to categorize the custom development objects an ABAP developer builds.
Yes. S/4HANA still runs on ABAP, and migrations create demand for developers who can modernize custom code, build CDS based data models and follow clean core extension practices.
The right SAP ABAP developer protects your SAP investment and keeps custom code maintainable through upgrades. Use Glider AI Technical Assessments to test ABAP skills for ECC and S/4HANA roles with proctored, rubric scored results, and send only qualified candidates to your SAP leads.
