Enhance Standard Search Help Example – Append Search Help

Hi All,

SAP standard search help have capabilities of displaying all possible input values for a selection field. This is a standard functionality in all verticals of SAP for standard fields. In addition standard collective search helps let the user select values using multiple paths. For example customer numbers could be filtered either with first name last name combination or using address detail.

But if there are custom requirements to add additional functionality to standard search helps, they could be enhanced using append search help method.

There are two types of search helps.

  • Elementary search helps

  • Collective search helps:

Collective search help is a combination of elementary search helps. This allows users to search input values using multiple paths.

Below article discuss how to enhance a standard search help with append search help. When there is a standard collective search help and you are required to add another search help criteria to the same, you can use this “append search help” method. Newly appended help will shown in the standard search help as another tab. We will be creating a new elementary search help with the display fields and selection criteria as per custom requirement. Then the elementary search help would be attached to the standard collective search help.

In this example standard search help ‘AANL’ which is the search help for assets would be enhanced. New custom append ‘Serial Number Help’ will be added as below.

Before append:

standard-search-help
Standard Search Help

After append:

enhanced-standard-search-help
Enhanced Standard Search Help

Summary of steps:

  1. Create database view.

  2. Create elementary search help.

  3. Append standard search help.

Step 1:Create Database View.

In order to create elementary search help in step 2 we make use of a database view in this example. You can use any other method depending on your requirement.
Go to transaction SE11 and provide view name.
database-view-se11-ddic
Create database view
Tables used for view are ANLA and ANLZ.
Set the join conditions.
databaseview-join-conditions
database view join condition
Set view fields.
view-fields-se11
Set view fields
Set selection filter criteria.
selection-criteria-field-list-se11-search-help
Selection criteria field list
Save and activate.

Step 2:Create Elementary Search Help.

Go to transaction SE11.
create-search-help-se11-ddic
Create search help
Select “Elementary Search Help” option.
elementary-search-help-se11-ddic
Select Elementary search help
Set the selection method with the database view created above.
selection-method-se11-ddic-search-help
Set selection method
Set import and export parameters of the search help. Import parameters are the selection criteria of the search help and export parameters set the output of the hit-list.
import-export-fieldlist-ddic-se11-search-help
Set import export fields
Save and active the search help.

Step 3:Append Standard Search Help.

Go to transaction SE11. Set the search help name and click display.

standard-search-help-se11-ddic
Select standard search help

Select append from “Goto” under main menu.

append-search-help-ddic-se11
Append search help menu option

Press “Create”.

create-append-search-help-new-se11-DDIC
Create new append search help

Set append name.

append-search-help-name-new
New append search help name

Select “Include Search Help” tab and add elementary search help created under step 2.

Select the elementary search help added and click “Param. Assignment”. Click propose button to get the system proposed parameters.

append-parameters-search-help-se11-ddic
Append search help parameter assignment

Save and activate.

Newly added search help will be shown in a new tab under the collective search help.

search help, elementary search help, collective search help, database view, se11, DDIC, SAP, ABAP, append, search help append, enhancement, modify, enhance search help, Isuru Fernando

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