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Presentation Layer
Application Layer
Database Layer
Presentation Layer
Presentation layer is the first layer of R/3. This is the top layer of the system.
Presentation layer presents the end user how an SAP system looks at the
front end for performing transactions (operations of end user).
Application Layer
The Application Layer is the middle layer of R/3 architecture. This layer is the
heart of SAP R/3 products. This layer consists of the application. All
Transactions of the end user are performed in this layer. An application in the
Application Layer consists of 5 components.
Dispatcher
Gateway
Buffering
Message
Component 1: Dispatcher
The Dispatcher acts as an interface between the application layer and the
presentation layer. The requests of the user from the presentation layer
enters the application via dispatcher. After the request is processed, the
response to the user is given back through the dispatcher.
Component 2: Gateway
The Gateway is another type of an interface. This interface connects the
application in the application layer with the RDBMS (database) in the
database layer. Here, during the process of transaction, the request for add /
delete / search / retrieval of datas, to/ from the RDBMS flows via the Gateway.
Component 3: Buffering
The Buffering (or a buffer) is the temporary storage area for datas in order to
perform transactions with those datas. Usually, datas are stored as Tables in
RDBMS. Transactions are performed in an area called Work Process (WP).
Frequently changing tables (datas) are stored in buffer and transactions are
processed with datas from the buffer. It does not directly process with datas
from RDBMS. Eg., the datas regarding Currency of nation as stored in
Buffering area of the application since the value of currency changes
everyday.
The transaction time for each transaction when processing via buffering is 0.2
milliseconds. While, the transaction time for each transaction when
processing directly via RDBMS is 6 milliseconds. Hence, to increase the
performance, almost all transactions are processed via buffering and not
directly via RDBMS.
Component 4: Work Process (WP)
The Work Process is the actual transaction processing area in an application.
Work Processes executes the dialog steps of application programs, i.e., it
actually processes the transactions. The work process (WP) consists of 3
components.
Dialog
ABAP processor
Database Interface
Open SQL statements are a subset of Standard SQL that is fully integrated in
ABAP. They allow you to access data irrespective of the database system that
the R/3 installation is using. Open SQL consists of the Data Manipulation
Language (DML) part of Standard SQL; in other words, it allows you to read
(SELECT) and change (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) data. The tasks of the Data
Definition Language (DDL) and Data Control Language (DCL) parts of
Standard SQL are performed in the R/3 System by the ABAP Dictionary and
the authorization system. These provide a unified range of functions,
irrespective of database, and also contain functions beyond those offered by
the various database systems.
Native SQL is only loosely integrated into ABAP, and allows access to all of
the functions contained in the programming interface of the respective
database system. Unlike Open SQL statements, Native SQL statements are
not checked and converted, but instead are sent directly to the database
system. Programs that use Native SQL are specific to the database system for
which they were written. R/3 applications contain as little Native SQL as
possible. In fact, it is only used in a few Basis components (for example, to
create or change table definitions in the ABAP Dictionary).
Dialog work processes deal with requests from an active user to execute
dialog steps.
The enqueue work process administers a lock table in the shared memory
area. The lock table contains the logical database locks for the R/3 System
and is an important part of the SAP LUW concept. In an R/3 System, you may
only have one lock table. You may therefore also only have one application
server with enqueue work processes.
When a user logs on, a user context is allocated for that logon and it contains the following
information about the user:
the current settings of the user
the user's authorizations
the names of the programs the user is currently running.
When they log off,the memory area assigned to them is released.
Roll area : Roll area is memory area which is allocated by work processes for the program
instance.
Each time a user starts a program, a roll area is created for that instance of the program.It
contains the following information about the program's execution :
the dynamic memory allocations
variables value