---

name: sap-code-search description: Search ABAP source code using ADT REST API, abap-code-search-tools (DevEpos), or RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN trigger: keywords: [code search, where used, find abap, scan source, impact analysis, rs_abap_source_scan, code_search] intent: Searching ABAP code, finding references, or scanning source code across SAP systems

SAP Code Search

Mental Model

You have three search engines, each with a different tradeoff:

• ADT REST API — fast, indexed, built-in. Best for object lookup and quick searches.
• abap-code-search-tools (DevEpos) — full-text, regex, 12 object types. Best for deep scanning.
• RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN — standard report, no add-ons. Best for quick one-off scans in GUI.

Pick based on what you need: speed → ADT, depth → DevEpos, zero-install → RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN.

Prerequisites

# 1. ADT path — verify ADT REST endpoint is reachable
curl -s -u "$SAP_USER:$SAP_PASS" \
  "$SAP_HOST/sap/bc/adt/repository/informationsystem/search?operation=quickSearch&query=Z*" \
  | head -20

# 2. DevEpos path — verify abap-code-search-tools installed
#    SE24 → ZCL_ADCOSET_SEARCH_ENGINE exists
#    SE38 → ZADCOSET_SEARCH executable
#    abapGit repo: https://github.com/DevEpos/abap-code-search-tools

# 3. RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN — zero install, available on all NW ≥ 7.00
#    SE38 → RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN → execute

# 4. Authorizations
#    ADT:     S_ADT_RES with URI = '/devepos/adt/cst/*'
#    ZROUTER: ZROUTER with ACTIVITY = 'ZROUTER_BASIS_CODE_SEARCH'

Search via ADT (Quick Object Lookup)

# Quick search — returns object names + ADT URIs
curl -s -u "$SAP_USER:$SAP_PASS" \
  "$SAP_HOST/sap/bc/adt/repository/informationsystem/search?operation=quickSearch&query=ZCL_FOO*"

# Read source of a program
curl -s -u "$SAP_USER:$SAP_PASS" \
  "$SAP_HOST/sap/bc/adt/programs/programs/ZMYPROG/source/main"

# Read source of a class
curl -s -u "$SAP_USER:$SAP_PASS" \
  "$SAP_HOST/sap/bc/adt/oo/classes/ZCL_FOO/source/main"

# Where-used list (ADT)
curl -s -u "$SAP_USER:$SAP_PASS" \
  "$SAP_HOST/sap/bc/adt/repository/informationsystem/whereused?objectName=BAPI_MATERIAL_SAVEDATA&objectType=FUGR"

Search via DevEpos Engine (Full-Text + Regex)

# Route to ZROUTER RFC handler
python scripts/sap_router.py route --action BASIS_CODE_SEARCH

# CSV template for batch searches
python scripts/xls_to_bapi.py template --output cs.csv --module BASIS --action CODE_SEARCH
# Fields: query, mode, object_type, package, owner, max_results, ignore_case, parallel

# Example CSV rows (search all types — omit object_type):
# BAPI_TRANSACTION_COMMIT,STRING,,ZMY_PKG,200
# CALL_FUNCTION\s+'BAPI_\w+',REGEX,PROG,ZMY_PKG,500
# (?i)select.*from\s+mara,PCRE,,ZMY_PKG,100
python scripts/xls_to_bapi.py convert --input cs.csv --module BASIS --action CODE_SEARCH

# Stats per package/owner
python scripts/sap_router.py route --action BASIS_CODE_SEARCH_STATS

Search Modes

Mode	Syntax	When to use
STRING	Plain text	Exact phrase matching
REGEX	POSIX regex	Pattern matching (BAPI_\w+_CREATE)
PCRE	Perl regex	Advanced ((?i)select.*from\s+\w+)

Searchable Object Types (12)

CLAS INTF PROG TYPE FUGR DDLS DDLX DCLS BDEV XSLT STRU(7.50+) DTAB(7.52+)

Search via RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN (Zero Install)

" SE38 → RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN
" Fill parameters:
"   Pattern:           CALL FUNCTION 'BAPI_MATERIAL_SAVEDATA'
"   Program range:     Z*
"   Find pattern in:   Reports + Includes
" This scans source line-by-line. No add-on required.

# Via RFC (if ZROUTER not installed)
python scripts/sap_router.py route --action code_search
# Routes to ADT quickSearch — lighter but no regex

Pitfalls

1. ADT search ≠ full-text — ADT quickSearch finds object names, not source content. Use DevEpos engine for body search.
2. RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN is slow on large systems — always filter by package or program name range.
3. PCRE mode depends on kernel — verify cl_abap_regex supports PCRE on your NW release before using.
4. Where-used via ADT requires S_ADT_RES — the standard S_DEVELOP authorization is not enough.
5. DevEpos branch matters — use main for NW ≥ 7.51, nw-740 for 7.40–7.50. Wrong branch = syntax errors.
6. Parallel search — set parallel=true only on systems with ≥ 4 dialog WP; otherwise it degrades.
7. Case sensitivity — DevEpos ignore_case=true is off by default. Most BAPI searches need it on.
8. DTAB/STRU types — only available on NW 7.52+/7.50+ respectively. Older systems silently skip them.

Verification

# 1. ADT path — expect HTTP 200 + XML
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -u "$SAP_USER:$SAP_PASS" \
  "$SAP_HOST/sap/bc/adt/repository/informationsystem/search?operation=quickSearch&query=Z*"
# Expected: 200

# 2. DevEpos path — expect ZCL_ADCOSET_SEARCH_ENGINE in SE24
#    Run: SE24 → ZCL_ADCOSET_SEARCH_ENGINE → Display → no errors

# 3. RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN — SE38 → execute with pattern "REPORT"
#    Expect: list of programs containing "REPORT" statement

# 4. ZROUTER handler — run driver
python scripts/sap_router.py route --action BASIS_CODE_SEARCH
# Expected: "ZROUTER RFC"

# 5. CSV round-trip
python scripts/xls_to_bapi.py template --output /tmp/cs_test.csv --module BASIS --action CODE_SEARCH
python scripts/xls_to_bapi.py convert --input /tmp/cs_test.csv --module BASIS --action CODE_SEARCH
# Expected: valid JSON payload with search parameters

Decision Tree

Need to search ABAP source code?
├─ Just find an object by name? → ADT quickSearch
├─ Search source body with regex? → DevEpos engine (BASIS_CODE_SEARCH)
├─ No add-on installed? → RS_ABAP_SOURCE_SCAN (SE38)
├─ Need where-used for a specific object? → ADT where-used endpoint
└─ Batch search across packages? → CSV + xls_to_bapi.py → BASIS_CODE_SEARCH