Every SAP interview asks about ALV. Every project uses it. Every business report you will ever build in classic ABAP ends up as an ALV. This is not an exaggeration — ALV (ABAP List Viewer) is the standard reporting framework in SAP, and mastering it is non-negotiable if you want a job as an ABAP developer [citation:5].

You already know how to read data with Open SQL (Chapter 6) and handle it with Internal Tables (Chapter 7). In Chapter 8, you learned to modularize. Now you will take all of that and display it the way SAP expects: in a sortable, filterable, interactive ALV grid.

🎯 What You Will Learn in This Chapter

• What ALV is and why it replaced classical WRITE-based reports
• How to build a simple ALV using CL_SALV_TABLE (the modern SALV approach) [citation:2][citation:8]
• How to build an ALV using REUSE_ALV_GRID_DISPLAY (the classic Function Module approach) [citation:4]
• What a Field Catalog is and how to control column behavior [citation:5]
• How to configure Layout settings (zebra stripes, column width, totals) [citation:10]
• How to handle events like DOUBLE_CLICK and custom toolbar buttons [citation:9][citation:14]
• When to use SALV vs REUSE_ALV and why SALV is the modern choice [citation:5]

📘 What is ALV and Why Does It Matter?

ALV stands for ABAP List Viewer. It is a SAP-provided reporting framework that displays internal table data in a standardized, interactive grid [citation:5].

Before ALV existed, developers had to write every column header, every sort, every total, and every filter manually using WRITE statements. That took hundreds of lines of code. ALV does all of that automatically — you just hand it an internal table, and it gives you a professional report with built-in functionality [citation:5][citation:12].

Why ALV is the industry standard

⚖️ Two Ways to Build ALV: SALV vs REUSE_ALV

SAP provides two ways to create ALV reports. You need to know both for interviews and maintenance work [citation:4][citation:5].

💻 Method 1: SALV — The Modern Approach

SALV uses the class CL_SALV_TABLE. It is the fastest way to build a report [citation:8].

Basic SALV — 3 lines of core code

REPORT z_alv_salv_demo.

DATA: lt_scarr TYPE TABLE OF scarr,
      lo_alv  TYPE REF TO cl_salv_table.

" 1. Select data
SELECT * FROM scarr INTO TABLE @lt_scarr.

" 2. Create SALV instance
cl_salv_table=>factory(
  IMPORTING r_salv_table = lo_alv
  CHANGING  t_table      = lt_scarr ).

" 3. Display
lo_alv->display( ).

Adding a Field Catalog with SALV

To control column headers and behavior, get the columns object and modify it [citation:5]:

DATA: lo_columns TYPE REF TO cl_salv_columns_table,
      lo_column  TYPE REF TO cl_salv_column_table.

lo_columns = lo_alv->get_columns( ).
lo_column = lo_columns->get_column( 'CARRID' ).
lo_column->set_long_text( 'Airline Code' ).
lo_column->set_short_text( 'Code' ).
lo_column->set_medium_text( 'Airline Code' ).

📦 Method 2: REUSE_ALV_GRID_DISPLAY — The Classic Approach

This is the older, function-module-based approach. You will see it everywhere in existing SAP codebases [citation:4][citation:10].

Basic REUSE_ALV_GRID_DISPLAY example

REPORT z_alv_reuse_demo.

DATA: lt_scarr  TYPE TABLE OF scarr,
      lt_fcat   TYPE slis_t_fieldcat_alv,
      ls_fcat   TYPE slis_fieldcat_alv,
      ls_layout TYPE slis_layout_alv.

" 1. Select data
SELECT * FROM scarr INTO TABLE lt_scarr.

" 2. Build field catalog
ls_fcat-fieldname = 'CARRID'.
ls_fcat-seltext_l = 'Airline Code'.
APPEND ls_fcat TO lt_fcat.
CLEAR ls_fcat.

ls_fcat-fieldname = 'CARRNAME'.
ls_fcat-seltext_l = 'Airline Name'.
APPEND ls_fcat TO lt_fcat.
CLEAR ls_fcat.

" 3. Layout settings
ls_layout-zebra = 'X'.          " Zebra stripes
ls_layout-colwidth_optimize = 'X'. " Auto column width

" 4. Display ALV
CALL FUNCTION 'REUSE_ALV_GRID_DISPLAY'
  EXPORTING
    is_layout   = ls_layout
    it_fieldcat = lt_fcat
  TABLES
    t_outtab    = lt_scarr.

📋 The Field Catalog — Controlling Columns

The Field Catalog is the most important concept in ALV. It defines how each column behaves: heading, visibility, width, totals, and more [citation:5][citation:12].

Key Field Catalog fields you must know

🎨 Layout Settings — Making It Look Professional

The Layout controls the overall appearance of the ALV grid [citation:10].

Setting layout in SALV

DATA: lo_layout TYPE REF TO cl_salv_layout.

lo_layout = lo_alv->get_layout( ).
lo_layout->set_zebra( abap_true ).
lo_layout->set_key( 'CARRID' ).

🖱️ Event Handling — Making ALV Interactive

ALV supports event handling. The most common events are:

SALV Event Example — Double-Click Handler [citation:9]

" Define local handler class
CLASS lcl_handler DEFINITION.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS on_double_click
      FOR EVENT double_click OF cl_salv_events_table
      IMPORTING row column.
ENDCLASS.

CLASS lcl_handler IMPLEMENTATION.
  METHOD on_double_click.
    READ TABLE lt_scarr INTO ls_scarr INDEX row.
    MESSAGE |You clicked: { ls_scarr-carrid }| TYPE 'I'.
  ENDMETHOD.
ENDCLASS.

" Register the handler
DATA: lo_events TYPE REF TO cl_salv_events_table,
      lo_handler TYPE REF TO lcl_handler.

lo_events = lo_alv->get_event( ).
CREATE OBJECT lo_handler.
SET HANDLER lo_handler->on_double_click FOR lo_events.

⚖️ SALV vs REUSE_ALV — When to Use Which

📝 Chapter Summary

• ALV (ABAP List Viewer) is the standard reporting framework in SAP. It provides sorting, filtering, totals, layouts, and export automatically [citation:5].
• SALV (CL_SALV_TABLE) is the modern, object-oriented approach. Ideal for read-only reports. Minimal code [citation:8].
• REUSE_ALV_GRID_DISPLAY is the classic Function Module approach. Still used in legacy systems and for editable grids [citation:4].
• Field Catalog controls column behavior: headings, visibility, width, totals [citation:5].
• Layout controls appearance: zebra stripes, grid lines, column width optimization [citation:10].
• Events make ALV interactive: double-click, custom buttons, hotspot clicks [citation:9].
• ALV is still highly relevant in S/4HANA and is the default reporting choice for backend reports [citation:5].