It is one of the many application-oriented 4th generation languages developed in the 1980s. Initially, ABAP was a reporting language for the SAP R/2 platform, which enabled companies to develop business applications for resource management and financial planning.

When it was first released in 1992, it was structured to create programs for the client-server R/3 system. With the development of computer hardware in the 1990s, SAP applications and systems were written in ABAP. By 2001, all the basic functions were written in ABAP.

ABAP is used by SAP, as well as its customers and solution partners, to create, update, and customize SAP applications to meet customer needs.

SAP systems store all data related to business processes in an enterprise. Therefore, in order to present the data in the SAP systems in a readable and understandable form to system users, it is necessary to program reports using the tools in the system.