ABAP Cloud Logger

A fluent, unit-tested logging library for ABAP for Cloud Development (SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP BTP ABAP Environment, S/4HANA on-premise with ABAP Cloud). It wraps the released Application Log API (cl_bali_log) and adds the things you end up writing yourself every time: chaining, an in-memory copy of the log, conversions to BAPIRET2 and RAP messages, sticky context, a stopwatch, and a trail of the problems the logger itself swallowed.

DATA(logger) = zcl_cloud_logger=>get_instance( object    = 'ZMYAPP'
                                               subobject = 'IMPORT' ).

logger->set_context( |Order { order_id }|
  )->log_string_add( `Validation started`
  )->log_bapiret2_table_add( bapiret2_t   = bapi_return
                             min_severity = zif_cloud_logger=>c_message_type-warning
  )->log_exception_add( import_error
  )->clear_context(
  )->save_application_log( ).

Contents

1. Why not cl_bali_log directly?
2. Requirements
3. Installation
4. Quick start
5. Usage
6. API overview
7. Errors
8. Viewers
9. Testing code that uses the logger
10. Design
11. Development
12. Changelog and roadmap
13. License and author

Why not cl_bali_log directly?

cl_bali_log is the right foundation and this library never hides it (get_log_handle( ) returns the if_bali_log object). What it adds:

You want to	With cl_bali_log alone	With ABAP Cloud Logger
Share one log across classes of a process	pass the handle around	get_instance( ) returns the same instance for the same object / subobject / external id
Log a string, a T100 message, sy-msg*, an exception, a BAPIRET2 table, any data as JSON	one setter class each, no filtering	one log_* method each, chainable, BAPIRET2 severity filter
Read back what was logged	get_all_items( ) and unpack setters	get_messages( ), get_messages_flat( ), get_messages_as_bapiret2( ), get_messages_rap( )
Ask "did anything fail?"	loop over items	log_contains_error( ), get_message_count( 'E' ), search_message( )
Tag entries with the document being processed	build the text yourself	set_context( ) / clear_context( )
Know that a save or a mirror silently failed	you don't	get_internal_errors( )
Unit-test the code that logs	mock if_bali_log	mock the small zif_cloud_logger interface

Requirements

• SAP S/4HANA 2023 or higher, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, or SAP BTP ABAP Environment
• ABAP language version ABAP for Cloud Development for every object
• Released APIs only: cl_bali_log, cl_bali_log_db, cl_abap_context_info, XCO

Installation

1. Pull the repository with abapGit into a package of your choice (ABAP language version ABAP for Cloud Development).
2. The Application Log object Z_CLOUD_LOG_SAMPLE (sub-object SETUP) ships with the repository and is used by the tests and the demo. For your own logs create an Application Log object in the Maintain Application Log Object app (Fiori) or SLG0 (on-premise). db_save = abap_true requires an object; db_save = abap_false works without one.
3. Run the ABAP Unit tests of zcl_cloud_logger and zcl_cloud_logger_view_console.

Quick start

Run zcl_cloud_logger_demo with F9 in ADT. It logs a small process (context, T100 message, filtered BAPIRET2 table, exception, JSON data, timer) and prints the result on the console without persisting anything.

Usage

Every log_* method returns the logger, so calls chain. Every writing method raises zcx_cloud_logger_error; wrap the logging block once instead of every call.

Get an instance

DATA(logger) = zcl_cloud_logger=>get_instance(
    object               = 'ZMYAPP'          " Application Log object (required when db_save = abap_true)
    subobject            = 'IMPORT'
    ext_number           = |{ run_id }|      " part of the instance key
    db_save              = abap_true         " abap_false: save_application_log( ) is a no-op
    expiry_date          = CONV #( cl_abap_context_info=>get_system_date( ) + 30 )
    enable_emergency_log = abap_false        " abap_true mirrors every entry into a second log (see below)
    trim_limit           = 100 ).            " cap of the internal error trail

The same object / subobject / external id always returns the same instance. Supplying a different db_save, expiry_date, trim_limit or enable_emergency_log for an existing instance raises config_mismatch; omitting a parameter means "no preference".

Emergency log

With enable_emergency_log = abap_true every entry is also written, immediately and independently of your commit, into a second Application Log through the XCO BAL API (same object and subobject; external id = yours, or a UUID when you gave none). It is meant for the case where the main log never gets saved — a dump after logging, a rollback — and it is best effort: a failed mirror goes to the internal error trail, never to the caller. Free text is mirrored as message Z_CLOUD_LOGGER 001 so the severity survives; XCO records an exception as five lines (text, class, source position), so counts in that log differ from get_message_count( ).

Add entries

logger->log_string_add( `Free text` ).                                   " default severity W
logger->log_string_add( string = `Failed`  msgty = zif_cloud_logger=>c_message_type-error ).

logger->log_message_add( VALUE #( msgty = 'E' msgid = 'ZMYAPP' msgno = '001' msgv1 = order_id ) ).

MESSAGE e002(zmyapp) WITH order_id INTO DATA(dummy) ##NEEDED.
logger->log_syst_add( ).                                                 " takes sy-msg*

logger->log_exception_add( exception ).                                  " default severity E
logger->log_exception_add( exception = exception  severity = 'W' ).

logger->log_bapiret2_structure_add( bapiret2 ).
logger->log_bapiret2_table_add( bapiret2_t   = bapiret2_table
                                min_severity = 'E' ).                    " keeps E, A, X

logger->log_data_add( any_structure_or_table ).                          " serialized to JSON via XCO

Initial structures and unbound exceptions are ignored, so chains do not need guards.

Exceptions that carry a T100 key (if_t100_message) keep their message class, number and variables in the internal log, so search_message( ), get_messages_rap( ) and get_messages_as_bapiret2( ) see the real message rather than free text.

Text length: the Application Log stores free text (log_string_add, log_data_add) up to 200 characters, and the [context] prefix counts. Longer texts are cut in the persisted log only; get_messages( ) and get_messages_flat( ) always return the full text.

Sticky context

logger->set_context( `Order 4711` ).
logger->log_string_add( `Price checked` ).      " persisted as "[Order 4711] Price checked"
logger->clear_context( ).

Timer

logger->start_timer( ).
" ... work ...
logger->stop_timer( `Pricing` ).                " logs "Timer Result: Pricing took 0.421 seconds."

Read the log

IF logger->log_contains_error( ).             " E, A or X present
  ...
ENDIF.

DATA(errors)   = logger->get_message_count( zif_cloud_logger=>c_message_type-error ).
DATA(found)    = logger->search_message( VALUE #( msgid = 'ZMYAPP' msgno = '001' ) ).
DATA(entries)  = logger->get_messages( ).                " full internal log
DATA(lines)    = logger->get_messages_flat( ).           " "[ctx] E001(ZMYAPP) - text"
DATA(bapiret2) = logger->get_messages_as_bapiret2( ).

RAP

METHOD validate_order.
  ...
  LOOP AT logger->get_messages_rap( ) INTO DATA(message).
    APPEND VALUE #( %tky = order-%tky %msg = message ) TO reported-order.
  ENDLOOP.
ENDMETHOD.

Free-text and exception entries are wrapped in message Z_CLOUD_LOGGER 001 (four 50-character placeholders).

Save

logger->save_application_log( ).
COMMIT WORK.

The caller owns the commit. Where COMMIT WORK is not allowed (RAP), use save_application_log( use_2nd_db_connection = abap_true ), which lets cl_bali_log_db commit on its own connection. With db_save = abap_false the call does nothing and is recorded in the internal error trail.

Attach to a persisted log

A log saved earlier — by a previous run, another session, a job step — can be picked up again by its handle and continued:

DATA(logger) = zcl_cloud_logger=>load( handle ).      " BALLOGHNDL from get_handle( ) or the log tables

logger->log_string_add( `second run started` ).       " appends to the persisted items
IF logger->log_contains_error( ).                     " queries see the persisted history
  ...
ENDIF.
logger->save_application_log( ).                      " updates the same log

The loaded logger is registered under the log's own object / subobject / external id, so a later get_instance( ) with that key returns it. Persisted items become internal log entries with the item's severity, text and T100 key; their item reference and context stay initial and date/time are UTC (the Application Log stores UTC). Loading a log that is still held by a live logger in the session — same handle or same key — raises already_active (free( ) it first); an unknown handle raises error_in_loading.

Reset, merge, free

logger->reset_appl_log( ).                     " fresh log, same instance and configuration
logger->reset_appl_log( abap_true ).           " also delete the persisted log

logger->merge_logs( other_logger ).            " copies entries and trail, other stays unchanged

logger->free( ).                               " deregisters; any further write raises instance_released

Internal error trail

Problems the logger swallows on purpose (failed emergency mirror, no-op save, unresolvable message text, failed delete during reset) are not lost:

LOOP AT logger->get_internal_errors( ) INTO DATA(problem).
  ...  " problem-timestamp, problem-method, problem-error_text
ENDLOOP.
logger->clear_internal_errors( ).

The trail is capped at trim_limit entries (default 100, oldest evicted first); trim_limit = 0 switches the trail off.

High volume

Every entry is kept twice while the logger lives: as an Application Log item and as a row of the internal log (get_messages( ) copies that table). For jobs that log hundreds of thousands of lines, save and reset per batch — save_application_log( ) then reset_appl_log( ) — instead of holding one log for the whole run, and keep trim_limit at its default. get_messages_flat( ) renders every entry, so call it once, not per line.

zcl_cloud_logger_benchmark (F9) measures adding, rendering, counting, saving and deleting entries entries on your system and checks the emergency-log mirror; raise the constant to find your limit. Watch memory from outside (SM04 / SM50) — the memory utilities are not released for ABAP Cloud.

Measured on S/4HANA 2023 FPS03 (on-premise, 2026-09-17), 20,000 entries, every 10th an error:

Step	Time	Per entry
log_string_add × 20,000	0.46 s	0.023 ms
get_messages_flat( ) (20,000 lines)	0.016 s	0.001 ms
get_message_count( 'E' )	0.002 s	—
save_application_log( ) + COMMIT WORK	0.058 s	0.003 ms
reset_appl_log( abap_true ) + COMMIT WORK	0.010 s	—

Emergency-log mirror: 3 entries, 0 internal errors, visible in SLG1 without a commit. At these numbers the in-memory copy is not the bottleneck for typical jobs; save-and-reset per batch remains the advice for runs that keep hundreds of thousands of entries alive at once.

API overview

Group	Methods
Instance	zcl_cloud_logger=>get_instance( ), zcl_cloud_logger=>load( handle ), free( ), reset_appl_log( ), merge_logs( )
Add	log_string_add, log_message_add, log_syst_add, log_exception_add, log_bapiret2_structure_add, log_bapiret2_table_add, log_data_add
Context / timer	set_context, clear_context, start_timer, stop_timer
Query	log_is_empty, log_contains_messages, log_contains_error, log_contains_warning, get_message_count, search_message
Read	get_messages, get_messages_flat, get_messages_as_bapiret2, get_messages_rap, get_handle, get_log_handle
Persist / show	save_application_log, display( viewer )
Diagnostics	get_internal_errors, clear_internal_errors, zif_cloud_logger=>c_version
Testing	zcl_cloud_logger_fake — in-memory implementation of the interface for consumer tests

Every public method is documented with ABAP Doc; hover in ADT for parameters and behaviour.

Errors

All failures surface as zcx_cloud_logger_error. Check if_t100_message~t100key against the class constants:

textid	Message	When
error_in_creation	003	cl_bali_log refused to create the log or header (e.g. unknown log object)
object_required	006	db_save = abap_true without an Application Log object
invalid_trim_limit	008	negative trim_limit
config_mismatch	007	an instance with the same key exists with different settings
error_in_logging	004	the Application Log rejected an entry
error_release	002	cl_bali_log_db could not save the log
error_in_emergency_log	005	the XCO emergency log could not be created
instance_released	009	writing method called after free( )
error_in_loading	010	load( ) found no log for the handle (log_handle names it)
already_active	011	load( ) for a log still held by a live logger in this session (same handle or key)

The original cx_bali_runtime / XCO exception is chained in previous, and log_object names the Application Log object concerned; the message texts show it as &1.

Viewers

display( viewer ) hands the logger to any implementation of zif_cloud_logger_viewer (one method: view( logger )).

• zcl_cloud_logger_view_console – writes header, entries and internal error trail to an if_oo_adt_classrun_out console.
• Your own – e.g. an ALV popup on an SAP GUI system, a Fiori app or a monitoring endpoint. get_messages( ) and get_messages_flat( ) give you the data in table form.

Testing code that uses the logger

Depend on zif_cloud_logger, not on the class, and inject it:

CLASS zcl_import DEFINITION PUBLIC FINAL CREATE PUBLIC.
  PUBLIC SECTION.
    METHODS constructor IMPORTING logger TYPE REF TO zif_cloud_logger OPTIONAL.
  ...
ENDCLASS.

In the test, inject zcl_cloud_logger_fake: an in-memory implementation of the whole interface that never touches the Application Log or the database. Fluent methods return the fake, the query methods work on what was logged, saves and resets are counted, and the released-instance contract is mimicked.

METHOD given_missing_price_then_error_logged.
  DATA(logger) = NEW zcl_cloud_logger_fake( ).
  DATA(cut)    = NEW zcl_import( logger ).

  cut->import( order_without_price ).

  cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_equals( act = logger->zif_cloud_logger~log_contains_error( )
                                      exp = abap_true
                                      msg = `A missing price must be logged as error` ).
  cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_equals( act = logger->save_calls
                                      exp = 1
                                      msg = `The log must be saved once` ).
ENDMETHOD.

cl_abap_testdouble=>create( 'zif_cloud_logger' ) works as well when you need to script specific return values. The library's own tests show that style with hand-written doubles for the two internal seams (zif_cloud_logger_system, zif_cloud_logger_persistence).

Design

• Multiton. One instance per object / subobject / external id, created lazily by get_instance( ), removed by free( ). A released instance is dead: writes raise instance_released, queries return empty results.
• Two seams. All environment access (date, time, time stamp, user, sy-msg*) goes through zif_cloud_logger_system; all database access through zif_cloud_logger_persistence. Production defaults are injected by the constructor; the tests inject fixed-clock and spy doubles, so the unit tests never touch the database or a real clock.
• Never bring the caller down. Problems inside the logger (emergency mirror, text resolution, no-op save, delete during reset) are recorded in the internal error trail instead of raised. Problems in the Application Log API itself are raised, wrapped.
• Strategy for output. The logger knows nothing about UIs; viewers implement zif_cloud_logger_viewer.
• Clean ABAP. No Hungarian notation, final classes, ≤ 3 parameters where the API allows it (get_instance is the documented exception), ABAP Doc on every public element. Clean Core: released APIs only, checked by abaplint with the steampunk-2305-api snapshot.

Development

The repository runs off-stack without an SAP system:

npm ci
npm run lint     # abaplint, full rule set curated to Clean ABAP, language version Cloud
npm test         # transpiles to JavaScript and runs the ABAP Unit tests on Node.js

GitHub Actions runs both on every push and pull request. Some things only the real compiler catches; see CONTRIBUTING.md for the list and for the pull-request checklist.

Quality and verification

Check	Result	Where
ABAP Unit	92 tests, all green	ADT on S/4HANA 2023 FPS03 (ABAP 7.58), off-stack on every commit
ATC, variant ABAP_CLOUD_READINESS	0 findings	ADT on S/4HANA 2023 FPS03, 2026-09-16
ATC, variant S4HANA_READINESS_2023	0 findings	ADT on S/4HANA 2023 FPS03, 2026-09-16
abaplint, 178 rules, language version Cloud, API snapshot steampunk-2305-api	0 findings	GitHub Actions

Verified on:

System	Status
SAP S/4HANA 2023 FPS03 on-premise, ABAP for Cloud Development	verified with every release
SAP BTP ABAP Environment	not yet verified — a pull and an ABAP Unit run on a BTP system would be a welcome contribution (issue template)
SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition	not yet verified

The library uses released APIs only; the checks above are what backs that statement, and the table says exactly where it has been run.

Changelog and roadmap

The version history lives in CHANGELOG.md. Planned:

• Load a persisted log into an instance (cl_bali_log_db=>load_log).
• Enqueue / dequeue support of cl_bali_log_db.
• Asynchronous saving via the Background Processing Framework for high-volume scenarios.
• A RAP service and Fiori dashboard for log analysis.

Issues and pull requests are welcome.

License and author

MIT. Created and maintained by George Drakos.