SAP extension impact problems: dependencies, deletions, type changes

Documented problems

• Blocker
  Cyclic extension dependency

  EXT_CYCLIC_DEPENDENCY_DETECTED

• Critical
  Deletion blocked by active consumers

  EXT_DELETE_BLOCKED_ACTIVE_CONSUMERS

• Critical
  Type / length change breaks consumers

  EXT_TYPE_LENGTH_CHANGE_BREAKS_CONSUMERS

• Major
  High change blast radius

  EXT_HIGH_BLAST_RADIUS_WARNING

• Major
  Modification impacts downstream consumers

  EXT_MODIFICATION_BREAKING_CONSUMERS

• Major
  Requested extension object absent from the dependency graph

  EXT_TARGET_OBJECT_NOT_FOUND

• Major
  Custom dependency not transported with the object

  EXT_TRANSPORT_DEPENDENCY_MISSING

• Major
  Published key-user field cannot change type or shrink in place

  EXT_TYPE_CHANGE_REQUIRES_NEW_FIELD

Informational findings

These findings confirm a good state or document a change. They are listed for completeness and are not problems.

• Info
  No active consumers in the supplied graph

  EXT_SAFE_TO_DELETE

Terms used in this area

• Key-user extensibility
• Software collection
• CDS view
• BAdI

Background articles

• Custom fields with key user extensibility: why a field does not appear in the app, form or APIHow custom fields created with key user extensibility reach UIs, reports, forms and APIs, and why a field that exists on one document is missing on the follow-on document.
• Clean core extensibility explained: tiers, released APIs and classic modificationsA practical overview of how SAP classifies extensions by their upgrade stability, from ABAP Cloud on released APIs to classic modifications, and how to assess existing custom code.