Cannot Use Implicit Names in Clusters

In ABAP Objects, you must declare explicit names when importing and exporting data clusters, preferably using the equals symbol (=), rather than the old FROM and TO additions.

In ABAP Objects, the following statments cause an error message:

EXPORT f1 ... fn TO ...
IMPORT f1 ... fn FROM ...

Correct syntax:

EXPORT name1  =   f1 ... namen   =  fn TO ...
IMPORT name1  =   f1 ... namen   =  fn FROM ...

or

EXPORT name1 FROM f1 ... namen FROM fn TO ...
IMPORT name1 TO   f1 ... namen TO   fn FROM ...

Cause:

Using implicit names is a source of error. The names declared are to be understood as identification for the fields in the cluster. When the implicit method of exporting is used, the system uses exactly the names declared, that is including any offset/length declarations or selector prefixes. When the cluster is imported in another context, these names must be known, and identically declared. Using the equal symbol (=) emphasizes the fact that formal parameters are to the left of the symbol and actual parameters to the right - similar to how it is used in method and function module calls. The FROM and TO expressions are needed to declare the data repository.

Overview:

Replacement for Obsolete Statements ABAP Objects