How To Fix W8073 - Element & from expression & is incompatible with structure &

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: W8 - Workflow: Expressions, data flow

• Message number: 073

• Message text: Element & from expression & is incompatible with structure &

What causes this issue?

The expression &V2& provides for access to an individual field of the
reference structure of element &V1&.
The structure &v3& is provided for reading element &V1& (via binding
definition or setting parameters of expression evaluation). But, the
element &v1& is incompatible in the current container instance with the
structure &v3&.

System Response

The system issues an error message and will not allow you to continue with this transaction until the error is resolved.

How to fix this error?

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message W8073 - Element & from expression & is incompatible with structure & ?

  SAP Error Message:
  
  W8073 - Element & from expression & is incompatible with structure &
  
  Cause:
  This warning occurs when there is a type incompatibility between an element of an expression and the target structure it is being assigned to or compared with. Specifically, the data type of the element referenced in the expression does not match the expected data type of the corresponding component in the structure.
  Common scenarios include:
  
  Assigning a field or variable of one data type to a structure component of a different, incompatible data type.
  Using expressions where the expected structure type does not match the type of the element used.
  Mismatched types in field-symbol assignments or MOVE statements involving structures and their components.
  
  
  Explanation:
  
  The message indicates that the element (field) & from the expression & cannot be assigned or compared to the structure & because their data types are incompatible.
  This is often a syntax or semantic check warning that helps prevent runtime errors due to type mismatches.
  
  
  Solution:
  
  
  Check Data Types:
  
  Verify the data type of the element (field) in the expression.
  Verify the data type of the corresponding component in the structure.
  Ensure both are compatible (e.g., both are CHAR, NUMC, INT, or compatible structures).
  
  
  
  Use Type Casting or Conversion:
  
  If the types differ but are logically compatible (e.g., numeric to string), use appropriate conversion functions like CONV, MOVE, or CAST to convert the data before assignment.
  
  
  
  Adjust the Structure or Expression:
  
  Modify the structure definition or the expression to ensure matching types.
  For example, if the structure expects a packed number but the expression provides a character string, convert the string to a packed number first.
  
  
  
  Check Field-Symbol or Data References:
  
  If using field-symbols or data references, ensure they point to compatible types.
  
  
  
  Use Debugging or Syntax Check:
  
  Use the ABAP editor’s syntax check and debugger to identify the exact point of incompatibility.
  
  
  
  
  Example:
  TYPES: BEGIN OF ty_struct,
           field1 TYPE i,
         END OF ty_struct.
  
  DATA: ls_struct TYPE ty_struct,
        lv_char TYPE c LENGTH 10.
  
  lv_char = '12345'.
  
  " This will cause W8073 because lv_char (c) is incompatible with ls_struct-field1 (i)
  ls_struct-field1 = lv_char.  " Warning W8073
  
  " Correct approach:
  ls_struct-field1 = CONV i( lv_char ).
  
  Related Information:
  
  Message Class: W8 (Type Check Warnings)
  Transaction: Occurs during ABAP syntax check or runtime assignment.
  SAP Notes: Check SAP Notes related to type incompatibility or ABAP syntax warnings.
  ABAP Documentation: Review ABAP data types and type compatibility rules.
  Tools: Use ABAP Editor, Debugger, and Runtime Analysis to trace and fix the issue.
  
  
  If you provide the exact code snippet causing the error, I can help you with a more precise fix.