UDT (SAP Business One)

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UDT stands for User Defined Table, in German User-Defined Table. A UDT is a custom database table within the SAP Business One company that users or add-ons can create to manage additional information — lookup values for dropdowns, configuration parameters, mapping tables for integrations, log data, or master data extensions with no direct relation to a standard object.

Context

UDTs are transmitted via Extras → Customisation Tools → User Defined Table - Definition created; starting from SAP Business One 10.0 FP 2208 there is also a separate authorisation point for this under Customization Tools. Each UDT bears the prefix @ (e.g. @VPS_DATEV_EXPSTAT (for the DATEV export status of the Versino Financial Suite) and automatically receives the standard fields code and Surname; furthermore, any number of UDFs can be defined as columns of the UDT. Table types range from No Object (raw data) about Master Data and documents up to Document Lines. UDTs can be used as a value source for UDFs via Formatted Searches and are supported by the Service Layer and DI API exposed as standalone EntitySets – they are therefore not merely database cosmetic, but full-fledged B1 objects.

Demarcation

A UDT is not merely a column extension of an existing object; that's what a UDF is for. It is also not a UDO (User Defined Object): A UDO binds a UDT to a user interface with standard functions such as search, creation, events, approval processes, and link plan; a pure UDT does not have this interface and is mostly populated programmatically or via queries. Compared to a table created directly in HANA or SQL, the UDT offers the advantage that it can be addressed via DataSource bindings in the SAP Business One client and, when upgrade remains available — custom-built tables outside the B1 system, on the other hand, can be lost.