Advantages of using INSERT INTO compared to APPEND TO

In the past, APPEND TO was my go-to for adding new entries to an Internal Table (itab).

Revisiting my coding style, I will use INSERT from now on.

Using `INSERT INTO TABLE` instead

In general, the INSERT statement expresses the intention better. After all, the goal is to insert entries into the table and not appending them.

INSERT VALUE #( ... ) INTO TABLE itab.

Using INSERT ... INTO TABLE works with all table types. It does not matter if a table is declared as STANDARD, SORTED, or HASHED table.

When requirements change you can focus on optimizing table key types. The INSERT statements will still work fine.

Use APPEND TO if you want to stress that this entry should be the last row. For example when an itab is used in an array-like fashion.

Reminder: APPEND TO only works (safely) for itabs defined as STANDARD TABLE.