This isn’t Visio. This is code. And if you learn it — you’ll never make static diagrams again.

🛠️ Step 1: Set Up PlantUML in VS Code

Skip the drag-and-drop pain. Here’s the clean dev setup.

✅ You need:

VS Code — Download here
Java (JRE or JDK 8+)
- Install via Adoptium
Graphviz — the layout engine
- Windows: Download
- macOS: brew install graphviz
- Linux: sudo apt install graphviz

🔌 In VS Code:

Hit Ctrl+Shift+X, search PlantUML, install the one by jebbs
Done. You can now preview diagrams with Alt + D

✍️ Step 2: Your First Diagram

Create a file hello.puml, paste this:

@startuml
title My First SAP Diagram

"Fiori App" --> "Gateway"
"Gateway" --> "Backend"
"Backend" --> "Database"

@enduml

Press Alt + D. You just built a diagram with code.

💡 Step 3: Learn the Language — PlantUML’s DSL

PlantUML uses a simple domain-specific language (DSL). Think of it like Markdown, but for diagrams.
You don’t drag — you declare what’s in your system, and how it connects.

🔑 Core Syntax Concepts

Concept	Syntax Example	What It Does
Diagram block	`@startuml ... @enduml`	Wraps the diagram
Title	`title SAP Flow`	Adds a diagram title
Shapes/Nodes	`"A"` or `component A`, `class B`	Defines objects
Arrow	`A --> B`	Draws a line from A to B
Labeled arrow	`A --> B : sends request`	Adds a label to the line
Aliases	`"Fiori App" as F`	Shortens names
Notes	`note right of A : Some info`	Adds explanations

📦 What You Can Model

Use Case	PlantUML Shape	Example
User/system interaction	`actor`, `participant`	sequence diagrams
Systems/modules	`component`, `node`	component diagrams
Tables/entities	`entity`	ER diagrams
Objects and relationships	`class`, `interface`	ABAP OO logic
Processes and flows	`:action;`, `if/else`	activity diagrams

🧠 Real-World SAP Example (Sequence Diagram)

plantumlCopyEdit@startuml
title Create Delivery — SAP Flow

actor User
participant "Fiori App" as F
participant "Gateway"
participant "Backend"
participant "S/4 BAPI"

User -> F : Submit Outbound Delivery
F -> Gateway : OData Call
Gateway -> Backend : RFC Call
Backend -> "S/4 BAPI" : BAPI_OUTB_DELIVERY_CREATE
"S/4 BAPI" --> Backend : Result
Backend --> Gateway : Response
Gateway --> F : Delivery created
F --> User : Done

@enduml

💥 This is how you document flows like a pro, not with screenshots or arrows in PowerPoint.

🎯 Why Learn the DSL?

Because it gives you superpowers:

Make any diagram in seconds
Store diagrams as text (version-controlled)
Reuse and extend easily
Embed in GitHub, Confluence, Docs
Automate → generate hundreds of diagrams

It’s like knowing SQL vs clicking filters in Excel.
Same data. More control.

🚀 What’s Next?

We go to the heart of SAP logic:

👉 Visual SAP #1 — ER Diagrams That Actually Help You Understand SAP Data

We’ll map MARA, MAKT, and MVKE in PlantUML and show how to think in relations, not rows.

Visual SAP #0 — PlantUML Setup in VS Code (And How to Actually Speak Diagram Code)