In ABAP, which data type represents a field containing a decimal number?

In ABAP, the data type that represents a field containing a decimal number is the packed number type, which is denoted by the letter 'p'. Packed numbers are specifically designed to store numeric values with decimal places efficiently. They can accommodate large numbers and precise decimal values, making them ideal for financial calculations, among other applications.

Packed numbers utilize a binary representation that packs the digits tightly, which improves performance and conserves memory. This is especially useful in scenarios where storage space and performance are critical, such as when dealing with large datasets or high-volume transactions in SAP applications.

The other data types, such as character ('c'), date ('d'), and string ('s'), serve different purposes and do not handle decimal numbers in the same way. Character types are used for text data, date types represent calendar dates, and string types are for variable-length text, so they do not provide the numerical and decimal capabilities that packed numbers do.