In ABAP SQL, an alias is a temporary name that can be assigned to a field or a database table in a query. An alias can be used to make the query more readable, to avoid name conflicts, or to access fields or tables with long names. An alias is created with the AS keyword and is only valid for the duration of the query1.
The following are examples of how to assign an alias to a field or a database table in ABAP SQL:
B) field (from field list): A field is a column of a table or a view that contains data of a certain type. A field can be assigned an alias in the field list of a SELECT statement, which specifies the fields that are selected from the data source. For example, the following query assigns the alias name to the field carrname of the table scarr:
SELECT carrid, carrname AS name FROM scarr.
The alias name can be used instead of carrname in other clauses of the query, such as WHERE, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, and so on2.
C) database table: A database table is a collection of data that is organized in rows and columns. A database table can be assigned an alias in the FROM clause of a SELECT statement, which specifies the data source that is selected from. For example, the following query assigns the alias c to the table scarr:
SELECT c.carrid, c.carrname FROM scarr AS c.
The alias c can be used instead of scarr in other clauses of the query, such as WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, and so on3.
The following are not valid for assigning an alias in ABAP SQL:
A) order criterion (from order by clause): An order criterion is a field or an expression that is used to sort the result set of a query in ascending or descending order. An order criterion cannot be assigned an alias in the ORDER BY clause of a SELECT statement, because the alias is not visible in this clause. The alias can only be used in the clauses that follow the clause where it is defined1.
D) group criterion (from group by clause): A group criterion is a field or an expression that is used to group the result set of a query into subsets that share the same values. A group criterion cannot be assigned an alias in the GROUP BY clause of a SELECT statement, because the alias is not visible in this clause. The alias can only be used in the clauses that follow the clause where it is defined1.

On-stack developer extensibility is a type of extensibility that allows you to create development projects directly on the SAP S/4HANA Cloud technology stack. It gives you the opportunity to develop cloud-ready and upgrade-stable custom ABAP applications and services inside the SAP S/4HANA Cloud, public edition system. You can use the ABAP Development Tools in Eclipse to create and deploy your on-stack extensions.
On-stack developer extensibility is suitable for the following kinds of applications:
* Applications that provide APIs for side by side SAP BTP apps. On-stack developer extensibility allows you to create OData services or RESTful APIs based on CDS view entities or projection views. These services or APIs can expose SAP S/4HANA data and logic to other applications that run on the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) or other platforms. This way, you can create a loosely coupled integration between your SAP S/4HANA system and your side by side SAP BTP apps.
* Applications that access SAP S/4HANA data using complex SQL. On-stack developer extensibility allows you to use ABAP SQL to access SAP S/4HANA data using complex queries, such as joins, aggregations, filters, parameters, and code pushdown techniques. You can also use ABAP SQL to perform data manipulation operations, such as insert, update, delete, and upsert. This way, you can create applications that require advanced data processing and analysis on SAP S/4HANA data.
The other kinds of applications are not suitable for on-stack developer extensibility, as they have different requirements and challenges. These kinds of applications are:
* Applications that integrate data from several different systems. On-stack developer extensibility is not meant for creating applications that integrate data from multiple sources, such as other SAP systems, third-party systems, or cloud services. This is because on-stack developer extensibility does not support remote access or data replication, and it may cause performance or security issues. For this kind of
* applications, you should use side by side extensibility, which allows you to create applications that run on the SAP BTP and communicate with the SAP S/4HANA system via public APIs or events.
* Applications that run separate from SAP S/4HANA. On-stack developer extensibility is not meant for creating applications that run independently from the SAP S/4HANA system, such as standalone apps, microservices, or web apps. This is because on-stack developer extensibility requires a tight coupling with the SAP S/4HANA system, and it may limit the scalability, flexibility, and portability of the applications. For this kind of applications, you should use side by side extensibility, which allows you to create applications that run on the SAP BTP and leverage the cloud-native features and services of the platform.
References: Developer Extensibility in SAP S/4HANA Cloud ABAP Environment, SAP S/4HANA Extensibility - Simplified Guide for Beginners

A metadata extension is a RESTful Application Programming object that can be used to organize the display of fields in an app. A metadata extension is a CDS view that annotates another CDS view with UI annotations, such as labels, icons, or facets. These annotations define how the data should be presented in the app, such as which fields should be shown on the object page, which fields should be editable, or which fields should be used for filtering or sorting. A metadata extension can also be used to add custom actions or validations to the app12. References: 1: Refine the Object Page with Annotations | SAP Tutorials 2: ABAP RAP : Enabling custom actions with a dialog for additional input fields | SAP Blogs

Explanation
The predicate condition that can be used to ensure that the CAST will work is IS INSTANCE OF. The IS INSTANCE OF predicate condition checks whether the operand is an instance of the specified class or interface. This is useful when you want to perform a downcast, which is a conversion from a more general type to a more specific type. A downcast can fail if the operand is not an instance of the target type, and this can cause a runtime error. Therefore, you can use the IS INSTANCE OF predicate condition to check whether the downcast is possible before using the CAST operator12. For example:
The following code snippet uses the IS INSTANCE OF predicate condition to check whether the variable g_super is an instance of the class lcl_super. If it is, the CAST will work and the variable g_sub1 will be assigned the value of g_super.
DATA: g_super TYPE REF TO lcl_super, g_sub1 TYPE REF TO lcl_sub1. IF g_super IS INSTANCE OF lcl_super. g_sub1 = CAST #( g_super ). g_sub1->method( ... ). ENDIF.
You cannot do any of the following:
IS SUPPLIED: The IS SUPPLIED predicate condition checks whether an optional parameter of a method or a function module has been supplied by the caller. This is useful when you want to handle different cases depending on whether the parameter has a value or not. However, this predicate condition has nothing to do with the CAST operator or the type of the operand12.
IS NOT INITIAL: The IS NOT INITIAL predicate condition checks whether the operand has a non-initial value. This is useful when you want to check whether the operand has been assigned a value or not. However, this predicate condition does not guarantee that the CAST will work, because the operand may have a value but not be an instance of the target type12.
IS BOUND: The IS BOUND predicate condition checks whether the operand is a bound reference variable. This is useful when you want to check whether the operand points to an existing object or not. However, this predicate condition does not guarantee that the CAST will work, because the operand may point to an object but not be an instance of the target type12.
References: 1: Predicate Expressions - ABAP Keyword Documentation - SAP Online Help 2: ABAP - Predicates | SAP Community

Explanation
An Access Control Object (ACO) is a CDS annotation that defines the access control rules for a CDS view entity. An ACO consists of one or more clauses that specify the role name, the data source, the access conditions, and the return code of the authority check12. Some of the clauses that are used in an ACO are:
Where (to specify the access conditions): This clause is used to define the logical expression that determines whether a user has access to the data source or not. The expression can use the fields of the data source, the parameters of the CDS view entity, or the predefined variables $user and $session. The expression can also use the functions check_authorization and check_role to perform additional authority checks12.
Define role (to specify the role name): This clause is used to assign a name to the role that is defined by the ACO. The role name must be unique within the namespace of the CDS view entity and must not contain any special characters. The role name can be used to reference the ACO in other annotations, such as @AccessControl.authorizationCheck or @AccessControl.grant12.
Revoke (to remove access to the data source): This clause is used to explicitly deny access to the data source for a user who meets the conditions of the where clause. The revoke clause overrides any grant clause that might grant access to the same user. The revoke clause can be used to implement the principle of least privilege or to enforce data segregation12.
You cannot do any of the following:
Grant (to identify the data source): This is not a valid clause in an ACO. The grant clause is a separate annotation that is used to grant access to a CDS view entity or a data source for a user who has a specific role. The grant clause can reference an ACO by its role name to apply the access conditions defined by the ACO12.
Return code (to assign the return code of the authority check): This is not a valid clause in an ACO. The return code of the authority check is a predefined variable that is set by the system after performing the access control check. The return code can be used in the where clause of the ACO to specify different access conditions based on the outcome of the check12.
References: 1: Access Control Objects - ABAP Keyword Documentation - SAP Online Help 2: Access Control in Core Data Services (CDS) | SAP Help Portal