Structuring Software Components 

Software components (SCs) combine DCs into groups that are developed, used, delivered and maintained together.

·        Every DC can belong only to one SC.

You cannot delete DCs.

·        Always select used SCs from related release levels.

The usage dependency between SCs is determined in the System Landscape Directory (SLD). Transitive usage does not happen in such a way that these dependencies have to be defined because the SCs are used in the archive state.

Number of Software Components

Generally, the size of an SC – that is the number of DCs it contains – is not limited. The size does not even influence the speed of the build process, because the DCs are the units for the build process.

One exception is the assembly process, in which the entire SC is built.

In the following cases, you need more than one SC:

·        The installation is carried out on different platforms.

The J2EE part of your application is to be installed on the SAP NetWeaver and another part as a standalone client application.

·        There are different delivery and maintenance cycles.

You should not mix Portal Business packages you develop with applications, because the portal content is updated more often than the functions of the application.

You use layered development.

A framework component should be developed and tested before the dependent part of the software.

·        There are technical reasons.

¡        You want to deliver some product parts together with the source files (to allow modifications) and others as archives only. The setting of whether to deliver SCs with or without source files is made in the CMS on the SC level.

You want to define different build variants for different groups of DCs.