Software Components 

Definition

A software component is a delivery unit that can have various software component versions. A software component version can be used in different product versions.

You can access SAP software components (and products) from the software catalog of the System Landscape Directory (see: Software Catalog).

Use

To use software component versions you must first import them to the Integration Builder from the System Landscape Directory (see: Importing Software Component Versions). A software component version is only relevant for the Integration Repository and not for the Integration Directory because the contents of the latter is not shipped but configured at the customer site.

Integration

All objects in the Integration Repository are created in the context of a software component version that has already been imported to the Integration Builder from the System Landscape Directory. Using software component versions you can then create namespaces to group together the content to be delivered from the Integration Repository (Business Scenarios, mappings, interfaces) in additional semantic unites.

You then have an overview in the Integration Repository of all software component versions that use integration objects within cross-system applications.

Besides objects from a software component version being shipped together, corresponding restrictions apply for objects from different software component versions (also see: Object References).

It is also possible to structure software component versions using other software component versions.