Modeling Application Components 

Logically speaking, an application component represents a participant of a Business Scenario. This contains the business tasks and concerns that this participant represents within the Business Scenario.

Modeling at Type Level

An application component can be installed on multiple business systems at runtime. However, modeling in the Business Scenario takes place at type level.

Note the following when modeling application components:

·        If, at runtime, there are multiple participants that

¡        have the same business role

¡        result in the same range of tasks

¡        use the same product

then these are presented by one logical participant and therefore just one application component.

·        If different participants fulfill different tasks or they use different products for the same tasks, then they are represented by different application components.

·        If different participants fulfill the same tasks and cannot be specified to their products (use of product templates), then an application component can be used in place of this participant instead.

In the Book a Flight Trip Business Scenario example, the travel agency works together with various airlines. Since all airlines perform the same tasks within the Business Scenario and their products cannot be specified in more detail, they are modeled as one single application component with the role Airline.

Role

The role describes the task area that the application component is responsible for on a semantic level.

Note the following conventions:

·        The role must have a meaningful business name and not be language-specific

·        If multiple business partners are involved in the Business Scenario, the roles must describe them

Example: Customer and Vendor.

·        If a business partner is subdivided into multiple application components, then use composite roles

Example: Vendor – Customer Managementand Vendor – Production.

·        If the entire Business Scenario only involves one business partner, it does not necessarily have to be included in the roles

Example: Customer Management and Production.

Products and Product Templates

The product specifies the software product that is implemented to perform the tasks of the application component.

Choose a specific product for the application component if

·        at design time you know which product will fulfill the tasks of the application component and

·        if this product is defined in the System Landscape Directory

Examples of products are SAP APO 3.0 and SAP R/3 4.6C.

Choose a product template for the application component if

·        at design time you do not know which product will fulfill the tasks of the application component or

·        if it is a non-SAP product that is not defined in the System Landscape Directory

(SAP internal)

You also use a product template if the product is defined in the System Landscape Directory but no software component versions have been imported for it yet.

This is particularly relevant during the transitional period when not all application content has been entered in the Integration Builder.

If no software component version has been imported for a product, you cannot create any actions or ship any actions for it.

You create a Business Scenario that, among others, includes the product SAP R/3 4.6C. You communicate with this product using IDocs. No software component versions have been imported for this product yet since no Integration Repository contents have been shipped. As a result, you cannot define any actions that you can use in this application component.

Therefore, model the application component as a product template and include the enhanced name SAP R/3 4.6C.

Enhanced Name

Use the enhanced name to describe the product in more detail. You can also use it to do the following:

·        Specify a smaller function range for a product

For example, you could specify the enhanced name SAP FIN for an application component with the product SAP R/3 4.6C. This would indicate that this Business Scenario is relevant for the sub area Financials.

·        Specify the product name, if it is a product template.

Release Combinations

The Business Scenario shows each application component with a fixed product (including its release). This means that a Business Scenario is defined for the release combination of the application components specified.

If one or more application components from multiple products of the same product line can be implemented, proceed as follows:

·        Show the Business Scenario with the products (in other words, the releases) that you consider to be the standard combination for this Business Scenario.

·        In the documentation, specify whether the Business Scenario also functions for other products (or product releases). If necessary, create exceptions in the process flow and in the documentation.

·        You also have the option of creating a different release combination in a separate Business Scenario. However, this must only be done in exceptional cases to keep the number of separately defined variants of a Business Scenario in check.