SAP DCOM Component Management

SAP R/3 is build upon a powerful metadata paradigm. The Data Dictionary and the BOR represent the foundation that allows ABAP developers to navigate the complex SAP application hierarchy and functionality with relative ease and comfort. The single store and the transport facilities built into R/3 allow for central control and easy distribution of business functionality.

The Visual Studio environment provides similar facilities with the most recent version 6.0, available since fall 1998. The Component Management facilities are built upon the Microsoft Repository and integrate with the Visual Studio shell via the Visual Component Manager (VCM).

Microsoft Repository Overview

Microsoft Repository provides a common place to persist information about objects and relationships between objects. In doing so, it provides a standard way to describe object-oriented information used by software tools:

Software tools use information composed of various classes of objects.
Objects expose interfaces.
Interfaces are composed of properties, methods, and collections.
Collections contain relationships to other interfaces and thus relate objects to other objects.

A software tool is modeled in Repository through an information model. Each information model is stored in the Repository database as a Repository type library.

The Repository database is dynamic and extensible. Little of the actual structure is fixed; tables and columns of data are added as new models are defined, and as existing models are extended. This enables any software tool or set of software tools to be modeled by the Repository. It also enables a user to extend existing models.

For example, Visual Basic^® provides an information model called the Microsoft Development Objects (MDO) Model. The MDO Model tracks Visual Basic projects in the Repository. The set of existing Visual Basic projects is represented in the Repository by the Contents collection.

The Repository is not limited to software tools developed using Visual Basic. Visual Basic is only one of many potential clients that can use the Repository to model a software system.

For more information about the Microsoft Repository please visit the Microsoft website at http://msdn.microsoft.com/repository/ or review the chapters on MSDN at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/isapi/msdnlib.idc?theURL=/library/devprods/vs6/repvb/htm/reconrepositoryoverview.htm .

Visual Component Manager Concepts

Component-based software development is the newest and most powerful way to build complex business applications. Instead of constantly reinventing the wheel, developers of component-based applications can simply "plug in" existing components that contain the needed functionality. When the right component doesn't already exist, it can be written once, and then cataloged for future reuse and sharing with other applications.

With Visual Component Manager you can publish components to a repository-based catalog, where they can easily be located, inspected, retrieved, and reused.

The following sections provide information to acquaint you with the important concepts of Visual Component Manager.

Section	Description
Publishing, Finding, and Reusing Components	Provides an overview of Visual Component Manager and its features, as well as detailed information on what you can accomplish with it.
Visual Component Manager Tool Window	Describes the Visual Component Manager Tool Window and acquaints you with its major features.
Repositories, Folders, and Items	Describes the three kinds of elements managed by Visual Component Manager, and explains how they are used to organize components for sharing and reuse.
Component Attributes	Lists the attributes that are assigned to components in Visual Component Manager. These attributes are used to determine how the components will be stored and reused, and to provide search criteria for locating the right component for the job.

SAP DCOM Connector and the Visual Component Manager

Installation

The installation is generally performed during the setup of the SAP DCOM connector. The following activities occur during that timeframe, can be performed manually, or by re-installing the SAP DCOM connector.

Step One - Repository Catalog Setup:

VCM is dependent upon a repository catalog. A repository catalog is a database that has the necessary Open Information Models (OIM) for the Microsoft Repository installed – connectivity configuration via ODBC is required prior to attempt loading information models. Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 [any edition] (to be purchased separately) is currently the only database tested and supported for the SAP VCM integration. Additional databases - to be purchased separately - are supported by Platinum Technology.

Although the VCM user interface allows you to create repository catalogs interactively, please do not attempt to do so for SAP business objects – the OIM files delivered with the SAP DCOM connector are the only tested and supported model files. If you do not wish to install the repository catalog during the setup of the connector, you can use the insrepim.exe file to manually load the OIM files or use the following VB code to create the repository catalog:

Dim reposDir As String

Dim instRepModel As New IMInstall ‘the OIM installer provided by the repository SDK

Dim strDSN As String

Dim strRDMFile As String

Dim oVCM As New VcmMgr.Connect 'we need to open the VCM catalog after the install _
‘ to ensure proper functioning

Dim oVCMDb As Object

If ((txtSQLName = "" Or Len(txtSQLName) = 0) Or _

(txtDBName = "" Or Len(txtDBName) = 0) Or _

(txtDCOMCCDir = "" Or Len(txtDCOMCCDir) = 0)) Then

MsgBox "You need to specify a SQL Server 7.0 server and database!"

Exit Sub

End If

'load the open information models represented in the RDM files

reposDir = txtDCOMCCDir & "\ccrepository\"

strDSN = "server=" & txtSQLName & ";database=" & txtDBName

'order of load is important...

strRDMFile = reposDir & "UML.RDM"