What's behind?
The new SDN structure would like to ease and shorten the way to find the needed information. When we look onto SAP NetWeaver, we see a bunch of different components, abilities or better to say: capabilities.
Well what is an efficient approach to handle IT tasks? The way to find software solutions is not the way using software components but capabilities. In a first approach, it's completely unimportant which component solves the task but it's crucial if there is capability that is able to deliver a solution.
So it makes sense that big software modules, like SAP NetWeaver undoubtly is one, are categorized into capabilities. SDN did this and the SAP NetWeaver capabilities are: User Productivity, Information Management, ...
Not all but most of these capabilities are pretty wide spreaded and powerful so it's reasonable to split up the different topics of the dedicated capability.
For example: below "Business Process Modeling" there are the topics "Business Process Modeling", ... . Same is true for other capabilities like "Development and Composition" (the sub topics are "Composition",... - see picture below).
This sounds very reasonable but there is an issue: when we only talk about capabilities then we only have a theoretical answer, for real life we need the software tools that bring the solution. And these tools have a version, a feature list, release notes, installation prerequisites, dependencies on databases, operation systems, etc. So it's only consequent to separate the capability aspect from the tool aspect and therefore you find in SDN for many topics two pages.
In case of composition the SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment SDN homepage was split up into these web sites:
the Composition page (which is located below SAP NetWeaver Capabilities -> Development and Composition):
and the SAP NetWeaver CE 7.1 product page (which is placed under SAP NetWeaver Products):
Before that the SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment SDN homepage could be found directly under "SAP NetWeaver" - in the left hand navigation.
What to expect on the different pages of one topic?
Composition topic page: (link)
This page will be the "main page", it's a topic page, i.e. it covers the composition topics that are provided by SAP NetWeaver. Here you find all relevant information about building and designing of composites. All aspects about that are summarized here - independent from release strategies, new features, and other version specific discussions. For sure you will find here also information about the current product and how it helps to answer the questions that reveal when handling with that dedicated capability - here composition. The capability page is more or less an "entry page", you'll find a "Knowledge Center", featured blogs, links to all relevant helpful sources like forums, articles, other, related pages. Additionally this page is maintained very actively, i.e. the links lead to current and updated information sources, the material relates to current discussions, etc.
SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment product page: (link)
This product page shows release specific information on a dedicated release. From time to time, new releases are published, so for each release there will be an own product page. You find here data about maintenance and availability of the product. Links to release specific trainings and workshops, release notes, limitations and version specific documentations and how-to's. In future you'll find links to former and related versions of SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment.
Why this new structure?
- Because it's a clear structure that helps to find the needed information faster and easier.
- Because we can concentrate on each of the different aspects of capability and product.
- Because there is now an independence between capability and product. This makes it easier to maintain the pages and it makes it easier for SDN newbies to learn first the capabilities aspects and then 2nd the tool/product topics.
- Because the new structure makes it easier to address the different roles of SDN users.
Hoping I've contributed my part that you don't get lost in the SDN jungle.
