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Mobile Component Descriptor (MCD)

Introduction

Mobile applications span over several systems: a Java part on the mobile device, customizing or code on the WebAS and business logic in the application backend. Only if all pieces are in place and are properly set up, the mobile solution as a whole works. To manage mobile solution in their entirety, MI uses a special object: the Mobile Component Descriptor (MCD).

In the following chapter, you'll learn

What is the Mobile Component Descriptor?

In order to ensure that a mobile solution is running, the following application parts need to be in place and be set up properly:

System instance

Required application piece
Mobile device
  • Application archive (.war/.jar) of the mobile application (optionally including meRepMeta.xml for Smart Sync)
  • MI Client on the mobile device in the correct version and patch level for this application
Web AS 6.20
  • Application archive in the virtual file system of the SAP J2EE Engine in order to allow for application deployment
  • Generic Sync:
    • mapping entries (table BWAFMAPP)
    • RFC destination to application backend (table MEMAPPDEST)
  • Smart Sync
    • Definition of all SyncBOs used by the mobile application
    • Generated and configured runtime agents for these SyncBOs
  • Offline Minapp (optional; only if mobile application needs to be deployed via role)
  • Mobile Component Descriptor
Application backend
  • Server-side Business logic of mobile application
    • Generic Sync: Wrapper functions and function modules that make the business logic
    • Smart Sync: BAPI Wrappers and BAPIs
  • Customizing for the application in the application backend

 

Furthermore, several non-application parts need to exist or be set up like

Obviously, there is the need to manage all these cross-dependencies of the various pieces that make a mobile solution. The Mobile Component Descriptor is exactly that managing instance and contains information on the following:

The graphic below illustrates this concept:

The MCD is designed in a flexible way to allow description of future parts and dependencies of a mobile solution and its enhancement by a applications. The MCD information for applications are used for various purposes:

MCD are created, changed, transported and deleted via the MCD Editor (transaction MI_MCD). All applications should ALWAYS ship MCD together with the application archives.

Contrary to ME 2.1, the Web Console should only be used to upload the application archive via and thus link it to an already existing MCD. The button 'Upload application' in the Web Console should never be used.

 

Using the MCD in your mobile projects

The lifecycle of an MCD is as follows:

  1. MCD is created by the responsible developer at the beginning of the development project
  2. During development, dependencies of the MCD are added as needed
  3. At the end of development, the MCD is transported. The application archive is built.
  4. MCD transport and application archive are shipped to the customer
  5. The customer's administrator applies the MCD transport
  6. The administrator uploads the application archive to the MCD in the Web Console
  7. The administrator assigns the MCD to users and/or roles
  8. Users synchronize to download the application archive

If application archive or MCD needs patching, this ALWAYS results in a NEW MCD version and a NEW application archive that belongs to this MCD version.

 

Find more information on the Change & Transport System of the WebAS here.