IT components
Identify shared technology and trace the applications and integrations affected by an upgrade.
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An IT component is technology that other parts of the landscape rely on. A database engine stores information, a runtime executes software and a message broker delivers messages. Model the webshop as an application, the order as a data object and the broker carrying order messages as an IT component.
Decide what deserves its own record
Start with one record for a shared product when the same team upgrades it and its consumers move together. If two deployments run different major versions and have different owners or upgrade dates, separate records let you trace each change to the right consumers. A patch number is worth capturing when it changes a support or replacement decision.
In the pilot IT components list, search by name or vendor, or filter by Category or Lifecycle. Open the component and check Vendor or provider, Version and Owner. Choose Classic to open the earlier detail view, where an editor can choose Edit. To create a record, open /technologies?classic=1 in Atlas. If the inventory is empty, Add technologies opens the import. Once there are records, Add Technology on Technology Radar opens the creation form.
To link a component from an application's fact sheet, choose Edit on its IT components card, search the workspace's existing components and select Link or Unlink. Each change saves immediately. Undo reverses the last successful link change. Choose New to create a component and link it to the application. If creation succeeds but linking fails, Retry link reuses the component already created. These controls require edit permission and Editing live.
Setting a provider on an application creates an IT component for that application or reuses one uniquely matched in the same workspace, then links it to the application. Atlas keeps the provider field during the transition. An ambiguous or conflicting match stops the save so an editor can inspect the records.
Check who depends on a component
| Fact sheet card | What to check before changing the component |
|---|---|
| Applications | Which applications use this component directly? Open each relevant record to identify who can test the change. |
| Interfaces | Which exchanges use it as middleware? Follow an entry and check the Middleware card on the integration. |
| Requires | Which other components must be available for this one to work? |
| Required by | Which other components need this one and may also need testing? |
For example, a broker upgrade could interrupt orders reaching the warehouse while the webshop still accepts orders. Follow the order exchange from the broker to both applications. Ask the owners how they would verify that a new order reaches the warehouse. An empty card tells you where to check the inventory with them.
Check lifecycle and support before an upgrade
Lifecycle describes the component's recorded stage in your landscape. Support tier and Contract expiry describe different facts. For a vendor's end-of-support date, check the notice for the exact version and keep it as a source. When Annual cost is visible to you, keep its currency and period with the figure in a replacement proposal.