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About the Siebel Object Architecture

The metadata that defines Siebel applications, objects, and other files such as Web templates and style sheets, can be divided into the following architectural layers:

• The Physical User Interface layer. Consists of the physical files, templates, style sheets, and other file-based metadata that render the UI. See Physical User Interface Layer.
• The Logical User Interface Objects layer. Consists of user interface object definitions that define the visual interface that the user sees and interacts with in a Web browser. User interface objects are based on business objects. See Logical User Interface Objects Layer.
• The Business Objects layer. Objects that define business logic and organize data from underlying tables into logical units. See Business Objects Layer.
• The Data Objects layer. Consists of data object definitions that directly map the data structures from the underlying relational database into Siebel applications, providing access to those structures by object definitions in the Business Objects layer. See Data Objects Layer.

The four-layer architecture is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.  Architectural Layers of Object Definitions

Objects in each layer of the Siebel object architecture are insulated from the layers above it and below it, including the DBMS at the bottom of the architecture. This allows you to change or extend Siebel objects in one layer without impacting other layers. Similarly, because the database in the DBMS is separated from the object architecture, you can make database changes with only minimal impact to the applications.