Configuring Siebel Business Applications > Architecture of Siebel Business Applications >

About the Siebel Object Architecture

The metadata that defines Siebel CRM objects and files, such as web templates and style sheets, is divided in several architectural layers. Figure 1 illustrates the architecture.

Figure 1. Siebel Object Architecture

The architecture includes the following objects:

1. Physical user interface objects layer. Includes the physical files, templates, style sheets, and other metadata that reference files that render the user interface displayed in the Siebel client. For more information, see Overview of the Physical User Interface Layer.
2. Logical user interface object layer. Includes object definitions for the user interface displayed in the Siebel client. These objects define the visual elements that Siebel CRM displays to the user and with which the user interacts in a Web browser. A user interface object references a business object. For more information, see Overview of the Logical User Interface Object Layer.
3. Business object layer. Includes objects that define business logic and organize data from underlying tables into logical units. For more information, see Overview of the Business Object Layer.
4. Data objects layer. Includes object definitions that directly map the data structures from the underlying relational database to Siebel CRM. These objects provide access to those structures through object definitions in the business object layer. For more information, see Overview of the Data Objects Layer.

Siebel CRM insulates objects in each layer of the Siebel object architecture from the layers above and below each layer, including the RDBMS (Relational Database Management System) at the bottom of the architecture. This allows you to change or customize Siebel objects in one layer without affecting other layers. Similarly, because Siebel CRM separates the database in the RDBMS from the object architecture, you can make database changes with only minimal affect on Siebel CRM.