This Component Diagram Example describes how physical components in a system are organized and wired together. Component diagrams are frequently used to help model implementation details and double-check that planned development covers every aspect of the system's required functions. Components included in these diagrams in the first version of UML were physical: documents, database tables, files, and executables, all of which had a physical location. These components are less physical and more conceptual stand-alone design elements in UML 2, such as a business process that provides or requires interfaces to interact with other constructs in the system. Artifacts are the new name for the physical elements described in UML 1, such as files and documents.
