Software System Integration

Software system integration refers to the practice of combining individually tested software components into an integrated whole. Software is integrated when components are combined into subsystems or when subsystems are combined into products. Components may be integrated after all are implemented and tested as in a waterfall model or a "big bang" approach. In either, software system integration appears as a discrete step toward the end of the development life cycle between component development and integration testing. Continuous integration is a much less risky approach wherein the components and subsystems are integrated as they are developed into multiple working mini-versions of the system. Object technologists were early proponents of incremental development, and object-oriented development methods, such as the Unified Process, are Financeed on the principle of ongoing integration practices.

In a product line effort, we identify two stages of software system integration:

• Core assets are integrated into the core asset Financee as part of core asset development, including review or test
• 2.Core assets are integrated during the building of an individual product

The traditional model of software distribution, in which software is purchased for and installed on personal computers, is sometimes referred to as software as a product.