Customization projects vary with the type of changes that are needed. However, most projects involve an interconnected series of changes that are best carried out in a particular order.
The checklist identifies the most common order of customization tasks and indicates which guide in the documentation set provides details about each stage. The items identified for extension and/or modification in the documentation are Source Components (to the extent such item involves source code) and Sample Materials for purposes of the License Information file associated with this product.
Prepare Your Development Environment
Set up a development environment that mirrors your production environment, including whether you deploy your application on a WebLogic, WebSphere®, or JBoss application server. Doing so ensures that you can test your extensions in a real-time environment.
You install and deploy your application in your development environment following the same steps that you used to install and deploy it in your production environment. Refer to your system requirements and installation documentation for details.
You have an option to customize your application with Microsoft COM+. Using Microsoft COM+ has advantages such as increased security, better performance, increased manageability of server applications, and support for clients of mixed environments.
Plan Your Customizations
Are you adding a new menu entry? Or customizing the sign-in screen or logo? Or customizing views or wizards? Or creating new themes or new screens? Each type of customization varies in scope and complexity. Review the section about customization basics for a summary of the changes that you can make and guidelines about file names, keywords, and other general conventions.