It's true that there are bits and pieces of source code to be gleaned from the SCA, but since these were WebDynpro classes there was little to no business logic to be found. The EC product development team did an excellent job staying within the MVC framework, so the WebDynpro code I uncovered was generally presentation layer logic and pretty much useless to me - writing a batch job. I presume the majority of business logic exists in EJB's, and that puts it far beyond my reach, both practically and ethically. Nice piece of obfuscating!
Still, by studying what I COULD see of the content and structure of the SCA files I learned a lot, nothing proprietary about the operation of the application, but quite the opposite - what I needed to do for my client didn't involve the Environmental Compliance application at all. What I REALLY needed to do was work with UWL classes and the Java Scheduler in NWA. The only thing I needed from EC was to read their task tables in the portal database, and that is easy enough using JDBC. Not morally ambiguous or legally shaky at all.
I was mildly surprised at first that customization of what I thought was original SAP application code was prohibited, and my attempts to acquire source code would be so vehemently opposed, but I get it now. Originating from a third party, purchased by SAP, unknown licensing conditions, who wants to risk litigation? No thanks. I can say, though, it was a great study exercise. At least I have a new appreciation of the Composition Environment.
