We propose a conceptual framework for the component based information systems (IS) engineering. This framework is based on the concepts of hyperclass and IS component.The concept of hyperclass is a generalization of the concept of class. Defined on a connex and complete set of classes, a hyperclass allows expressing concepts that the level of class would not allow to express, and behaves like a class: it has hyperobjects, hyperattributes and hypermethods, equivalents of the concepts of object, attribute and method for a class. A hyperobjet of a hyperclass is built from the objects of the classes of the hyperclass, reached by navigation, starting from a particular class of the hyperclass, which is its class root. A hyperattribute is an attribute of one of the hyperclass classes. A hypermethod is a method of the hyperclass which can have hyperattributes, hyperobjects, others hypermethods, classes of hyperclasses, their objects and methods as operands. The concept of hyperclass offers a type of independence between the structure and the treatments of an IS.An IS component is an autonomous and coherent entity in an IS model, that gathers the informational and operational aspects associated to a zone of responsibility. It is built from a hyperclass, a set of transactions and a set of integrity rules. A transaction is associated to an activity producing or consuming information in a process of decision-making. The integrity rules are defined to guarantee the coherence of the IS. Complete sets of evolution operations are defined on the concepts of hyperclass and IS component. They are defined independently of the methods, languages and technologies in which the IS is implemented. The conceptual framework that we propose in particular makes it possible to handle overlap of components, their evolution, the evolution of IS and its effects on its components.
