A component is a group of topics and a related DITA map that are intended to be reused as a complete set. For example, you can create a DITA map with a series of topics that describe how to troubleshoot issues in the Administration application. You can use this DITA map in the Administration application deliverable and in the central troubleshooting deliverable.
Topic reuse
You can reuse a single topic between deliverables. For example, an overview topic that describes a feature can be used in the What's New deliverable, the feature-specific deliverable, and the user guide.
Content element reuse
A content element is the chunk of content contained inside a DITA element. Examples of content elements include a bulleted list, a step in a procedure, an application name, a product name, and a field or menu option name from a user interface.
