1. A network element for a software-defined network, the network element comprising: a data transfer interface comprising one or more egress ports that connect to data transfer links of the software-defined network so as to transmit data to the software-defined network, and one or more ingress ports that connect to the data transfer links of the software-defined network so as to receive data from the software-defined network; and a processing system for implementing a forwarding-section for maintaining a configuration system enabling the network element to operate as a part of the software-defined network, the configuration system comprising interconnected look-up tables that define actions to be carried out when managing the data received from the software-defined network, wherein the processing system comprises one or more processor circuits adapted to implement a control-section for: constructing the interconnected look-up tables of the configuration system on the basis of a first portion of configuration data received from the software-defined network, addressing at least a second portion of the configuration data to at least one first other network element of the software-defined network, the second portion of the configuration data comprising data for configuring two or more other network elements including the first other network element, delivering at least the second portion of the configuration data to the forwarding-section so as to transmit at least the second portion of the configuration data to the first other network element in accordance with the configuration system constructed on the basis of the first portion of the configuration data, wherein group information, identifying the first other network element to be configured with the aid of the configuration data, is read from the configuration data, and at least the second portion of the configuration data is addressed to the first other network element on the basis of the group information.