2023:CMIS Import (Import Provider)

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CMIS Import refers to two Import Providers used to import content from settings_system_daydream CMIS Repositories: Import Descendants and Import Query Results. CMIS Imports allow users to import from various on-premise and cloud based storage platforms (including Windows folders, Outlook inboxes, Box accounts, AppEnhancer applications and more).

Documents are imported from CMIS Connections using either the Import Descendants or Import Query Results providers. These can be used in two ways:

  • To perform manual "ad-hoc" imports when creating a new Batch in Grooper Dashboard or Grooper Design Studio.
  • To perform automated, scheduled imports using one or more Import Watcher Grooper services.

Import Descendants will import all documents within a designated folder location of a CMIS Repository. Import Query Results allows you to use a query syntax similar to a SQL query (called a CMISQL query) to set conditions for import based on the item's available metadata, such as a documents name, file type, creation date, archive status, or other variables.

SharePoint: SharePoint is a connection option for cloud CMIS Connections. It Grooper to Microsoft SharePoint, providing access to content stored in "document libraries" and "picture libraries" for import and export operations.

About CMIS+

"CMIS" stands for "Content Management Interoperability Services". It is an open standard that allows different content management systems to inter-operate over the Internet. Grooper expanded on this idea in version 2.72 to create our "CMIS+" architecture. CMIS+ unifies all content platforms under a single framework as if they were traditional CMIS endpoints.


Now, Grooper connects to all available external storage platforms by creating and configuring a CMIS Connection.

  • Once a CMIS Connection is created, Grooper can "interoperate" with these platforms.
  • "Interoperability " means Grooper has the same access to control the system as a human being does.
  • Grooper has a "one-to-one" connection to the platform, allowing full and total control.
  • Because we standardize connection to non-CMIS systems, this includes platforms like NTFS file systems (Windows) that are not CMIS servers.


Using this architecture, Grooper is able to create a simpler and more efficient import and export workflow, using a variety of storage platforms.

  • You now use CMIS Import providers and CMIS Export for any storage platform you can connect to with a CMIS Connection.
  • This also speeds up development for adding new connection types for import/export operations.

Anatomy of a CMIS Connection

When connecting Grooper to external storage platforms, you'll start by creating a CMIS Connection. There are three important parts to understanding a CMIS Connection:

  1. The CMIS Connection itself
  2. The platform it's connecting to. This is defined by the "CMIS Binding" (aka "connection type") selected for the CMIS Connection's "Connection Settings".
  3. Its child CMIS Repositories
    • "Repository" is just a general term for a location where data lives. Different systems refer to "repositories" in different ways.
      • A folder in Windows could be a repository. An email inbox could be a repository. A document library in SharePoint could be a repository. An application in ApplicationEnhancer (formerly ApplicationXtender) could be a repository.
      • "Repository" is a normalized way of referring to various terms used by various storage platforms.


For newer users, the difference between a CMIS Connection and a CMIS Repository can be confusing. The key distinction is as follows:

  • CMIS Connections connect to storage platforms.
    • It's the phone number you dial.
    • The specific platform you're connecting to is defined in its "Connection Settings".
  • CMIS Repositories represent a location within the connected platform.
    • It's the person on the other end of that phone number you want to talk to.
    • CMIS Repositories represent storage locations (typically folders) in the storage platform. They are added as children to a parent CMIS Connection.
    • The CMIS Repository nodes are what Grooper actually uses when configuring import/export operations.
      • You don't talk to a phone number. You talk to a person.
      • You don't reference the parent CMIS Connection when configuring CMIS Import or CMIS Export. Instead you reference a CMIS Repository.

Basic creation steps

There are three basic steps involved to connect Grooper to external storage platforms:

  1. Create a CMIS Connection
  2. Configure the "Connection Settings".
    • Choose what platform you want to connect to (the CMIS Binding).
    • Enter the connection settings required to connect to the platform (This will differ from platform to platform)
  3. Add child CMIS Repositories by importing the storage locations.
    • Importing a CMIS Repository is not the same as importing documents to a new Batch.
      • "Importing" here is more like importing a reference (or bringing the repository into a framework Grooper can use).
      • Upon importing the CMIS Repository, Grooper has full file access to that location in the storage platform.

CMIS Bindings (aka "connection types")

How you configure a CMIS Connection only differs based on what platform you're connecting to. Connection settings include folder paths, URL addresses or usernames or passwords.

  • Example: Connecting to a Windows folder requires a networked folder's UNC path.
  • Example: Connecting to a SharePoint site requires a URL address.
  • Example: Connecting to a email inbox requires an server host name.
  • Example: Connecting to Application Extender, Box, SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange (Outlook) and more requires a username and password.


Each platform has its own connection requirements. These connection settings and the logic required to interoperate between Grooper and a specific platform are defined by the different "CMIS Binding"

Each CMIS Binding provides the settings and logic to connect Grooper to CMS platforms and file systems for import and export operations.

  • Example: The "Exchange" binding contains all the information Grooper uses to connect to Microsoft Exchange email servers (i.e. Outlook inboxes).
  • Example: The "AppXtender" binding contains all the information Grooper uses to connect to the ApplicationEnhancer (formerly AppXtender) content management system.
  • Example: The "NTFS" binding contains all the information Grooper uses to connect to a Windows file system.
  • And so on.


The first step in configuring a CMIS Connection is choosing what platform you want to connect to. You do this by selecting a "CMIS Binding".

  • You will commonly hear "CMIS Binding" referred to as a "CMIS connection type" or "connection type".
  • Or just "connection", as in an "Exchange connection".

Current CMIS Bindings (aka "connection types")

Grooper can connect to the following storage platforms using below using CMIS Bindings:

Most Commonly Used

Somewhat Commonly Used

Less Commonly Used

  • FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) servers.
  • IMAP mail servers

Least Used

  • Content management systems using CMIS 1.0 or CMIS 1.1 servers.
  • The FileBound document management platform.
  • The IBM FileNet platform.

About CMIS Import

The CMIS Import provider is split into two different Import Providers

  • Import Descendants
  • Import Query Results

These providers are designed to import files from a folder structure of an on-premise or cloud-based document storage platform. This is the primary method of Batch creation when importing digital documents into Grooper to process them with a Batch Process.

In order to do this, a few requirements must be met first.

  1. A CMIS Connection object must made and configured. This will connect Grooper to the document storage platform.
    • This may be a connection to a Windows folder, an email inbox, a true CMIS content management system, or other document storage platforms. What the CMIS Connection connects to is determined by the CMIS Binding selected when configuring the Connection Type property of the CMIS Connection object.
  2. A CMIS Repository must be imported. This will create an object Grooper can use to import documents from the folders in the document storage platform.
    • This acts as a "go-between" or a "hub" for Grooper to pull in documents from the content's source. Or, you may think of this as Grooper's representation of a folder location in the document storage platform.

For more information on adding a CMIS Connection and importing a CMIS Repository, visit the CMIS Connection article.

As for the difference between the Import Descendants and Import Query Results providers, you can think of Import Query Results as a more specialized version of Import Descendants.

  • Import Descendants is intended to import the full contents of a folder location. It imports the "descendant" files of a parent folder.
  • Import Query Results allows you to selectively import files using a SQL-like query (called a CMISQL query). Only files returned by the query will be imported. For example, using an Exchange or IMAP CMIS Connection, you could query an inbox for emails from a specific sender and only import those emails.
    • Note: There are some import filtering capabilities available to Import Descendants as well using a SQL-like query. However, the CMISQL querying capabilities of Import Query Results are much more robust.
    • That said, only certain CMIS Bindings can take advantage of this increased CMISQL query functionality. The following CMIS Bindings are not currently suitable for the Import Query Results provider.
      • FTP
      • SFTP
      • NTFS (If the folder path is not indexed by the Windows Search service and/or Windows Search is not running on the storage server)

Import Descendants

Configuration Panel

General Settings

Back top the Import Descendants configuration screen, the CMIS Repository object is used to point Grooper to this folder location for import.

  • The Repository property is configured to assign the CMIS Repository where the documents are located.
    • Here the CMIS Repository named "Import and Export" connecting to the "Import and Export" folder of the local drive.
  • The Base Folder property is configured to traverse the folder structure of the CMIS Repository.
    • Here, we don't want to import all documents from every folder in the "Import and Export" folder. We just want to import from the "Grooper Import Folder".
  • The Import Filter property allows you to perform some basic import filtering to selectively choose which documents you want to import.
    • SELECT * FROM File is the default filter. It will import all files from the selected folder location.
    • This is a SQL-like query to specify conditions for document import. However, the Import Query Results provider was created to expand on this functionality and provides more filtering options as well as a simpler interface to perform the query (for the CMIS Bindings capable of utilizing this functionality).
  • The Content Type property allows you to optionally assign the incoming documents with a Document Type.
    • You can use this property to assign a default classification for all incoming documents.

Processing Options Settings

The most important part of the Processing Options property section is the Import Mode property. The Import Mode property allows control over the connections Grooper makes and/or retains to the imported documents. For importing, documents contain two important sets of information:
  • Content - Images and native text data
  • Properties - Metadata associated with the file. Digital information, such as the document's filename, file type, creation date, and more.
Depending on the Import Mode selected all, some, or none of this information will be copied to your Grooper Repository's file store (in the case of the document's content) and database (in the case of the document's properties). See below for more in depth explanation of each of the Import Mode options.

Copy

  • Both properties and content will be loaded. This is a total duplication of the document from its source to your Grooper Repository's local file store. This is the slowest import mode, because the full content of each document is copied during a single-threaded import process. As such, this mode is not well-suited for high-volume imports, but provides some useful advantages in low-volume import scenarios.
  • For example, Copy mode allows items to be deleted immediately on import. Also, Full mode avoids the need for any follow-up content loading operations in the Batch Process.
  • This mode was called Full in older versions of Grooper.

Sparse

  • Properties will be loaded, but content will not. This mode is much faster than a Full import, because no content files are copied into your local Grooper file store. Instead, a link is saved on each Grooper document, and content is retrieved on demand directly from the CMIS Repository. This type of document is often referred to as a "sparse" document. Sparse documents can be used just like any other document, with the caveat that display and processing speeds may be reduced. Grooper has to traverse the document link in order to display or process the document's image.
  • However, after a Sparse import, document content can be loaded multi-threaded using the Execute activity in a Batch Process. This can overall lead to importing a document's content faster than a Full import. While the
    • Choose CMIS Document Link as the Object Type and Load Content as the Command

Link Only

  • No content or properties will be loaded, making this the fastest import mode. It imports nothing more than a link to each document, and offloads all property and content loading to parallel operations in the Batch Process.
  • However, this does not produce a usable document in Grooper. After a LinkOnly import, document content must be loaded using the Execute activity in a Batch Process.
    • Choose CMIS Document Link as the Object Type and Load Content as the Command
  • You can think of the Link Only option as an even sparser sparse import.


See the table bellow for a summary of the Import Mode options.

Import Mode Speed Comments
Full Slow Full import of content and their properties.
  • Required if deleting content from the source on import.
Sparse Fast Imports a link to the document's source and its properties but not their content.
  • This produces a usable document in Grooper without copying the full content into Grooper, saving time upon import.
  • This mode is the same as enabling the old Sparse Import property in previous versions.
Link Only Fastest Only imports a link to the document's source.
  • Does not produce a usable document. The document's properties must be loaded in a step in a Batch Process.

Disposition Settings

The Disposition property settings allow you to do something with the source documents after importing them into Grooper, namely delete them, move them, or do nothing and just leave them alone where they came from. This is often leveraged with the Import Watcher Grooper service to prevent repeatedly importing the same document. In our example here, the Move to Folder property is configured to move the PDF documents to a folder named "Imported Documents".
  • The folder location you're moving documents to must be accessible via the connected CMIS Repository.
If using the FullImport Mode, you can enable the Delete Item property to delete each document after it is imported into the Grooper Batch.
  • This property is ONLY available when choosing the Full Import Mode. A sparsely imported document needs to call to the import storage location in order to load the document's image for display or processing. If you deleted the document upon import, you wouldn't be able to view it or do anything with it.
The Update Properties property allows you to alter the document's property values upon import. Property values are updated using a list of "key-value pairs" where the "key" is the name of the property and the "value" is what change you want to make to that property. You can type one entry per line in the format key=value.
  • Examples:
  • Archive=true Sets the archive attribute on a file
  • Status=PENDING Sets the "Status" field on ApplicationXtender documents.
  • Imported=true Sets the "Imported" field on SharePoint documents.
  • IsRead=true Sets the "IsRead" flag on an Exchange message.

Batch Creation Settings

It's likely you're importing documents because you want to run them through a Batch Process. The Batch Creation property settings allow you to define which Batch Process you wish to use to process the imported documents. This is done using the Starting Step property, selecting a Batch Process Step in a Batch Process from the published Batch Processes in the Grooper Repository. Upon import, a new Batch is created with each document as a Batch Folder, and the selected Batch Process assigned to the Batch. There are also further properties to control Batch creation. You can limit the number of documents imported per Batch using the Maximum Items per Batch property. By default, new Batches are named with a date/time stamp. However, the Batch Name Prefix allows you to tack on a prefix to the Batch's name for easier identification. The Start Paused property will automatically trigger the Batch Process if set to False.

Import Query Results

The Same, But Different

The Import Query Results provider's configuration panel is almost identical to the Import Descendants provider's configuration panel. Both providers share the same Processing Options, Disposition, and Batch Creation property settings. See the Import Descendants section for brief descriptions of these property sections.


The big difference between the two providers is the highlighted CMIS Query property. This allows users to enter a SQL-like query (called a CMISQL query) to selectively import documents from their source, based on certain metadata properties. Only files returned by the query will be imported.
  • For example, you may want to only import documents of a certain file type(s). You could include the file extension(s) as the query condition (or one of many conditions).
  • For another example, you can use CMISQL queries to easily filter email messages when importing from an inbox. If you only wanted to import messages from a certain sender, from an certain folder, with a certain subject line and only ones that have not been read, you could filter out any emails that didn't meet those query conditions by comparing metadata properties (like "Sender" and "Subject") to your criteria.

Only certain external storage platforms are currently queryable with the CMIS Query property. The following CMIS Binding sources cannot be queried currently. As such, they are not suitable for Import Query Results. You should instead use Import Descendants for the following CMIS Bindings.
FTP
SFTP
NTFS (If the folder path is not indexed by the Windows Search service and/or Windows Search is not running on the storage server)



Just like with Import Descendants, there are some minimum requirements before configuring Import Query Results. A CMIS Connection object must be created and a CMIS Repository must be imported.



CMIS Query Configuration

Upon pressing the ellipsis button at the end of the CMIS Query property, the CMIS Query Editor window will appear.

This interface allows you to configure the CMISQL query based on available metadata from the CMIS Binding. For example, the Exchange binding has a selection of queryable metadata for email messages, such as the email's subject, sender and date the message was received.

For an in depth explanation of the CMIS Query Editor and how to use it to craft a CMISQL query, please visit the CMIS Query article.

Version Differences

New CMIS Query Editor (2021)

Grooper 2021 introduced a new and improved CMIS Query Editor'. This editor was designed to simplify construction of CMISQL queries using a property grid. For more information, please visit the CMIS Query article.

Box Integration (2.90)

Grooper 2.9 sees the addition of the Box.com document storage platform into the CMIS fold via the Box (CMIS Binding).

Legacy Providers (2.72)

Old import and export providers should be replaced with this new functionality. While Grooper's older import and export providers are available as "Legacy Import" and "Legacy Export" providers, these components are depreciated. They will still function but will no longer be upgraded in future versions of Grooper.

Grooper can import documents using CMIS Connections via Import Descendants and Import Query Results. Grooper can export via the CMIS Export providers, Mapped Export and Unmapped Export.

New Connection Types (2.72)

By creating the CMIS+ architecture, we have been able to create new connections between Grooper and content management systems. Grooper can now connect to Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange via new CMIS Bindings. Since these were created as CMIS Bindings, they can be used by the CMIS Import and CMIS Export providers. Instead of having to create three new import providers and three new export providers for a total of six brand new components, we can use the already established CMIS import and export providers in the CMIS+ framework. A user can create a CMIS Connection using the OneDrive, SharePoint or Exchange bindings, and use the same import and export providers for them as any of the other CMIS Bindings.

This will also allow Grooper to create CMIS Bindings to connect to currently unavailable content management systems in the future much quicker and easier.

Import Mode (2.72)

In version 2.72 the Import Mode property replaces previous versions' Sparse Import property.

Import Disposition (2.72)

2.72 adds the Import Disposition property to CMIS Import. This allows you to change your documents disposition upon importing them into Grooper. You can delete them, move them to a folder, or update one or more properties on the document itself. This can be leveraged with Import Watcher to prevent repeatedly importing the same document.

Glossary

AppXtender: AppXtender is a connection option for cloud CMIS Connections. It allows Grooper to connect to the AppEnhancer (formerly ApplicationXtender) content management system for import and export operations.

Batch Folder: The folder Batch Folder is an organizational unit within a inventory_2 Batch, allowing for a structured approach to managing and processing a collection of documents. Batch Folder nodes serve two purposes in a Batch. (1) Primarily, they represent "documents" in Grooper. (2) They can also serve more generally as folders, holding other Batch Folders and/or contract Batch Page nodes as children.

  • Batch Folders are frequently referred to simply as "documents" or "folders" depending on how they are used in the Batch.

Batch Process Step: edit_document Batch Process Steps are specific actions within a settings Batch Process sequence. Each Batch Process Step performs an "Activity" specific to some document processing task. These Activities will either be a "Code Activity" or "Review" activities. Code Activities are automated by Activity Processing services. Review activities are executed by human operators in the Grooper user interface.

  • Batch Process Steps are frequently referred to as simply "steps".
  • Because a single Batch Process Step executes a single Activity configuration, they are often referred to by their referenced Activity as well. For example, a "Recognize step".

Batch Process: settings Batch Process nodes are crucial components in Grooper's architecture. A Batch Process is the step-by-step processing instructions given to a inventory_2 Batch. Each step is comprised of a "Code Activity" or a Review activity. Code Activities are automated by Activity Processing services. Review activities are executed by human operators in the Grooper user interface.

  • Batch Processes by themselves do nothing. Instead, they execute edit_document Batch Process Steps which are added as children nodes.
  • A Batch Process is often referred to as simply a "process".

Batch: inventory_2 Batch nodes are fundamental in Grooper's architecture. They are containers of documents that are moved through workflow mechanisms called settings Batch Processes. Documents and their pages are represented in Batches by a hierarchy of folder Batch Folders and contract Batch Pages.

Box: Box is a connection option for cloud CMIS Connections. It Grooper to the Box content management system for import and export operations.

CMIS Connection Type:

CMIS Connection: cloud CMIS Connections provide a standardized way of connecting to various content management systems (CMS). CMIS Connections allow Grooper to communicate with multiple external storage platforms, enabling access to documents and document metadata that reside outside of Grooper's immediate environment.

  • For those that support the CMIS standard, the CMIS Connection connects to the CMS using the CMIS standard.
  • For those that do not, the CMIS Connection normalizes connection and transfer protocol as if they were a CMIS platform.

CMIS Export: CMIS Export is an Export Definition available when configuring an Export Behavior. It exports content over a cloud CMIS Connection, allowing users to export documents and their metadata to various on-premise and cloud-based storage platforms.

CMIS Import: CMIS Import refers to two Import Providers used to import content from settings_system_daydream CMIS Repositories: Import Descendants and Import Query Results. CMIS Imports allow users to import from various on-premise and cloud based storage platforms (including Windows folders, Outlook inboxes, Box accounts, AppEnhancer applications and more).

CMIS Query: A CMISQL Query (aka CMIS Query) is Grooper's way of searching for documents in CMIS Repositories. Commonly, CMISQL Queries are used by Import Query Results to import documents from a CMIS Repository. CMISQL Queries are also used by CMIS Lookup to lookup data from a CMIS Repository. CMISQL Queries are based on a subset of the SQL-92 syntax for querying databases, with some specialized extensions added to support querying CMIS sources.

  • CMISQL Queries are configured using the "CMIS Query" property found in "Import Query Results" and "CMIS Lookup".

CMIS Repository: settings_system_daydream CMIS Repository nodes provide document access in external storage platforms through a cloud CMIS Connection. With a CMIS Repository, users can manage and interact with those documents within Grooper. They are used primarily for import using Import Descendants and Import Query Results and for export using CMIS Export.

  • CMIS Repositories are create as a child node of a CMIS Connection using the "Import Repository" command.

CMIS+: CMIS+ is a conceptual term that refers to Grooper's connectivity architecture to external storage platforms. CMIS+ standardizes connections to a variety of content management system based on the CMIS standard. This provides a standardized setup to allow Grooper to interoperate with both CMIS compliant systems and non-CMIS systems. It further provides normalized access to document content and metadata for import (CMIS Import) and export (CMIS Export) operations.

CMIS: CMIS (Content Management Interoperability Services) is open standard allowing different content management systems to "interoperate", sharing files, folders and their metadata as well as programmatic control of the platform over the internet.

Content Type: Content Types are a class of node types used used to classify folder Batch Folders. They represent categories of documents (stacks Content Models and collections_bookmark Content Categories) or distinct types of documents (description Document Types). Content Types serve an important role in defining Data Elements and Behaviors that apply to a document.

Document Type: description Document Type nodes represent a distinct type of document, such as an invoice or a contract. Document Types are created as child nodes of a stacks Content Model or a collections_bookmark Content Category. They serve three primary purposes:

  1. They are used to classify documents. Documents are considered "classified" when the folder Batch Folder is assigned a Content Type (most typically, a Document Type).
  2. The Document Type's data_table Data Model defines the Data Elements extracted by the Extract activity (including any Data Elements inherited from parent Content Types).
  3. The Document Type defines all "Behaviors" that apply (whether from the Document Type's Behavior settings or those inherited from a parent Content Type).

Exchange: Exchange is a connection option for cloud CMIS Connections. It connects Grooper to Microsoft Exchange email servers (including Outlook servers) for import and export operations.

Execute: tv_options_edit_channels Execute is an Activity that runs one or more specified object commands. This gives access to a variety of Grooper commands in a settings Batch Process for which there is no Activity, such as the "Sort Children" command for Batch Folders or the "Expand Attachments" command for email attachments.

Export: output Export is an Activity that transfers documents and extracted information to external file systems and content management systems, completing the data processing workflow.

FTP: FTP is a connection option for cloud CMIS Connections. It connects Grooper to FTP directories for import and export operations.

Grooper Repository: A Grooper Repository is the environment used to create, configure and execute objects in Grooper. It provides the framework to "do work" in Grooper. Fundamentally, a Grooper Repository is a connection to a database and file store location, which store the node configurations and their associated file content. The Grooper application interacts with the Grooper Repository to automate tasks and provide the Grooper user interface.

IMAP: IMAP is a connection option for cloud CMIS Connections. It connects Grooper to email messages and folders through an IMAP email server for import and export operations.

Import Descendants: Import Descendants is one of two Import Providers that use cloud CMIS Connections to import document content into Grooper. Import Descendants imports files from a settings_system_daydream CMIS Repository folder location, including any files in any sub-folders (i.e. all "descendant" files).

Import Provider: Import Providers enable Grooper to import file-based content from numerous sources, including Windows file systems, SFTP file systems, mail servers and various content management systems (CMS). An Import Provider is selected and configured when configuring "Import Jobs". Import Jobs are submitted in one of two ways:

  • By a user from the Imports page: Ad-hoc or "user directed" Import Jobs are submitted from the Imports Page, using the "Submit Import Job" button.
  • From an Import Watcher service: Automated or "scheduled" Import Jobs are submitted by an Import Watcher service according to its Poling Loop or Specific Times specification.

In both cases, an Import Provider is selected and configured using using the "Provider" property.

Import Query Results: Import Query Results is one of two Import Providers that use cloud CMIS Connections to import document content into Grooper. Import Query Results imports files from a settings_system_daydream CMIS Repository that match a "CMISQL query" (a specialized query language based on SQL database queries).

NTFS: NTFS is a connection option for cloud CMIS Connections. It connects Grooper to files and folders in the Microsoft Windows NTFS file system for import and export operations.

OneDrive: OneDrive is a connection option for cloud CMIS Connections. It connects Grooper to Microsoft OneDrive cloud services for import and export operations.

Repository: A "repository" is a general term in computer science referring to where files and/or data is stored and managed. In Grooper, the term "repository" may refer to:

Service: Grooper Services are various executable programs that run as a Windows Service to facilitate Grooper processing. Service instances are installed, configured, started and stopped using Grooper Command Console (or in older Grooper versions, Grooper Config).

SFTP: SFTP is a connection option for cloud CMIS Connections. It connects Grooper to SFTP directories for import and export operations.