CMIS+ (Concept)

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2025 2023.1202320212.90

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.

All content platforms are exposed to Grooper under a single framework (called CMIS+) as if they were traditional CMIS endpoints by using a CMIS Connection in Grooper.

The CMIS Connection's Connection Type determines which storage platform you're connecting to.

  • For example, if you wanted to connect to a Windows file system, you would create a CMIS Connection configured with an NTFS connection.

Once connected to a platform, Grooper can import from and export to that platform by importing a CMIS Repository that represents a location (usually a folder) in the storage platform.

  • For example, if you wanted to import documents from a Windows folder named "Grooper Imports", you would first import that folder location as a CMIS Repository in Grooper. Then, you would point to that CMIS Repository when importing the documents into Grooper.

This provides Grooper the necessary infrastructure to import, access, and publish documents and their metadata to both CMIS and non-CMIS storage platforms, including on-premise and cloud based platforms.


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 any external storage platform by creating and configuring a CMIS Connection (not just CMIS 1.0 or CMIS 1.1 servers).

  • 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.


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, regardless of the storage platform.

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

  • The CMIS Connection itself.
  • It's Connection Type (and the "CMIS Binding" you select).
  • It's child CMIS Repositories

FYI

A "repository", in computer science, is a general term for a location where data lives. Different systems refer to "repositories" in different ways.

  • An email inbox could be a repository. A folder in Windows could be a repository. A folder in a Box account could be a repository. A cabinet in ApplicationXtender could be a repository.
  • We standardize the various terms used by various storage platforms to simply "repository".
  • Put simply, it's a place to put stuff.

For newer users, the difference between a CMIS Connection and a CMIS Repository can be confusing (and it doesn't help that some people use the terms interchangeably!). The key distinction is as follows:

  • The CMIS Connection is the object in Grooper that Grooper uses to establish a connection to some external system.
    • The Connection Type determines which specific platform you're connecting to, and any settings required to connect to it.
  • CMIS Repositories represent a location within the connected platform.
    • These are created after creating the CMIS Connection.
    • Typically, these represent a folder location in the storage platform.

For example, imagine you want to use Grooper to connect to a Windows file system folder on some networked server.

  • First, they would create a new CMIS Connection
  • Then they would choose NTFS for its Connection Type
  • Then they would import the folder location as a CMIS Repository
    • It is then this CMIS Repository Grooper will point to when importing from or exporting to this folder location.
    • The CMIS Connection is just the thing that allows Grooper to connect to Windows in this case. It is the CMIS Repository that acts as the Windows file system folder in Grooper.


To reiterate, there are three basic steps involved to connect Grooper to external storage platforms:

  1. Create a CMIS Connection
  2. Configure its Connection Type to select which platform you want to connect to (and enter any settings to connect to that platform).
  3. Import storage locations as one or more CMIS Repositories, which are created as children of the CMIS Connection.

FYI

Importing a CMIS Repository is not the same as importing documents to a new Batch.

  • "Importing" here is more like bringing the repository into a framework Grooper can use.
  • Upon importing the 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 from CMIS Binding to CMIS Binding, as each binding has a different way of connecting to it.

  • You don't connect to an Outlook inbox the same way you connect to a Windows file folder, for example.
  • Thus, the property configuration for the Exchange binding is different from the NTFS binding.


A CMIS Binding provides connectivity to external storage platforms for content import and export. Each individual CMIS Binding contains the settings and logic required to exchange documents between Grooper and each distinct platform.

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

When creating a CMIS Connection the first step to configure the Connection Type property.

  • When you select a Connection Type you're selecting which platform you want to connect to (using a CMIS Binding).
    • First, you select which platform you want to connect to (which CMIS Binding you want to use)
    • Then, you enter connection settings unique to the platform (any values the CMIS Binding needs to connect to the platform, like login information for many platforms)

Current CMIS 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.


See Also

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