CMIS connector for SAP and third-party systems
An archive only SAP understands is a second silo. CMIS is the way out: a vendor-independent interface through which everything else reaches the same documents.
One repository, two ways in
The CaRD Connector is a standalone service that sits between your applications and the storage. It speaks CMIS 1.1 — the OASIS standard for content services — and files documents on one of four targets: Azure Blob Storage, SharePoint Online, AWS S3 or STACKIT. Which one is used is a matter of configuration, not of software; a single process can serve several repositories, each with its own target and its own profile.
The difference from a purely SAP-facing archive link is the way in. CMIS is not SAP-specific: a portal, a line-of-business application, a Java or .NET program or a standard client can read and write the same documents — with the same rights, the same metadata and the same retention. The archive stops being an appendage of SAP and becomes the repository of the company.
For the SAP side, the connector is prepared for the peculiarities of the SAP world: SAP document types are carried as object types of their own, the metadata is held in a queryable database layer, and the folder structure follows what SAP creates during setup. The test suite SAP provides for DMS connectivity runs through against the connector — against all three cloud targets.
What the connector deliberately is not: an archive system with its own user interface and its own data store. The documents sit in your storage account, under your contract, in your region. We supply the interface and the operating rules around it. More depth: cloudconnector-online.com and sharepoint-cmis.com.
At a glance
- CMIS 1.1 — vendor-independent, also for non-SAP systems
- Four targets: Azure Blob, SharePoint, AWS S3, STACKIT
- One connector for all four, switching by configuration
- Several repositories in one process, each with its own target
- Holds and retention periods are enforced
- Documents stay in your storage account and your region
Why this matters
What a purely SAP-bound archive costs later.
- Documents only SAP can reach have to be copied for every further system
- Every copy is a second truth — and a second retention obligation
- A proprietary archive ties you to its vendor and its price list
- When systems change, the connection turns into a migration project
- Owning the storage yourself changes the negotiation
CMIS or ArchiveLink?
The decision that comes first.
- ArchiveLink is the classic SAP route — proven, but SAP-bound
- CMIS opens the same repository to non-SAP applications
- CMIS brings a query language, ArchiveLink does not
- For new projects with several consumers, CMIS is usually the more durable choice
- Running both on the same data set is possible — more on that
Storage targets
Four of them, and the decision is reversible.
- Azure Blob Storage, optionally with index tags as a search accelerator
- SharePoint Online, with SAP metadata as indexed library columns
- AWS S3 and S3-compatible storage
- STACKIT as a German provider
- Switching is configuration — the application never notices
Metadata and search
So documents are not just stored but found.
- SAP object types and properties are preserved as metadata
- Custom properties per document type
- Queries in a SQL-like query language (CMISQL)
- A database layer keeps the metadata queryable, independently of the storage
- Optionally additional metadata in the storage’s own native format
Protection from change and deletion
What separates an archive from a folder.
- Hold per document — deletion is refused
- Retention period with a date; extending is allowed, shortening is not
- Immutability flag as a one-way setting
- Deleting a folder checks the entire subtree
- For genuine WORM properties, combine with the storage’s own locks
Operations
Where the service runs and what it needs.
- Standalone service, no intervention in the SAP system
- In your own data centre, in Azure or on Cloud Foundry
- Several repositories in one process
- Access via user name, key, token or certificate
- Setup, configuration and handover to your operations team by us
Frequently asked questions
What is CMIS?
CMIS (“Content Management Interoperability Services”) is an open standard for content services. It describes how an application creates, reads, searches and annotates folders and documents — regardless of the system behind it. The practical benefit: you are not tied to an archive vendor, and several applications can share the same repository.
Can non-SAP applications access it too?
Yes, that is the core of the approach. Any application that speaks CMIS — including via the common open client libraries — can read and write the same documents. Portals, line-of-business applications and in-house programs can therefore be connected without keeping a separate copy of the content for each.
Where do the documents live?
In your own storage account: your Azure storage account, your SharePoint library, your S3 bucket, your STACKIT contract. The connector keeps no copy and no separate content store. Region, encryption and access rights of the storage stay in your hands.
Can we change the storage later?
The connection, yes — the existing content has to move. The application side does not change, because it keeps speaking CMIS; on the storage side a change is a data migration, for which we use a dedicated tool. The important point is the one before that: choosing a target is no longer a one-way street.
How does the connector stop somebody deleting a document?
Through two mechanisms checked on every change. A hold on the document refuses deletion and modification while it is set. A retention period with a date does the same until the date has passed; it can be extended but not shortened. Both also apply when somebody tries to delete the parent folder. For WORM properties in the stricter sense we combine this with the locking features of the storage itself.
Is this a replacement for an archive system?
For filing, yes; for research, only with a user interface in front of it. The connector is an interface, not an end-user application. If you need a front end for search, viewing and download, the CaRD Workspace for CMIS goes in front of it.
Does this match your project?
Talk directly to our consultants — no detours.