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CMIS (Content Management Interoperability Services)

 

 

 

Just as the major database vendors standardized on SQL in the 1980’s, today’s leading ECM vendors have developed a draft specification with the goal of delivering and enabling interoperability across content repositories. The draft specification is backed by Alfresco, EMC, IBM, Microsoft, OpenText, Oracle and SAP.

The objective of the draft Content Management Interoperability Services (CMIS) specification is to deliver a common, REST or Web Services, API that can be used to develop write-once, run-anywhere, next generation content and social applications.

Today most companies have multiple content management systems supporting individual applications resulting in islands of incompatible systems. Organizations are searching for a write-once, run-anywhere content application that will both run against, and integrate content from multiple content management systems into a Portal, CRM system or Office application.

In November 2008, OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) established a CMIS committee to advance the proposed standard.

Draft implementation of the evolving CMIS specification

As a contributing member of the draft technical specification, Alfresco is able to offer a draft implementation of CMIS for developers who wish to explore the draft specification. Alfresco has made available the following for preview:

  • Support for the CMIS REST and Web Services bindings allowing client applications to connect to, navigate, read, and create content against the Alfresco content repository
  • Support for the CMIS Query Language providing SQL-like querying of the repository including location, properties, and full-text
  • A CMIS Test Suite to allow compliance compatibility testing against any CMIS compliant REST Binding

NEW! Alfresco Developer Toolbox

To help drive the development and discussion of CMIS, Alfresco has made available the CMIS Developer Toolbox containing the following resources to assist developers to learn, explore and prototype the draft specification:

  • CMIS Trial – a downloadable trial of the draft CMIS implementation (within Alfresco Enterprise 3.0 trial)
  • CMIS Sample Dashlets – demonstrating how to use the CMIS REST API
  • CMIS Wiki - home of all things "CMIS", including the technical specification
  • CMIS Q&A – covering the top ten questions most-asked about CMIS
  • CMIS Survey – for developers to provide feedback on their experiences with CMIS
  • CMIS Forum – participate in discussions on the evolution of the standard
  • CMIS Blog – hear about progress of the standard and Alfresco’s implementation of it
  • CMIS On-Demand Webinar – discover what CMIS means to the ECM user community
  • CMIS White Paper – understand the impact of CMIS on content management repository
 
 
 
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