General question about OpenKM and its Web API

[lukalev]

Our software company owns an ERP product used by various users/companies. We are currently looking for DMS to be hosted on our server that would enable these users to store/view/manage documents directly from our ERP using a Web API as middle tier between ERP and DMS.

Each company would need their own, secured document repository with custom document metadata fields. They would manage their documents through ERP (upload, download, search by content, search by metadata, metadata/templates management, permissions, versions, etc). All these functions (plus new user registration and authentication) should be handled through Web API. Our environment is mainly MS (sql, windows servers).

We would appreciate your opinion on OpenKM based on our needs.

[jllort]

Seems reasonable configuration. Each company should have its own main folder into openkm and then catalog documents based on metadata. For cataloging the best option is build your own class based on set metadata values ( set property groups ). About integration depending your ERP we have several SDK what wraps REST API ( my suggestion is use it for rapid application developement ) but also you can use directly to REST.

I'm not sure if your integration is from ERP to OpenKM or bidirection. In case only one direction could be another way to solve it, write document on a single folder with a CSV file -> list of documents to be imported with metadata. And process it with a crontab task. If you do not need realtime integration, can prepare daily an export of new updated data to a specific folder and then based on crontab task import ( generate a mail report etc.... ) in these scenarios is always important get reports to get human supervision ( looking for errors etc... ).


URL for SDK:
http://docs.openkm.com/kcenter/

Urls about automation task ( on near future all documentation will be migrated to kcenter, we're still working on it ) :
http://wiki.openkm.com/index.php/Automation
http://wiki.openkm.com/index.php/Extend_automation

With more detailed information I can give to you more clues.

[lukalev]

Hi,

great thanks for your suggestions! I have additional questions just to make sure we have everything needed:

1. Can metadata be managed (create, read, modify, delete) with your Web API?
2. Would user folders be secured? So users can't see eachothers documents?
3. Could users from same company see eachother documents? Could permissions be customized/managed through Web API?
4. Can users be created/managed through Web API?

I didn't understand your opininon on importing documents. We don't need bidirectional system, but would need realtime uploading/downloading of documents through Web API. Is this possible?

Thanks,
Luka

[jllort]

All what you want is possible.

if you want to take a look of internal api: http://docs.openkm.com/apidoc/com/okm/6 ... openkm/api
If you want to take a look about SKD ( web api wrapper ) -> our suggestion, see:
http://docs.openkm.com/kcenter/view/sdk4j-1.1/
http://docs.openkm.com/kcenter/view/sdk4php-1.1.0/
http://docs.openkm.com/kcenter/view/sdk4net-1.1.1/