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Frequently Asked Questions

Enterprise Content Integration and Migration can be complex subjects. To help answer questions about integration and migration, and how SeeUnity delivers these solutions, we've assembled a list of frequently asked questions. If you have additional questions not listed here, we encourage you to Contact our main office at 1-970-232-3332, use our contact form, or email us directly at:

Click on any question to read the answer

Fundamentals of Integration and Migration

What is content integration?

Content integration is the process of making one or more repositories available through a common user interface. Integration may be as simple as connecting a WebDAV interface connecting to a file share, or as complex as using a single SharePoint UI to access and manage several enterprise content management systems dispersed across several locations throughout an organization.

What is content migration?

Content migration is the bulk transfer of content from one or more source repositories to a destination repository of choice. Migration can be as simple as moving content to a new version of the same ECM platform, or as a complex as consolidating several ECM systems and repositories to a new content management platform.

Why do companies need to integrate or migrate content?

There are a number of factors that may drive content integration or migration. Typically the main factors are increasing user productivity (through a single, more effective interface), and lowering the total cost of content ownership, by optimizing licensing and support costs. Migration can be driven either by a need to move to a new ECM system and vendor, or to consolidate several repositories to a single destination.

How is content integrated?

There are several options available for integrating content. Service bureaus can provide an integration service, with is a one-time event to connect a user interface with a single repository. In addition, there are vendors who provide exclusive “point solution” products, designed for an integration “event” between a UI and a specific version of one repository type. SeeUnity falls into the category of enterprise content integration.

How is enterprise content integration different from other forms of integration?

Enterprise Content Integration is based on a framework methodology, where an underlying layer of technology manages and executes “platform agnostic” behaviors. In this model, a series of connectors are engineered to meet the specific requirements of respective repositories. In addition, the functionality of integration is extended through a series of customizable UI tools that can determine how integrated content can be accessed and managed.

What are some considerations when evaluating potential integration solutions?

Customers should evaluate the following to ensure their investment will meet the following requirements:

• Number of end users
• Volume of back-end content
• Ability of current back-end functionality to meet current and future needs
• Preservation of security policies and metadata throughout the integration process
• Opportunities to optimize and reduce current licensing and maintenance costs
• The amount of IT resources that will be needed to implement and maintain the solution
• Number of external repositories requiring integration
• Any potential additional repositories that may be added, either through expanding the integration scope within the company, or through merger and acquisition activities
• Any potential needs for migration at a future point

SeeUnity

What is SeeUnity?

SeeUnity is an out-of-the-box technology for integrating enterprise content, allowing one or many content repositories to be accessed and managed from a single user interface. SeeUnity also offers powerful migration solutions.

How does SeeUnity work?

SeeUnity’s underlying core technology services transfer information back and forth between a common interface and whatever content repositories are integrated. User queries are passed to content repositories, and any matching results are returned in a single list.

What is the common user interface?

SeeUnity currently supports SharePoint as the common user interface.

How does SeeUnity affect the content management experience for end users?

With SeeUnity implemented, the barriers are removed between the common SharePoint interface and external repositories. To the user, all content he or she is allowed access to will be available for searching, browsing, and indexing. All of the ability to manage content is retained, except that those controls are used via SharePoint. To the user, it appears as if all content now exists in a SharePoint environment.

Integration Benefits

What are the primary areas where we will see benefit from SeeUnity?

SeeUnity provides four areas of benefit. Users are more productive, content security is maintained, IT administrators demands are reduced, and the total cost of ownership is lowered.

How will a SeeUnity integration help users at my company?

Users are empowered to become more effective knowledge workers. Searching for content can be done from a single interface, and the results of a search are more consistent and thorough. Users don’t have to learn and master multiple user interfaces.

How will a SeeUnity integration benefit our content assets?

SeeUnity’s deep integration, using native APIs, preserves all of the current content management policies, including security access, lifecycles and permissions. Unlike other integration products that allow users to “tunnel” into an external repository, SeeUnity’s integration ensures that native security and records management overrules any user-initiated actions.

How will a SeeUnity integration benefit our IT departments that support content infrastructure.

Once core integration services are installed, administrators simply activate and configure repository connectors to access target content sources. SeeUnity point and click interface means that from installation through customizing our web part applications in SharePoint, IT departments enjoy a reliable, easy setup with minimal support requirements. Support requests from native interfaces are reduced as users adopt a single SharePoint interface. SeeUnity tracks and supports ongoing native repository releases, eliminating the risks of upgrading content repositories.

How will a SeeUnity integration benefit the organization as a whole?

Once a company begins to introduce a SharePoint interface, it can be difficult to control user adoption and best practices. SeeUnity can ensure that content access and archiving policies are controlled on the back end. Distribution technology can reduce the number of total native client seats required, and create opportunities to reduce maintenance subscriptions. SeeUnity creates a viable coexistence strategy that buys time for the company to build a long-term content integration and migration strategy.

Native Repository Support

What repositories can SeeUnity integrate to?

SeeUnity currently has out-of-the-box, native API repository connectors for many enterprise content management (ECM) platforms, including:

• EMC Documentum
• EMC eRoom
• Open Text eDOCS
• Open Text Livelink
• HP TRIM
• Vignette VRD
• WebDAV compliant repositories
• Databases
• File shares
  

What if I have a repository that SeeUnity doesn't’t integrate to?

SeeUnity has an established methodology for rapidly building native API connectors. Our roadmap for future repository connectors is based on customer demand.

Q.What’s the significance of Native APIs?

Native APIs enhance the level of integration. Unlike other solutions, that crawl content at the database level, SeeUnity’s Native API connectors access the metadata of repositories.

If my company implements SeeUnity to use SharePoint to access external content, won’t I lose the content management controls from available through the native repository’s UI?

You will not lose those native controls. Any document that is accessible through a search or web part, will retain its native controls, accessible from the right-click context menu. If a search results list includes documents from different repositories, each document’s right-click menu will look different, according to the functionality of its respective repository, and any restrictions and policies an individual document may be subject to.

SeeUnity Searching

How does SeeUnity manage content searching from SharePoint?

SeeUnity offers multiple search utilities, depending on customer needs, and multiple search tools can be used simultaneously.

The native repository has deep search functionality. Will that functionality be lost if we start using SharePoint as the user interface?

No. SeeUnity allows a native search from SharePoint. These native search web parts expose a similar interface as the native system’s UI – from within SharePoint. SharePoint users have access to the same fields as the native UI, recreating the same search process, including ranking of returned search results.

We have multiple repositories, including file shares and databases? Do we have to execute multiple native searches for each target content source?

No – although users are free to do so. SeeUnity offers federated searching, including the Open Search standard and supported for Microsoft FAST. SeeUnity uses a universal protocol handler that can index and crawl content, and make it available for immediate, cross-repository searching.

Does indexing multiple repositories create a burden on server resources?

Depending on the size, number, and metadata overhead of the repositories, the initial indexing process may create a demand on resources, but can be scheduled during non-office hours. Once that process is complete, index crawling is incremental, regularly re-indexing new or updated content?

What is content is updated before the next indexing period?

That content will not be reflected in search results. The FAST connector provides federated searching without requiring indexing content. The advantage of indexed searching is the speed of which results are returned. To meet customer needs, SeeUnity offers multiple search tools, which can be used simultaneously from the same interface. Customers should select and configure the search tools that best meet their organization’s search needs.

SeeUnity Migration

How does SeeUnity manage migration?

SeeUnity transfers bulk content and metadata from an existing repository to a target repository of the customer’s choosing.

What tools are available for migration?

SeeUnity manages migration on the back-end with core content services and the appropriate repository connectors. A migration manager console enables an administrator to plan, schedule and monitor migration.

How does the migration process work?

The current repository index is crawled, according to how the process is configured. A conversion process manipulates metadata that can be changed to fit the target repository’s metadata schema. The content is then written to the target destination.

Which repositories can be migrated? Which target repositories can content be migrated to?

Any repository that is currently supported for integration can be used either as a source or destination for content migration.

Are there limitations to the migration process?

Because native APIs are used, there are few limitations. The main limitations are based on reconciling differences in how content and profiles are defined between the existing and target repositories. The migration manager console allows existing profile types to be mapped to corresponding profile types in the new system, though they may be named differently. If the existing repository uses profile definitions that do not have a corresponding match in the target system, they may be added as custom types.

Are there any objects or features that cannot be migrated?

Migration cannot create functionality in target ECM systems. In some instances, if policies and features exist in the legacy repository, but not in the new repository, they will have to be deprecated or retired. For example, if content is currently records managed in the existing system, and is being moved to a system that does not have records management – migration does not create a records management system. Administrators are responsible for determining a target repository or ECM system that meets their critical content management requirements?

How is the migration process monitored?

A migration scheduler allows the processed to occur either at a point in time, or according to a repeating schedule. This allows content to be processed during off-peak times to conserve resources. In addition, audit logs are kept during the migration process to provide oversight, and error logs with notification will alert administrators in the event that ant an error or unforeseen process has occurred.

Is content accessible during the migration process?

Yes. Content is indexed, manipulated and stored to the target repository. Content from the legacy repository is not removed until the migration is completed and tested. Content can even remain on the legacy repository as a separate archive, or according to internal compliance policies.

Migration Benefits

What should an organization consider using SeeUnity’s migration services?

Organizations may have any number of reasons driving a migration initiative. Content consolidation, upgrading to a new version of an ECM system, or changing ECM vendors, are all potential drivers.

How are SeeUnity’s migration services preferable to manual migration, or other offerings?

SeeUnity goes beyond the migration of content itself – and can migrate native metadata and policies. This ensures that the entire content infrastructure (profiles, permissions, etc.) remain as intact as the two systems (legacy and target) can allow.

How does SharePoint migration relate to SeeUnity’s integration services?

SeeUnity leverages the same underlying core content services. For an organization that wants to eventually pursue a SharePoint migration process – this is a critical advantage. Companies can safely evaluate SharePoint’s benefits in secure environment. Archiving and distribution can further all content to be utilized in both environments. Following a successful evaluation process, and given the right financial and logistical circumstances, the SeeUnity migration technology can be used to move content entirely to SharePoint. Conversely, if it is deemed that SharePoint is not an ideal repository and long-term solution, content can be migrated out of SharePoint, and companies can revert to their original ECM system.

How does migration lend “content control” to the customer?

By having SeeUnity core content services in place – companies can decide upon both the ideal target repository for consolidation, and schedule the migration at a time of their choosing. Instead of letting ECM vendors impose their interests upon customers to upgrade or move away from certain offerings, SeeUnity technology allows customers to dictate their content roadmap.