DocAve Extender

DocAve Extender

Watch DocAve Extender in Action
Watch DocAve Extender in Action

Reduce the size of your SharePoint SQL Server content databases by up to 95 percent with the DocAve Extender. Instantly offload SharePoint Binary Large Objects (BLOBs) to file-based storage for optimal platform performance and reduced costs. By utilizing Microsoft's External BLOB Storage (EBS) and Remote BLOB Store (RBS) interfaces, DocAve Extender delivers a truly seamless end-user experience.

And as the industry's only truly integrated platform, DocAve enables administrators to seamlessly manage and protect even extended content.

This tool is an integrated part of the DocAve Storage Optimization Suite, which includes DocAve Archiver and the DocAve Connectors. As part of the suite, this tool is fully supported and can be further fortified with AvePoint’s top-flight, 24 x 7 service and support.

The Case for Extending BLOBs

Databases like SQL Server are designed to handle relational data of relatively small size (smaller than most Office documents!). However, for larger data, known as Binary Large Objects (BLOBs), databases like SQL are not optimal. 

Since more than 95 percent of the data a typical organization uploads into SharePoint are BLOBs, SharePoint’s SQL resources become quite overburdened, and have less capacity to perform transactional data operations and queries.

SQL Server licensing is relatively expensive when compared to file-based storage. Another more cost-efficient option is to extend this BLOB content directly to file-based storage, while providing limitless user access to the BLOB content via SharePoint. To do this, administrators can either:

  • Write custom code that leverages Microsoft’s APIs to create their own BLOB management functionality
  • Buy an expensive third party tool
  • Use AvePoint’s DocAve Extender

With DocAve Extender, BLOBs are never stored on the SQL Server database, meaning SharePoint can perform optimally, your SQL Server resources can be utilized efficiently, and your database costs can be kept to an absolute minimum.

Next: Business Advantages

Key Business Advantages of DocAve Extender

Efficiently Manage SQL Storage Resources and Ensure Optimal Platform Performance

BLOB content never resides within the SQL database, but instead is instantly offloaded to file-based storage. This unburdens the database of large, cumbersome files that reduce performance and increase management costs.

Leverage all of SharePoint’s Document Management and Media Presentation Functionality

All extended content is amenable to all SharePoint management features, including workflows, alerts, search, custom content-typing, metadata tagging, and permissions management.

Transparent and Seamless for End-Users

From the end-user perspective, there is no difference between SharePoint content residing in SQL and content that has been offloaded to file-based storage via DocAve Extender.

Simplify Administration Operations by Managing BLOB content with DocAve

While most BLOB externalization solutions may complicate data protection and management operations, as the industry's only truly integrated platform for managing SharePoint, DocAve allows administrators to selectively include offloaded BLOB content in standard data protection and content management operations. 

Next: Technical Overview

Technical Advantages of DocAve Extender

Comprehensive Support:

DocAve Extender leverages Microsoft’s EBS and RBS BLOB APIs to securely offload BLOBs with full fidelity to tiered storage. No metadata is lost when content is transitioned to file-based storage.

Full-Featured Management of Content:

Content offloaded to file-based storage with DocAve Extender can be managed using all of SharePoint’s management and collaboration tools, including versioning, workflows, and alerts, as well as the DocAve Platform's data protection and management solutions, all as if it was residing directly in SharePoint’s SQL database.

Administrator-defined Rules for Automatic Offload:

Determine what BLOB files are transferred to file-based storage by file size. DocAve Extender will automatically analyze all content attempting upload and transfer it to the appropriate storage resource.

Transfer Content to any Network File Shares, FTP system, or Cloud Storage System:

Offload to any network addressable file share, File Transfer Protocol system, or cloud-based storage system (including Rackspace, Amazon, and Microsoft).

Seamless Integration with SharePoint Search:

All data residing in file-based storage is fully integrated with SharePoint’s native, full text search functionality, as well as all other search tools that leverage the standard SharePoint API.

Comprehensive Support for Custom Metadata and Column Types:

All content transferred to file-based storage via DocAve Extender can be associated with all of SharePoint’s standard and customized metadata fields, and appended with any variety of column types.

Native Permissions Management:

Securities and permissions for content residing in file-based storage are fully integrated with SharePoint’s permissions management.

Total Interactivity with Client Office Applications and Third-party Tools:

Extended content can be presented and modified directly through Office applications, or acted upon by third-party tools, just as if the content resided in SharePoint’s SQL database.


Next: Guides and Resources

DocAve Extender Resources

DocAve ROI Calculator

DocAve ROI Calculator:

SharePoint Backup - Customer Case Studies

Customer Case Studies:

To read more customer success stories, please click on the following Case Studies link.

DocAve Extender v5 Datasheet

Product Information & White Papers:

Intelligently Reducing SharePoint Costs through Storage Optimization

eGuides:

Storage Optimization for SharePoint

Technical Advisor:

SharePoint Backup - User Guides

User Guides: