---
title: Protocol Comparison
seo_title: "ArchiveLink vs CMIS vs OData — Which SAP Document Protocol | FileRelay"
description: "ArchiveLink vs CMIS vs OData compared for every SAP edition — ECC, S/4HANA on-prem, and S/4HANA Cloud. Decision matrix plus an interactive picker to choose the right document protocol."
---

# Protocol Comparison

FileRelay supports three SAP ingest protocols, one per SAP-side integration style.

> **Not sure which?** Run the **[interactive picker](/which-protocol)** — 1–2 questions and it points you at the right setup guide.

## By SAP edition

| Edition | Available |
|---|---|
| ECC 6.0 (any EHP) | ArchiveLink |
| S/4HANA on-premise | ArchiveLink (OData attachment APIs exist but are uncommon here) |
| S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition (RISE) | ArchiveLink, CMIS, or OData |
| S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition | CMIS or OData (no ArchiveLink — no ABAP, no OAC0) |

## Reference matrix

| | ArchiveLink | CMIS | OData |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECC 6.0 | Yes | No | No |
| S/4HANA on-prem | Yes | No | Limited |
| S/4HANA Cloud Private | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| S/4HANA Cloud Public | No | Yes | Yes |
| Direction of flow | SAP pushes | FileRelay pulls | FileRelay pulls (push optional via Event Mesh) |
| SAP-side setup | OAC0 | Communication Arrangement (`SAP_COM_0552`) | Communication Arrangement (per business object) |
| Authentication | Optional X.509 signature | OAuth 2.0 | OAuth 2.0 (client creds or X.509) |
| Document model | Generic "document with archive ID" | CMIS objects in DMS repositories | Attachments linked to business objects |
| Push triggers from SAP code | Yes (ABAP-controlled) | No (poll or subscribe) | No (poll; Event Mesh subscribe if available) |
| Custom code on SAP side | Sometimes (BAdIs, classes) | None | None |
| Custom code on FileRelay side | None | None | None |
| Real-time vs batch | Real-time push | Poll, or push via Event Mesh | Poll, or push via Event Mesh |
| Latency | Sub-second | Seconds (poll) / sub-second (events) | Seconds (poll) / sub-second (events) |
| Multi-system support | One source per Content Repository | One source per CMIS repository | One source per Communication Arrangement |

## Combinations

You can run **multiple sources of different protocols against the same workspace**. A common mixed-edition pattern:

- One **ArchiveLink** source for the ECC / S/4HANA on-prem system that still pushes
- One **CMIS** source for S/4HANA Cloud DMS workloads (PLM, HR onboarding)
- One **OData** source per business object (supplier invoices, purchase orders) where business-object metadata matters at the destination

All three feed the same set of connections and destinations. The downstream view (S3, SharePoint, etc.) is uniform — protocol differences stay on the SAP side.

## Common misconceptions

- **"CMIS is just ArchiveLink for the cloud"** — No. ArchiveLink is push-based with SAP-side ABAP control; CMIS is pull-based with polling or events. Document models differ too — ArchiveLink classes are flat (D01, D02, …); CMIS objects live in repositories with rich property metadata.
- **"OData and CMIS are interchangeable"** — Both are available on S/4HANA Cloud, but expose different things: CMIS shows everything in DMS; OData attachment APIs show attachments-of-business-objects. They overlap, but neither is a strict superset.
- **"S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition can use ArchiveLink with custom ABAP"** — No. Public Edition does not allow ABAP customization. Even if your tenant carries legacy ArchiveLink config, it isn't usable for new integrations.
- **"BTP Document Management Service is different from DMS"** — Mostly the same thing. SAP renamed and re-platformed DMS for cloud (sometimes called *SDM*). The CMIS interface is the same standard either way — FileRelay treats both as a CMIS endpoint.

## See also

- [ArchiveLink Setup](/docs/sources/archivelink) — ECC, S/4HANA on-prem, S/4HANA Cloud Private
- [CMIS Setup](/docs/sources/cmis) — S/4HANA Cloud DMS
- [OData Setup](/docs/sources/odata) — released S/4HANA Cloud business-object APIs