Enterprise Search Integration
Connect your search platform to document stores, databases, SaaS tools, and legacy systems without duplicating data or breaking permissions.
Enterprise search fails when it can't reach the data that matters. Most organisations store knowledge across SharePoint, Salesforce, Google Workspace, internal databases, and legacy systems that predate modern APIs. Traditional search platforms force you to choose: duplicate everything into a central index and accept the cost and staleness, or build point-to-point integrations that break every time a vendor changes an endpoint.
OpenBase takes a different approach. The platform treats integration as a first-class capability, not an afterthought. You define what needs to be searchable and where it lives. OpenBase generates the connectors, handles OAuth flows, preserves source-system permissions, and keeps indexes current without moving data unnecessarily. When a document changes in SharePoint, the search index reflects it. When a user lacks access to a Salesforce record, search results respect that boundary.
This matters because integration determines whether search actually works. A search platform that can't reach your CRM is a search platform your sales team won't use. A connector that breaks permissions is a compliance incident waiting to happen. OpenBase integrates systems the way domain experts describe them, then maintains those integrations as APIs evolve and data volumes grow.
Problem & solution
Fragmented data, fragmented search
Your team's knowledge lives in twelve different systems. SharePoint holds the contracts. Salesforce holds the customer history. Confluence holds the runbooks. Your search platform indexes three of them, badly, because every new connector is a three-month engineering project. Users give up and ask colleagues instead, because search never finds what they actually need.
Generated connectors, preserved permissions
OpenBase generates integration modules from plain-language descriptions of your data sources. You specify the system, the authentication method, and what needs to be searchable. The platform produces a connector that handles OAuth, respects rate limits, syncs incrementally, and preserves the source system's permission model. When APIs change, the module regenerates. When data volumes grow, the sync strategy adapts.
What you see after 90 days
- Search indexes updated within minutes of source changes, not hours or days
- Zero permission leaks across integrated systems, verified by automated access tests
- New data source connected in days, not quarters, without custom engineering
- Integration health monitored continuously with automatic retry on transient failures
- Audit trail showing which user accessed which record from which source system
Who benefits most
- IT teams managing enterprise search infrastructure across multiple platforms
- Compliance officers ensuring search respects data access boundaries
- Knowledge managers connecting disparate content repositories
- Search administrators maintaining connectors to evolving SaaS APIs
Frequently asked questions
How does OpenBase handle systems without modern APIs?
OpenBase can generate modules that use available interfaces — ODBC for databases, file system access for network shares, or structured extraction from exports. When no programmatic interface exists, the platform supports scheduled batch imports with transformation logic you define. Legacy system integration is slower and more brittle than API-based integration, but OpenBase makes it possible without custom code.
What happens when a source system's API changes?
OpenBase monitors API responses for breaking changes. When a connector fails due to an API update, the platform flags the integration for review. You describe the new API behaviour, and OpenBase regenerates the connector module. The process takes hours, not weeks, because the integration logic is generated rather than hand-written.
How are permissions preserved across integrated systems?
OpenBase stores permission metadata alongside indexed content. When a user searches, the platform checks their access rights in each source system before returning results. This happens in real time using cached credentials and group memberships, with fallback to direct permission checks when cache is stale. The approach ensures search never surfaces content a user couldn't access in the source system.
Can OpenBase integrate with on-premise systems behind a firewall?
Yes. OpenBase supports agent-based integration where a lightweight process runs inside your network, connects to on-premise systems, and syncs data to the search index over an encrypted channel. The agent handles authentication, data extraction, and incremental sync. You control what data leaves the network and when.
How does OpenBase handle rate limits and API throttling?
Generated connectors include backoff logic that respects rate limit headers from source APIs. When a connector hits a limit, it pauses, waits the required interval, and resumes. For APIs with strict quotas, OpenBase schedules sync operations during off-peak hours and prioritises recently-changed content over full re-indexing.
What's the difference between real-time and batch integration?
Real-time integration uses webhooks or polling to update the search index within minutes of a source change. Batch integration runs on a schedule — hourly, daily, or weekly — and processes all changes since the last run. Real-time integration keeps search current but increases API load. Batch integration reduces load but accepts staleness. OpenBase lets you choose per data source based on how often content changes and how quickly users need to find it.
How does OpenBase prevent data duplication?
OpenBase indexes metadata and pointers, not full document content, whenever the source system supports direct access. When a user clicks a search result, they open the document in its original location. Full-text indexing happens only when necessary for search quality or when the source system lacks a viewer. This approach reduces storage costs and ensures users always see the current version.
Can I test an integration before deploying it to production?
Yes. OpenBase lets you run integration modules in a sandbox tenant with test credentials. You can verify that the connector retrieves the right data, handles errors correctly, and respects permissions before enabling it for your production search index. The sandbox uses the same generated code that will run in production, so test results are reliable.
In this cluster
Hub: enterprise-ai-search