Object store-based storage for secure documents
An object store is a cloud-based storage location used to store files as separate objects rather than as files in a traditional file system folder structure.
Planon introduces a new object store–based storage solution for secure documents. This is the foundation for more efficient, secure, and scalable document storage in cloud environments.
Overview
Planon introduces an object store–based storage solution for secure documents. This new approach changes how file information is stored and managed internally. Previously, secure document fields stored only a file name, with the file location reconstructed at runtime. In the new solution, each secure document field now contains a reference to a centralized ObjectStoreItem record, which stores the file location or object identifier.
Depending on the environment configuration, Planon supports two storage modes:
• File system mode (default):
Files are stored on the configured file path (as in previous releases). The system uses the ObjectStoreItem table to reference these files.
• Object store mode (cloud):
In supported cloud environments (currently AWS), files are stored in an object store (such as AWS S3). Each file is assigned a unique identifier that is tracked in the ObjectStoreItem table.
During upgrade:
• Existing file references are migrated to the ObjectStoreItem table.
• The physical files themselves remain in their current location.
This change is primarily technical and does not affect how users upload, access, or manage documents in daily workflows.
Why the new solution is needed
The previous approach relied on reconstructing file paths and storing files directly on disk. While functional, this model has limitations in scalability, performance, and cloud readiness. The new object store–based solution provides a foundation for:
• Improved performance
File references remain consistent across environments, reducing the effort required during backup and restore operations.
• Scalability
Object storage enables handling large volumes of documents more efficiently, especially in cloud environments.
• Cloud readiness
The solution supports integration with cloud storage platforms such as AWS S3, and is designed to support additional platforms (such as Azure) in future releases.
• Centralized file management
By storing file references in a dedicated table, Planon can manage and extend document storage capabilities more consistently across the platform.
• Future extensibility
The new structure enables future enhancements, such as automated migration of existing files to object storage and further performance optimizations.
Benefits
Customers benefit from this change in several ways:
• No impact on current workflows
All existing functionality continues to work as before. No user action or process changes are required.
• Seamless transition during upgrade
File references are automatically migrated, with minimal impact on upgrade duration.
• Improved system performance
Especially for backup, restore, and large-scale environments.
• Better support for cloud environments
New cloud customers can immediately take advantage of object storage.
• Future-proof architecture
The solution prepares the platform for further improvements in storage, performance, and scalability.
Current impact on customers
The impact depends on the customer’s environment: New AWS cloud customers
• New secure documents are stored directly in the object store.
• No configuration or user action is required.
Existing cloud customers (upgrading)
• File reference data is migrated to the ObjectStoreItem table during upgrade.
• Physical files remain on disk.
• Upgrade time may slightly increase.
• A future batch job will migrate existing files to the object store.
On-premise customers
• No functional changes.
• Files continue to be stored on the file system.
• The change is limited to the internal data structure.
Available to
• Amazon Web Services cloud customers
• Microsoft Azure cloud customers
Additional considerations
• The Secure document file path setting in System Settings remains required and should not be changed.
• Existing files remain accessible in their original location until a future migration step is executed.
• In some cases (for example, large downloads), users may receive multiple ZIP files instead of a single file due to size limits.
• The change applies to all areas that use secure documents (such as APIs, mobile, reporting, and integrations), but does not affect WebDAV documents or image thumbnails.