First-class component extensions for multi-tenant environments

• US 10,200,247 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetSuite Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NetSuite Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Liu, Alan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, S M A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pant, Ranjan
• Application Number:
  US15/298,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20170118077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5045 Making service definitions prior to deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware

Abstract

A system, apparatuses, and methods for enabling management of customizations/extensions to the functionality of a multi-tenant computing platform. In some embodiments, an extended or customized entity, such as a function, operation, process, module, sub-routine, data item, etc. is represented as a record. That record is then associated with an underlying record by means of a tenant specific mapping or equivalent structure. This enables the tenant to utilize the extended or customized entity in place of the underlying record in situations in which the underlying record would typically be used. This also provides a way of isolating the extensions or customizations on the multi-tenant platform so that they are associated with specific tenants and not with other tenants who may still access the underlying or un-extended versions of the entity.

Claims

1. A computing method, comprising:

registering a proposed extension in a component registry associated with a first tenant of a multi-tenant computing platform in response to the proposed extension determined to be compatible with an extensible component interface for the first tenant, the proposed extension representing a change to a corresponding base component;

receiving a request from the first tenant to access the base component;

accessing the component registry associated with the first tenant;

responding to the request from the first tenant to access the base component by instead accessing the proposed extension in the component registry associated with the first tenant;

receiving a request, from a second tenant of the multi-tenant computing platform, to access the base component; and

responding to the request from the second tenant to access the base component by instead accessing a second proposed extension, the second proposed extension registered in association with the second tenant and representing a second change to the base component.

2. The computing method of claim 1, wherein determining if the proposed extension is compatible with the extensible component interface further comprises determining the compatibility while compiling the proposed extension.

3. The computing method of claim 1, wherein determining if the proposed extension is compatible with the extensible component interface further comprises determining the compatibility using a static method.

4. The computing method of claim 1, wherein the base component is one of a data object, a user interface object, an application, a process, a method, an operation, a function, a file, or a record.

5. The computing method of claim 1, wherein the component registry associated with the first tenant further comprises a mapping between the base component and the proposed extension.

6. The computing method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a description of the proposed extension from the first tenant of the multi-tenant computing platform; and

determining if the proposed extension received from the first tenant is compatible with the extensible component interface based on an analysis of the description.

7. The computing method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a description of the second proposed extension from the second tenant;

determining if the second proposed extension is compatible with the extensible component interface;

registering the second proposed extension in a component registry associated with the second tenant if the second proposed extension is compatible with the extensible component interface;

accessing the component registry associated with the second tenant in response to receiving the request from the second tenant; and

determining that the second proposed extension corresponds to the base component.

8. The computing method of claim 1, wherein the first tenant and the second tenant are different tenants.

9. The computing method of claim 1, wherein the base component is an extension of another component.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause:

registering a proposed extension in a component registry associated with a first tenant of a multi-tenant computing platform in response to the proposed extension determined to be compatible with an extensible component interface for the first tenant, the proposed extension representing a change to a corresponding base component;

receiving a request from the first tenant to access the base component;

accessing the component registry associated with the first tenant; and

responding to the request from the first tenant to access the base component by instead accessing the proposed extension in the component registry associated with the first tenant;

receiving a request, from a second tenant of the multi-tenant computing platform, to access the base component; and

responding to the request from the second tenant to access the base component by instead accessing a second proposed extension, the second proposed extension registered in association with the second tenant and representing a second change to the base component.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising computer-executable instructions for storing an association between a component of the multi-tenant computing platform and an extension to that component, the association comprising a data file that includes a mapping between the component and the extension.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising computer-executable instructions for executing extensible functions on one or more of a data object, a user interface object, an application, a process, a method, an operation, a function, a file, or a record.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

receiving a second request from the first tenant to access a second base component; and

responding to the second request from the first tenant to access the second base component by accessing the second base component.

14. A multi-tenant computing platform, comprising:

an electronic processor operable in the multi-tenant computing platform and configured to access a non-transitory computer readable medium and programmed to execute a set of instructions;

the set of instructions stored in the non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein when executed by the electronic processor, the set of instructions cause the multi-tenant computing platform to;

register a first proposed extension in a first component registry associated with a first tenant of the multi-tenant computing platform in response to the first proposed extension determined to be compatible with a first extensible component interface for the first tenant, the first proposed extension representing a change to a corresponding first base component;

register a second proposed extension in a second component registry associated with a second tenant of the multi-tenant computing platform in response to the second proposed extension determined to be compatible with a second extensible component interface for the second tenant, the second proposed extension representing to change to a corresponding second base component;

receive a first request from the first tenant to access the first base component;

receive a second request from the second tenant to access the second base component;

access the first component registry associated with the first tenant to respond to the first request from the first tenant by accessing the first proposed extension, in the component registry associated with the first tenant, instead of the first base component; and

access the second component registry associated with the second tenant to respond to the second request from the second tenant by accessing the second proposed extension, in the second component registry associated with the second tenant, instead of the second base component.

15. The multi-tenant computing platform of claim 14, wherein the first tenant and the second tenant comprise the same tenant.

16. The multi-tenant computing platform of claim 14, wherein the first component registry and the second component registry comprise the same component registry.

17. The multi-tenant computing platform of claim 14, wherein the first base component and the second base component comprise the same base component.

18. The multi-tenant computing platform of claim 14, further comprising instructions, when executed by the processor, configured to:

receive a third request from the first tenant to access the second base component; and

access the first component registry associated with the first tenant to respond to the third request from the first tenant by accessing the second base component.

19. The multi-tenant computing platform of claim 14, further comprising instructions, when executed by the processor, configured to:

receive a third request from the second tenant to access the first base component; and

access the second component registry associated with the second tenant to respond to the third request from the second tenant by accessing the first base component.

20. The multi-tenant computing platform of claim 14, wherein the first base component is an extension of the second base component.