System, method and computer program product for sharing tenant information utilizing a multi-tenant on-demand database service

• US 10,324,901 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuruganti, Aditya S., Doshi, Kedar, Bhatt, Chaitanya, Lai, Sanjaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Jessica N
• Application Number:
  US15/056,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20160248776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 707608, 707781-788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for sharing tenant information utilizing a multi-tenant on-demand database service. These mechanisms and methods for sharing tenant information utilizing a multi-tenant on-demand database service can allow automatic sharing of information owned by a first tenant with other tenants of the multi-tenant on-demand database service. In this way, collaboration among tenants of the multi-tenant on-demand database service may be enabled via the sharing of the tenant information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, permission from a first subscriber of a database service granting a second subscriber of the database service access to a portion of first subscriber information owned by the first subscriber, wherein the portion of the first subscriber information includes a plurality of records and the permission includes permission granting the second subscriber access to child records of the plurality of records, wherein the first subscriber information is stored by the database service separate from second subscriber information owned by the second subscriber, and wherein the second subscriber is otherwise blocked from accessing the first subscriber information;

inserting, by the one or more processors, the portion of the first subscriber information into the second subscriber information;

determining, by the one or more processors, that a first parent record of the first subscriber corresponds to a second parent record of the second subscriber, wherein the first parent record is a parent to the portion of the first subscriber information; and

linking, by the one or more processors, the portion of the first subscriber information inserted into the second subscriber information to the second parent record based on the determination that the first parent record of the first subscriber corresponds to the second parent record of the second subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subscriber includes a first tenant of the database service and the second subscriber includes a second tenant of the database service, wherein the first tenant is a different tenant of the database service than the second tenant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein permission from the first subscriber granting the second subscriber access to the portion of first subscriber information is provided using a mark-up language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subscriber information is selected from the group consisting of:

tasks, accounts, contacts, products, opportunities, cases, and comments.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subscriber information includes at least two of:

tasks, accounts, contacts, products, opportunities, cases, and comments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein first subscriber information is stored in a database of the database service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting the second subscriber to view the portion of first subscriber information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting the second subscriber to update the portion of first subscriber information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the first subscriber second permission granting a third subscriber of the database service access to the portion of the first sub scriber information.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising inserting the portion of the first subscriber information into third subscriber information owned by the third subscriber, determining that the first parent record of the first subscriber corresponds to a third parent record of the third subscriber, and linking the portion of the first subscriber information inserted into the third subscriber information to the third parent record based on the determination that the first parent record of the first subscriber corresponds to the third parent record of the third subscriber.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the permission and the second permission are separate such that subsequently blocking one of the permission and the second permission prevents an impact on the other one of the permission and the second permission.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the permission comprises receiving the permission via a graphical user interface of the database service.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the database service stores the first subscriber information and the second subscriber information in a same data storage.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving permission from a first subscriber of a database service granting a second subscriber of the database service access to a portion of first subscriber information owned by the first subscriber, wherein the portion of the first subscriber information includes a plurality of records and the permission includes permission granting the second subscriber access to child records of the plurality of records, wherein the first subscriber information is stored by the database service separate from second subscriber information owned by the second subscriber, and wherein the second subscriber is otherwise blocked from accessing the first subscriber information;

inserting the portion of the first subscriber information into the second subscriber information;

determining that a first parent record of the first subscriber corresponds to a second parent record of the second subscriber, wherein the first parent record is a parent to the portion of the first subscriber information; and

linking the portion of the first subscriber information inserted into the second subscriber information to the second parent record based on the determination that the first parent record of the first subscriber corresponds to the second parent record of the second subscriber.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein receiving the permission comprises receiving the permission via a graphical user interface of the database service.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer program code embodied therein, the computer program code configured to be executed to cause a computer to implement a method comprising:

receiving permission from a first subscriber of a database granting a second subscriber of the database service access to a portion of first subscriber information owned by the first subscriber, wherein the portion of the first subscriber information includes a plurality of records and the permission includes permission granting the second subscriber access to child records of the plurality of records, wherein the first subscriber information is stored by the database service separate from second subscriber information owned by the second subscriber, and wherein the second subscriber is otherwise blocked from accessing the first subscriber information;

inserting the portion of the first subscriber information into the second subscriber information;

determining that a first parent record of the first subscriber corresponds to a second parent record of the second subscriber, wherein the first parent record is a parent to the portion of the first subscriber information; and

linking the portion of the first subscriber information inserted into the second subscriber information to the second parent record based on the determination that the first parent record of the first subscriber corresponds to the second parent record of the second subscriber.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein receiving the permission comprises receiving the permission via a graphical user interface of the database service.