Methods and systems for caching data shared between organizations in a multi-tenant database system

• US 10,324,946 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Janson, Michael Alexander, Lai, Sanjaya, Pasala, Jayaprakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Merilyn P
• Application Number:
  US13/225,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,846 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application

Abstract

Mechanisms and methods for sharing database content between tenants in a multi-tenant database system are provided. The ability to temporarily store metadata related to the shared data for subsequent use optimizes the data transfer process for multiple data transfers. In an embodiment, the metadata is stored for a pre-determined period of time and fetched again after the period elapses if required. The metadata may be erased from temporary storage if an administrator updates the shared data.

Claims

1. A method of sharing data in a multi-tenant database system, comprising:

determining at a host system, data that needs to be transferred between a first tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database and a second tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database, the host system including one or more machines having a processor system with at least one or more processors and a memory system that stores the multi-tenant database, wherein the first tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database is isolated from the second tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database;

reading metadata associated with the data from a cache, the metadata already being in the cache as a result of a prior transfer of the data, the metadata being stored in the cache for a finite predetermined period of time;

determining whether the finite predetermined period of time has expired, and when the finite predetermined period of time has not expired, determining whether changes have occurred that affect the metadata associated with the data, when the changes have occurred, fetching new metadata and storing the new metadata in cache in place of the metadata that was previously stored in cache, wherein the finite predetermined period of time is 15 minutes;

transferring the determined data from the first tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database to the second tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database system based on the metadata, the metadata defining how to transfer the data between the first tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database and the second tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that another transfer of data needs to occur, determining whether the metadata is in the cache, if the metadata is not in the cache fetching the metadata and storing the metadata in the cache for a finite predetermined period of time that is long enough to be useful for multiple transfers of data.

3. The method of claim 1, if the finite predetermined period of time has expired, fetching new metadata from the multi-tenant database and storing the new metadata in cache for the predetermined period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, the metadata including information about how to transfer the data.

5. The method of claim 1, the metadata including a mapping of locations in a portion of the database of the first tenant to locations in a portion of the database of the second tenant between which data is being transferred.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

after establishing connection, receiving at the host system from the first tenant'"'"'s machine, a request to allow the second tenant to subscribe to particular data; and

updating a list of data available to the second tenant to subscribe to from the particular data;

the list being stored in a location that the second tenant has access to.

7. The method of claim 1, the metadata including at least an indication of a format of the data in a location of a portion of the database of the first tenant and an indication of a format of the data in the location of a portion of the database of the second tenant, the data being transferred between the location of the portion of the database of the first tenant and the location of the portion of the database of the second tenant.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at the host system from a first tenant'"'"'s machine a request to establish a connection for sharing data between a portion of the database of the first tenant and a portion of the database of the second tenant;

sending from the host system to the second tenant'"'"'s machine, an invitation to establish the connection;

receiving at the host system from the second tenant'"'"'s machine, an approval to establish the connection;

sending from the host system to the first tenant'"'"'s machine, a acknowledgement of receipt of the approval to establish the connection; and

establishing a connection between the first tenant'"'"'s portion of the database and the second tenant'"'"'s portion of the database.

9. The method of claim 1, the determining that data needs to be transferred being triggered by an update in the data in the first tenant'"'"'s portion.

10. The method of claim 1, the determining that data needs to be transferred being triggered by a request from the second tenant.

11. The method of claim 1, the determining that data needs to be transferred being triggered by a request from an administrator of the second tenant to transfer data.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that another transfer of data needs to occur, determining whether the metadata is in the cache, if the metadata is not in the cache fetching the metadata and storing the metadata in the cache for a finite predetermined period of time that is long enough to be useful for multiple transfers of data;

the metadata being stored in the cache for a finite predetermined period of time, determining that another transfer of data needs to occur, determining whether the finite predetermined period of time has expired, if the finite predetermined period of time has not expired determining whether changes have occurred that affect the metadata associated with the data to share, if the changes have occurred, fetching new metadata and storing the new metadata in cache in place of the metadata that was previously stored in cache;

fetching, if the finite predetermined period of time has expired, new metadata from the multi-tenant database and storing the new metadata in cache for the predetermined period of time, the metadata including information about how to transfer the data;

establishing a connection prior to sharing the data by;

receiving at the host system from a first tenant'"'"'s machine a request to a establish connection for sharing data between a portion of the database of the first tenant and a portion of the database of the second tenant,

sending from the host system to the second tenant'"'"'s machine, an invitation to establish the connection,

receiving at the host system from the second tenant'"'"'s machine, an approval to establish the connection,

sending from the host system to the first tenant'"'"'s machine, the approval to establish the connection, and

establishing connection between the first tenant'"'"'s portion and the second tenant'"'"'s portion;

after establishing connection;

receiving at the host system from the first tenant'"'"'s machine, a request to allow the second tenant to subscribe to particular data,

updating a list of data available to the second tenant to subscribe to from the particular data, the list being stored in a location that the second tenant has access to;

the determining that data needs to be transferred being triggered by an update in the data in the first tenant'"'"'s portion of the database,

the determining that data needs to be transferred being triggered by a request from the second tenant'"'"'s portion of the database, and

the determining that data needs to be transferred being triggered by a request from an administrator of the second tenant to transfer data.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for implementing a method for providing an interface for object relationships, the method comprising:

determining at a host system, data that needs to be transferred between a first tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database and a second tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database, the host system including one or more machines having a processor system with at least one or more processors and a memory system that stores the multi-tenant database, wherein the first tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database is isolated from the second tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database;

reading metadata associated with the data from a cache, the metadata already being in the cache as a result of a prior transfer of the data, the metadata being stored in the cache for a finite predetermined period of time;

determining whether the finite predetermined period of time has expired, and when the finite predetermined period of time has not expired, determining whether changes have occurred that affect the metadata associated with the data, when the changes have occurred, fetching new metadata and storing the new metadata in cache in place of the metadata that was previously stored in cache, wherein the finite predetermined period of time is 15 minutes; and

transferring the determined data from the first tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database to the second tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database system based on the metadata, the metadata defining how to transfer the data between the first tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database and the second tenant'"'"'s portion of the multi-tenant database.