Methods and systems for analyzing a network feed in a multi-tenant database system environment

• US 10,331,798 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Tobin, Thomas J., Sola, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saeed, Usmaan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao, Yu
• Application Number:
  US14/036,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20140025665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,099 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24556 Aggregation; Duplicate elimination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results

Abstract

The present invention discusses a dashboard application that compiles values across a set of records, each of the records having fields which include data pertaining to user-defined criteria. The user enters a query into the system and the set of records is returns and analyzed according the criteria. The results are numerical and are displayed in components of the dashboard. The component is a graph, bar graph, pie chart, etc. that appears in a user interface of the dashboard. A user can customize the application and define its component. Multiple users can view and subscribe to the dashboard and can select specific components to follow. Some components can have user-defined threshold values and can provide graphics displaying breakpoints of those values. When the system refreshes, or the user manually refreshes the dashboard, an alert is generated if the threshold value is traversed. The alert, including the component graphic, is posted in the subscriber'"'"'s feed and a feed of the dashboard.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

a database system implemented using a server system comprising the processor and the memory, the database system configurable to cause;

providing a subset of a plurality of database records stored in one or moredatabases;

identifying a plurality of numerical values in a plurality of database record fields of the subset of database records;

displaying, in a user interface providing user access to a social networking system, a dashboard maintained using one or more database objects stored in one or more databases, the dashboard being a graphical object comprising a plurality of components, each component configured to graphically indicate any one or more of the numerical values, the dashboard being entities individually subscribed to in the social networking system, the subscription to each entity by one or more of a plurality of users of the social networking system causing updates associated with the entity to be shared with the one or more users;

detecting occurrence of a system event indicating that a first one of the numerical values has traversed a threshold;

generating a feed update comprising;

a description of the event, and

a first representation of the dashboard comprising a first one of the components graphically indicating the first numerical value;

sharing, via one or more social network feeds, the feed update with one or more users subscribed to the dashboard and/or subscribed to the first component;

displaying, in a user interface on a user device;

the feed update, and

one or more selections, the displayed one or more selections being user-interactable via the user device for user submission of social network commentary in response to the feed update for sharing via the one or more social network feeds;

displaying, responsive to an indication of user interaction with the displayed feed update, a second representation of the dashboard in the user interface on the user device, the second representation of the dashboard comprising more details of the first component than the first representation of the dashboard, the second representation of the dashboard indicating at least the threshold, a previous first numerical value before traversal of the threshold, and a current first numerical value after traversal of the threshold; and

sharing the second representation of the dashboard as a dashboard update with the one or more subscribed users via a social network dashboard feed dedicated to the dashboard, the dashboard update being user-interactable for the one or more subscribed users to submit social network commentary in response to the dashboard update for sharing via the social network dashboard feed.

2. The system of claim 1, the database system further configurable to cause:

processing a query identifying one or more criteria, the subset of database records satisfying the one or more criteria.

3. The system of claim 1, the database system further configurable to cause:

creating or maintaining a collection of the components in one or more databases.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the collection is limited to a designated number of components.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a user is capable of subscribing to a database record, the subscription causing stories related to the database record to be provided in a feed accessible by the user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a user is capable of selectively subscribing to one or more of the components.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the event comprises updating the first numerical value.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the event comprises automatically updating the first numerical value at a designated time interval.

9. A computer program product comprising computer-readable program code capable of being executed by one or more processors when retrieved from a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the program code comprising instructions configurable to cause:

providing a subset of a plurality of database records stored in one or more databases;

identifying a plurality of numerical values in a plurality of database record fields of the subset of database records;

displaying, in a user interface providing user access to a social networking system, a dashboard maintained using one or more database objects stored in one or more databases, the dashboard being a graphical object comprising a plurality of components, each component configured to graphically indicate any one or more of the numerical values, the dashboard and one or more of the components being entities individually subscribed to in the social networking system, the subscription to each entity by one or more of a plurality of users of the social networking system causing updates associated with the entity to be shared with the one or more users;

detecting occurrence of a system event indicating that a first one of the numerical values has traversed a threshold;

generating a feed update comprising;

a description of the event, and

a first representation of the dashboard comprising a first one of the components graphically indicating the first numerical value;

sharing, via one or more social network feeds, the feed update with one or more users subscribed to the dashboard and/or subscribed to the first component;

displaying, in a user interface on a user device;

the feed update, and

one or more selections, the displayed one or more selections being user-interactable via the user device for user submission of social network commentary in response to the feed update for sharing via the one or more social network feeds;

displaying, responsive to an indication of user interaction with the displayed feed update, a second representation of the dashboard in the user interface on the user device, the second representation of the dashboard comprising more details of the first component than the first representation of the dashboard, the second representation of the dashboard indicating at least the threshold, a previous first numerical value before traversal of the threshold, and a current first numerical value after traversal of the threshold; and

sharing the second representation of the dashboard as a dashboard update with the one or more subscribed users via a social network dashboard feed dedicated to the dashboard, the dashboard update being user-interactable for the one or more subscribed users to submit social network commentary in response to the dashboard update for sharing via the social network dashboard feed.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, the instructions further configurable to cause:

processing a query identifying one or more criteria, the subset of databaserecords satisfying the one or more criteria.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, the instructions further configurable to cause:

creating or maintaining a collection of the components in one or more databases.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the event comprises updating the first numerical value.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the event comprises automatically updating the first numerical value at a designated time interval.

14. A method comprising:

providing a subset of a plurality of database records stored in one or more databases;

identifying a plurality of numerical values in a plurality of database record fields of the subset of database records;

causing display, in a user interface providing user access to a social networking system, of a dashboard maintained using one or more database objects stored in one or more databases, the dashboard being a graphical object comprising a plurality of components, each component configured to graphically indicate any one or more of the numerical values, the dashboard and one or more of the components being entities individually subscribed to in the social networking system, the subscription to each entity by one or more of a plurality of users of the social networking system causing updates associated with the entity to be shared with the one or more users;

detecting occurrence of a system event indicating that a first one of the numerical values has traversed a threshold;

generating a feed update comprising;

a description of the event, and

a first representation of the dashboard comprising a first one of the components graphically indicating the first numerical value;

sharing, via one or more social network feeds, the feed update with one or more users subscribed to the dashboard and/or subscribed to the first component;

causing display, in a user interface on a user device, of;

the feed update, and

one or more selections, the displayed one or more selections being user-interactable via the user device for user submission of social network commentary in response to the feed update for sharing via the one or more social network feeds;

causing display, responsive to an indication of user interaction with the displayed feed update, of a second representation of the dashboard in the user interface on the user device, the second representation of the dashboard comprising more details of the first component than the first representation of the dashboard, the second representation of the dashboard indicating at least the threshold, a previous first numerical value before traversal of the threshold, and a current first numerical value after traversal of the threshold; and

sharing the second representation of the dashboard as a dashboard update with the one or more subscribed users via a social network dashboard feed dedicated to the dashboard, the dashboard update being user-interactable for the one or more subscribed users to submit social network commentary in response to the dashboard update for sharing via the social network dashboard feed.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

processing a query identifying one or more criteria, the subset of database records satisfying the one or more criteria.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the event comprises updating the first numerical value.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the event comprises automatically updating the first numerical value at a designated time interval.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

creating or maintaining a collection of the components in one or more databases.