System and method for storing documents accessed by multiple users in an on-demand service

• US 20090024609A1
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Lissack, Ryan, Barker, Timothy J., Pletter, Daniel L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,991,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for storing documents that are being tracked in an on-demand service. These mechanisms and methods for storing documents in an on-demand service can enable embodiments to provide the sharing of documents and the storing of the documents in association with a tag. The ability of embodiments to provide the sharing of documents and the storing can enable an efficient searching for a shared document. In an embodiment, the shared document is categorized upon being stored.

Claims

1. A method for storing documents tracked on behalf of a plurality of organizations, comprising:

receiving a document to store on behalf of a first organization;

receiving a tag for storing in association with the document;

storing a document in association with the tag, the document being stored to document management storage; and

associating the document in the document management storage with a unique identifier;

wherein the document stored in the document management storage and copies of the document are tracked using a portion of a database limited to information of the first organization.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a hash function to the original document, therein generating a hash value, and including the hash value within the unique identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, the applying of the hash function and the including of the hash value in the unique identifier are performed in association with the storing of the original document in the document management storage.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a category and storing the document in association with the category.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a request for a value for the tag.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the tag as a value for a key that in the database is associated with a location of the document.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising entering values for one or more search fields, the one or more search fields being different from the tag.

8. The method of claim 7, the one more search fields include a field for an author of the original document.

9. The method of claim 7, the one or more fields include a name of a workspace.

10. The method of claim 7, the one or more fields including a document format.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing a group of users access to the document, multiple users from the group being allowed to edit the document, each user being associated with a profile and allowing each profile to specify more than one role, each role being associated with a set of one or more access privileges.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the document with one or more of a plurality of document types chosen from a list of document types, each document type describing one or more characteristics associated with the document.

13. The method of claim 12, each of the document types including one or more properties associated with a list of properties, each property describing one or more characteristics associated with the document type that is associated with the document.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a hash function to the original document, therein generating a hash value;

including the hash value within the unique identifier;

allowing a group of users access to the document, multiple users from the group being allowed to edit the document, each user being associated with a profile and allowing each profile to specify more than one role, each role being associated with a set of one or more access privileges;

receiving a category

receiving a tag;

receiving a document type;

receiving values for one or more search fields, the one or more search fields being different than the category, the tag, and the document type;

storing the document in the association with the category and the document type, the tag being stored as a value for a key in the database that is associated with a location of the document, and the category being stored as a value of a key in the database that is associated with the location of the document;

associating the document with one or more of a plurality of document types chosen from a list of document types, each document type describing one or more characteristics associated with the document, each of the document types including one or more properties associated with a list of properties, each property describing one or more characteristics associated with the document type that is associated with the document; and

entering values for one or more search fields, the one or more search fields being different from the tag, the document types, and the properties; and

the one more search fields including at least

a field for an author of the original document,

a name of a workspace, and

a document format.

15. A method for searching documents tracked on behalf of a plurality of organizations, comprising:

receiving a search query for a document stored on behalf of a first organization, the document being stored in a document management storage in association with a unique identifier and a tag, the unique identifier enabling a tracking of the document and of other versions of the document using a portion of a database limited to information of the first organization, the search query not including the unique identifier;

receiving the tag as part of the search query;

performing a search based on the search query by at least limiting the search to documents that have the tag; and

returning results of the search.

16. The method of claim 15, the unique identifier including a hash value that results from applying a hash function to the original document.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a category as part of the search query.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing identifying database records having the tag as a value of a key associated with database records.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving values for one or more search fields the one or more search fields being different from the tag.

20. The method of claim 15, the document being associated with one or more of a plurality of document types chosen from a list of document types, each document type describing one or more characteristics associated with the document, the method further comprising receiving a property as part of the search query.

21. The method of claim 15, the document being associated with one or more of plurality of document types chosen from a list of document types, each document type describing one or more characteristics associated with the document, the method further comprising:

receiving a category as part of the search query;

receiving a property as part of the search query;

receiving values for one or more search fields, the one or more search fields being different from the tag, the property, and the category;

identifying database records having the tag as a value of a key and the category as a value of another key; and

searching for the document based on the database records identified and the search query.

22. A computer readable medium storing thereon one or more instructions, which when implemented causes a processor to implement a method for storing documents tracked on behalf of a plurality of organizations, the method comprising:

receiving a document to store on behalf of a first organization;

receiving a tag for storing in association with the document;

storing the document in association with the tag, the copy of the original document being stored to document management storage; and

associating the document and a copy of the document in the document management storage with a unique identifier;

wherein the unique identifier assigned to the document stored in the document management storage is tracked using a portion of a database limited to information of the first organization.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising:

applying a hash function to the document, therein generating in a hash value, and including the hash value within the unique identifier.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, the applying of the hash function and the including of the hash value in the unique identifier are performed in association with the storing of the document in the document management storage.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising:

receiving a category and storing the document in association with the category.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising sending a request for a value for the tag.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising storing the tag as a value for a key that in the database is associated with a location of the document.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising entering values for one or more search fields, the one or more search fields being different from the tag.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 28, the one more search fields including a field for an author of the document.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 28, the one or more fields including a name of a workspace.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 28, the one or more fields including a document format.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising allowing a group of users access to the document, multiple users from the group being allowed to edit the document, each user being associated with a profile and allowing each profile to specify more than one role, each role being associated with a set of one or more access privileges.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising associating the document with one or more of plurality of document types chosen from a list of document types, each document type describing one or more characteristics associated with the document.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 33, each of the document types including one or more properties associated with a list of properties, each property describing one or more characteristics associated with the document type that is associated with the document.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 22, the method further comprising:

applying a hash function to the original document, therein generating in a hash value;

including the hash value within the unique identifier;

allowing a group of users access to the document, multiple users from the group being allowed to edit the document, each user being associated with a profile and allowing each profile to specify more than one role, each role being associated with a set of one or more access privileges sending a request for a value for the tag;

receiving a category;

receiving a tag;

receiving a document type;

receiving values for one or more search fields, the one or more search fields being different than the category, tag and the document type;

storing the document in the association with the category and the document type, the tag being stored as a value for a key in the database that is associated with a location of the document, and the category being stored as a value of a key in the database that is associated with the location of the document; and

associating the document with one or more of plurality of document types chosen from a list of document types, each document type describing one or more characteristics associated with the document, each of the document types including one or more properties associated with a list of properties, each property describing one or more characteristics associated with the document type that is associated with the document; and

entering values for one or more search fields, the one or more search fields being different from the tag, the document types, and the properties; and

the one more search fields including at least

a field for an author of the document,

a name of a workspace, and

a document format.

36. A computer readable medium storing thereon one or more instructions, which when implemented causes a processor to implement a method for searching documents tracked on behalf of a plurality of organizations, the method comprising:

receiving a search query for a document stored on behalf of a first organization, the document being stored in the document management storage in association with a unique identifier and a tag, the unique identifier enabling a tracking of the document and a version of the document using a portion of a database limited to information of the first organization, the search query not including the unique identifier;

receiving the tag as part of the search query;

performing a search based on the search query by at least limiting the search to documents that have the tag; and

returning results of the search.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 36, the unique identifier including a hash value that results from applying a hash function to the original document.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 36, the method further comprising:

receiving a category as part of the search query.

39. The computer readable medium of claim 36, the method further comprising identifying database records having the tag as a value of a key associated with the database records.

40. The computer readable medium of claim 36, further receiving values for one or more search fields, the one or more search fields being different from the tag.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 36, the document being associated with one or more of plurality of document types chosen from a list of document types, each document type describing one or more characteristics associated with the document, the method further comprising receiving a property as part of the search query.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 36, the document being associated with one or more of plurality of document types chosen from a list of document types, each document type describing one or more characteristics associated with the document, the method further comprising:

receiving a category as part of the search query;

receiving a property as part of the search query;

receiving values for one or more search fields, the one or more search fields being different from the tag, the property, and the category;

identifying database records having the tag as a value of a key and the category as a value of another key; and

searching for the copy of the document based on the database records identified and the search query.