SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR RUNTIME INVOCATION OF AN APPROPRIATE VERSION OF PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS IN AN ON-DEMAND DATABASE

• US 20090049288A1
• Filed: 08/15/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Weissman, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 712/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for runtime invocation of an appropriate version of program instructions in an on-demand database service. These mechanisms and methods for providing such runtime invocation can enable embodiments to ensure that new versions of developed applications will operate in the same application environment of a previous version. The ability of embodiments to provide such runtime invocation may lead to an improved application migration development/runtime framework, etc.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving program instructions of an application at an on-demand database service;

determining a version of the program instructions to be invoked; and

invoking an appropriate portion of the program instructions based on the determined version.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the version is determined utilizing version information associated with a subscriber of the on-demand database service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a test included with the program instructions is applied to the version information to identify the appropriate portion of the program instructions to be invoked.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the program instructions is invoked if it is determined that a first version of the program instructions is to be invoked, and a second portion of the program instructions is invoked if it is determined that a second version of the program instructions is to be invoked.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first version of the program instructions and the second version of the program instructions are both included with the application.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first version of the program instructions and the second version of the program instructions differ with respect to at least one method.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first version of the program instructions and the second version of the program instructions differ with respect to at least one class.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the first version of the program instructions and the second version of the program instructions differ with respect to at least one variable.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the first version of the program instructions is a previous version and the second version of the program instructions is a later version.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first version of the program instructions is marked in accordance with a predetermined format.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-demand database service includes a multi-tenant on-demand service.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is pushed to a plurality of subscribers.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the application is pushed to a plurality of subscribers asynchronously.

14. A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving program instructions of an application at an on-demand database service;

determining a version of the program instructions to be invoked; and

invoking an appropriate portion of the program instructions based on the determined version.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

receiving program instructions of an application at an on-demand database service;

determining a version of the program instructions to be invoked; and

invoking an appropriate portion of the program instructions based on the determined version.

16. A method for transmitting code for use in a multi-tenant database system on a transmission medium, the method comprising:

transmitting code for receiving program instructions of an application at an on-demand database service;

transmitting code for determining a version of the program instructions to be invoked; and

transmitting code for invoking an appropriate portion of the program instructions based on the determined version.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the version is determined utilizing version information associated with a subscriber of the on-demand database service.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a test included with the program instructions is applied to the version information to identify the appropriate portion of the program instructions to be invoked.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein a first portion of the program instructions is invoked if it is determined that a first version of the program instructions is to be invoked, and a second portion of the program instructions is invoked if it is determined that a second version of the program instructions is to be invoked.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first version of the program instructions and the second version of the program instructions are both included with the application.