TENANT MANAGEMENT OF A HOSTED MULTI-TENANT APPLICATION

• US 20100211548A1
• Filed: 02/17/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sun, Hao, Wood, Douglas William, Bangalore, Ramesh T., Ott, Michael James, Shutt, David Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,208,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/655
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2308 Concurrency control transaction processing G06F9/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2336 Pessimistic concurrency control approaches, e.g. locking or multiple versions without time stamps
• 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 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A hosted multi-tenant application is provided that permits a tenant to self-manage aspects of the operation of the application. A tenant may be permitted to upgrade the multi-tenant application on-demand or according to a schedule, to place the multi-tenant application into a read-only mode of operation, to create a shadow copy of their unshared organization database, to merge changes to a shadow copy into a master version of the unshared organization database, to create and revert to snapshots of an unshared organization database, and to perform other functions. A computing architecture that utilizes site-wide server computers and scale groups may be utilized to implement this functionality.

Claims

1. A system for providing a hosted application to one or more tenants, the system comprising:

a scale group having a tenant assigned thereto, the scale group configured to maintain an unshared organization database for the tenant; and

one or more site-wide server computers configured to receive a request from the tenant to upgrade the hosted application and, in response to receiving the request, to place the unshared organization database into a read-only mode of operation, to migrate the unshared organization database to an upgraded scale group, to cause the unshared organization database to be upgraded, and to enable the upgraded unshared organization database for use by the tenant at the upgraded scale group.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein placing the unshared organization database into a read-only mode of operation comprises revoking one or more user privileges from the tenant, such that the tenant cannot modify the unshared organization database.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more site-wide roles executing at the site-wide server computers are upgraded prior to upgrading the unshared organization database.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the scale group is further configured to receive a request from the tenant to create a shadow copy of the unshared organization database and, in response thereto, to cause a shadow copy of the unshared organization database to be created for use by the tenant.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the shadow copy of the unshared organization database is created at the upgraded scale group and wherein the upgraded scale group is further configured to upgrade the shadow copy of the unshared organization database and to allow the tenant access to the unshared organization database in its pre-upgraded state.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the scale group is further configured to receive a request from the tenant to merge changes to the shadow copy into the unshared organization database and, in response thereto, to cause changes to the shadow copy to be merged into the unshared organization database.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the scale group is further configured to receive a request from the tenant to create a snapshot of the unshared organization database and, in response thereto, to cause a snapshot to be created of the unshared organization database.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the scale group is further configured to receive a request from the tenant to revert the unshared organization database to a previously-created snapshot and, in response thereto, to cause the unshared organization database to be reverted to the previously-created snapshot.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, will cause the computer to:

receive a request from a tenant of a hosted application to upgrade the hosted application and, in response to receiving the request, to place an unshared organization database for the tenant into a read-only mode of operation, to migrate the unshared organization database to an upgraded scale group, to cause the unshared organization database to be upgraded, and to enable the upgraded unshared organization database for use by the tenant at the upgraded scale group.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the tenant is assigned to a scale group configured to maintain the unshared organization database for the tenant.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein placing the unshared organization database into a read-only mode of operation comprises revoking one or more user privileges from the tenant, such that the tenant cannot modify the unshared organization database.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, having further computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer, will cause the computer to receive a request from the tenant to create a shadow copy of the unshared organization database and, in response thereto, to cause a shadow copy of the unshared organization database to be created for use by the tenant.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the shadow copy of the unshared organization database is created at the upgraded scale group and wherein the upgraded scale group is further configured to upgrade the shadow copy of the unshared organization database.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, having further computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer, will cause the computer to receive a request from the tenant to merge changes to the shadow copy into the unshared organization database and, in response thereto, to cause changes to the shadow copy to be merged into the unshared organization database.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, having further computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer, will cause the computer to receive a request from the tenant to create a snapshot of the unshared organization database and, in response thereto, to cause a snapshot to be created of the unshared organization database.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, having further computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer, will cause the computer to receive a request from the tenant to revert the unshared organization database to a previously-created snapshot and, in response thereto, to cause the unshared organization database to be reverted to the previously-created snapshot.

17. A computer-implemented method for providing a hosted application to one or more tenants, the computer-implemented method comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:

assigning the tenant to a scale group;

maintaining an unshared organization database for the tenant at the scale group;

upgrading one or more site-wide roles executing at one or more site-wide server computers;

receiving a request from the tenant at one of the site-wide server computers to upgrade the hosted application;

in response to receiving the request, placing the unshared organization database into a read-only mode of operation by revoking one or more privileges from one or more scale group roles executing at the scale group so that the scale group roles cannot modify the unshared organization database;

migrating the unshared organization database from the scale group to an upgraded scale group;

upgrading the unshared organization database at the upgraded scale group; and

enabling the upgraded unshared organization database for use by the tenant at the upgraded scale group.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a request from the tenant to create a shadow copy of the unshared organization database and, in response thereto, creating a shadow copy of the unshared organization database for use by the tenant.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a request from the tenant to merge one or more changes to the shadow copy into the unshared organization database and, in response thereto, to merge the changes to the shadow copy into the unshared organization database.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a request from the tenant to create a snapshot of the unshared organization database and, in response thereto, to cause a snapshot to be created of the unshared organization database; and

receiving a request from the tenant to revert the unshared organization database to a previously-created snapshot and, in response thereto, to cause the unshared organization database to be reverted to the previously-created snapshot.