SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EXPORTING, PUBLISHING, BROWSING AND INSTALLING ON-DEMAND APPLICATIONS IN A MULTI-TENANT DATABASE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20100223284A1
• Filed: 03/09/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Bezar, Eric David, Brooks, David, Gross, Adam, Jasik, Benji, Wong, Simon, Chasman, Douglas, Tzuo, Tien, Tucker, Lewis Wiley, Hansma, Scott, Tamm, Steven, Mason, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2329 using versioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata
• 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 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/50 Circuit switching systems, i.e. systems in which the path is physically permanent during the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A computer implemented method of developing computer applications, the method comprising providing to multiple users access, over a network, to information on a data center, with a subgroup of the users having access to a sub-portion of the information that is different from the sub-portion accessible by the remaining tenants of the subgroup; and communicating with the data center over the network employing a computer system associated with a user of the sub-group to establish application functionality with the sub-portion that may be accessed, over the network, by additional parties authorized by the user. Also disclosed is a machine-readable medium and a data center, both of which facilitate carrying-out the steps of the method.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of developing computer applications, said method comprising:

providing to multiple users access, over a network, to information on a data center, with a subgroup of said users having access to a sub-portion of said information that is different from the sub-portion accessible by the remaining tenants of said subgroup; and

communicating with said data center over said network employing a computer system associated with a user of said sub-group to establish application functionality with said sub-portion, which may be accessed over said network by additional parties authorized by said user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating further includes establishing said application functionality to facilitate querying an SQL data base by said additional parties.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein providing further includes establishing a plurality of processors in data communication, defining said data center, with said communicating further including storing in said data center first and second parts of said sub-portion, with said first part providing said application functionality and said second part defining a database.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein providing further includes establishing a plurality of servers in data communication, defining said data center, with said communicating further including storing a first part of said sub-portion that provides said application functionality on one said plurality of servers and storing a second part of said sub-portion on a second of said plurality of servers, with said second part defining a database.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating further includes storing information on said data network to generate a graphical user interface in response to one of said additional parties accessing said data network.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further including concurrently establishing multiple instances of said application functionality.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating further includes communicating with said data center through a web browser.

8. A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for developing computer applications when executed by one or more processors and cause the one or more processors to carry out steps of:

providing to multiple users access, over a network, to information on a data center, with a subgroup of said users having access to a sub-portion of said information that is different from the sub-portion accessible by the remaining tenants of said subgroup; and

communicating with said data center over said network employing a computer system associated with a user of said sub-group to establish application functionality with said sub-portion, which may be accessed over said network by additional parties authorized by said user.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions to carry out the step of communicating further includes instructions to carry out a step establishing said application functionality to facilitate querying an SQL data base by said additional parties.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions to carry out the step of providing further includes instructions to carry out a step of operating a plurality of processors in data communication, defining said data center and storing in said data center first and second parts of said sub-portion, with said first part providing said application functionality and said second part defining a database.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions to carry out the step of providing further includes instructions to carry out a step of operating a plurality of servers in data communication, defining said data center storing a first part of said sub-portion that provides said application functionality on one said plurality of servers and storing a second part of said sub-portion on a second of said plurality of servers, with said second part defining a database.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions to carry out the step of communicating further includes instructions to carry out a step of storing information on said data network to generate a graphical user interface in response to one of said additional parties accessing said data network.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 8 further including instructions to carry out a step of concurrently establishing multiple instances of said application functionality.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions to carry out the step of communicating further includes instructions to carry out a step communicating with said data center through a web browser.

15. A data center for developing computer applications the data center comprising:

a processor; and

a memory space having a sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

providing to multiple users access, over a network, to information on said data center, with a subgroup of said users having access to a sub-portion of said information that is different from the sub-portion accessible by the remaining tenants of said subgroup; and

communicating with said data center over said network employing a computer system associated with a user of said sub-group to establish application functionality with said sub-portion, which may be accessed over said network by additional parties authorized by said user.

16. The data center as recited in claim 15 wherein said sequence of instructions to carry of the step of communicating further includes a sub-routine to carry out a step establishing said application functionality to facilitate querying an SQL data base by said additional parties.

17. The data center as recited in claim 15 wherein said sequence of instructions to carry of the step of providing further includes a sub-routine to carry out a step of operating a plurality of processors in data communication, defining said data center and storing in said data center first and second parts of said sub-portion, with said first part providing said application functionality and said second part defining a database.

18. The data center as recited in claim 15 wherein said sequence of instructions to carry of the step of providing further includes a sub-routine to carry out a step of operating a plurality of servers in data communication, defining said data center storing a first part of said sub-portion that provides said application functionality on one said plurality of servers and storing a second part of said sub-portion on a second of said plurality of servers, with said second part defining a database.

19. The data center as recited in claim 15 wherein said sequence of instructions to carry of the step of communicating further includes a sub-routine to carry out a step of storing information on said data network to generate a graphical user interface in response to one of said additional parties accessing said data network.

20. The data center as recited in claim 15 further including instructions to carry out a step of concurrently establishing multiple instances of said application functionality.