SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING DOCUMENTS IN AN ON-DEMAND SERVICE

• US 20100268740A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Barker, Timothy J., Lissack, Ryan, Pletter, Daniel L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,836,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for tracking documents in an on-demand service. These mechanisms and methods for tracking documents in an on-demand service can enable embodiments to provide the sharing of documents and the tracking of whether one of the shared documents was changed. The ability of embodiments to provide the sharing of documents and the tracking can enable a safeguard that a user knows whether the document that they have in their possession is the most recent version.

In an embodiment, the shared documents are stored in a document management storage. In an embodiment, each file has an ID that includes version information for checking whether the document is the most recent version. In an embodiment, an application is downloaded onto the user system that automatically upon opening a document checks whether a document is the most recent version.

Claims

1. A method for tracking documents stored on behalf of a plurality of tenants, comprising:

receiving at a host system, an original document to store on behalf of a first tenant;

storing a copy of the original document to a document management storage in a storage accessible to the host system; and

tracking, at the host system, the original document and the copy of the original document in the document management storage by a unique identifier assigned to the original document and a corresponding unique identifier assigned to the copy of the original document stored in the document management storage;

wherein the unique identifier assigned to the copy of the original document stored in the document management storage is tracked using a portion of a database resident at the host system limited to information of the first tenant;

allowing a level of access to be granted to the document that allows a plurality of users of the first tenant to at least edit the document.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a timestamp function of the last time the document was altered, and

incorporating the timestamp value within the unique identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

routing a document that has been altered to a second user for approval of the document that has been altered,

receiving an indication that the second user approved the document that has been altered; and

publishing the document that has been altered therein making the document that has been altered available for viewing by users having access at the level of access.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an alteration to the document; and

in response sending a message to the user asking whether to update a copy of the document that is local to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, the document having

a content portion that has content, and

a unique identifier portion that has the unique identifier;

the method further comprising

altering the content portion of the original document forming an altered content portion;

after altering the content portion, applying a hash function to at least a combination of the content portion of the document and the unique identifier portion of the document,

therein generating a new hash value; and

replacing the unique identifier with an updated unique identifier including at least the new hash value.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising sending an update of the document to the user if the user responds that the document should be updated.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in response to the original document being altered, temporarily setting at least a portion of the unique identifier having a current hash value to a fixed value, therein replacing the current hash value with the fixed value;

applying a hash function to the original document having the fixed value, therein generating a new hash value, and

replacing the fixed value with the new hash value within the unique identifier.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising publishing a document to the group by at least changing a path of the document to a path of a resource shared by the group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the host stores one or more computer instructions, which if implemented causes the host to grant the level of access that allows a plurality of users of the first tenant to at least edit the document in response to receiving a selection of the level of access.

10. The method of claim 1, the unique identifier having an id portion and a portion having a unique value, the method further comprising determining whether two documents are different versions of one document by comparing the id portions of the two documents to one another.

19. The method of claim 46, further comprising receiving a message to the other system that the document is currently opened by another user.

25. A computer readable medium storing thereon one or more instruction for implementing a method for tracking documents stored on behalf of a plurality of tenants, the method of claim 1.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

applying a timestamp function of the last time the document was altered, and incorporating the timestamp value within the unique identifier.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

routing a document that has been altered to a second user for approval of the document that has been altered,

receiving an indication that the second user approved the document that has been altered; and

publishing the document that has been altered therein making the document that has been altered available for viewing by users having access at the level of access.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an alteration to the document; and

in response sending a message to the user asking whether to update a copy of the document that is local to the user.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, the document having

a content portion that has content, and

a unique identifier portion that has the unique identifier;

the method further comprising

altering the content portion of the original document forming an altered content portion;

after altering the content portion, applying a hash function to at least a combination of the content portion of the document and the unique identifier portion of the document, therein generating a new hash value; and

replacing the unique identifier with an updated unique identifier including at least the new hash value.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising sending an update of the document to the user if the user responds that the document should be updated.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising:

in response to the original document being altered, temporarily setting at least a portion of the unique identifier having a current hash value to a fixed value, therein replacing the current hash value with the fixed value;

applying a hash function to the original document having the fixed value, therein generating a new hash value, and

replacing the fixed value with the new hash value within the unique identifier.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising publishing a document to the group by at least changing a path of the document to a path of a resource shared by the group.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the host stores one or more computer instructions, which if implemented causes the host to grant the level of access that allows a plurality of users of the first tenant to at least edit the document in response to receiving a selection of the level of access.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, the unique identifier having an id portion and a portion having a unique value, the method further comprising determining whether two documents are different versions of one document by comparing the id portions of the two documents to one another.

37. A host system for tracking documents stored on behalf of a plurality of tenants, the system comprising:

a database system having

a processor system,

volatile memory, and

non-volatile memory;

the non-volatile memory including at least one machine readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for which when implemented causes the processor system to implement the method of claim 1.

38. The host system of claim 37, wherein the method further comprises:

applying a timestamp function of the last time the document was altered, and

incorporating the timestamp value within the unique identifier.

39. The host system of claim 37, wherein the method further comprises:

routing a document that has been altered to a second user for approval of the document that has been altered,

receiving an indication that the second user approved the document that has been altered; and

publishing the document that has been altered therein making the document that has been altered available for viewing by users having access at the level of access.

40. The host system of claim 37, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an alteration to the document; and

in response sending a message to the user asking whether to update a copy of the document that is local to the user.

41. The host system of claim 40, the document having

a content portion that has content, and

a unique identifier portion that has the unique identifier;

the method further comprising

altering the content portion of the original document forming an altered content portion;

after altering the content portion, applying a hash function to at least a combination of the content portion of the document and the unique identifier portion of the document, therein generating a new hash value; and

replacing the unique identifier with an updated unique identifier including at least the new hash value.

42. The host system of claim 40, further comprising sending an update of the document to the user if the user responds that the document should be updated.

43. The host system of claim 40, further comprising:

in response to the original document being altered, temporarily setting at least a portion of the unique identifier having a current hash value to a fixed value, therein replacing the current hash value with the fixed value;

applying a hash function to the original document having the fixed value, therein generating a new hash value, and

replacing the fixed value with the new hash value within the unique identifier.

44. The host system of claim 43, further comprising publishing a document to the group by at least changing a path of the document to a path of a resource shared by the group.

45. The host system of claim 37, wherein the host stores one or more computer instructions, which if implemented causes the host to grant the level of access that allows a plurality of users of the first tenant to at least edit the document in response to receiving a selection of the level of access.

46. The host system of claim 37, the unique identifier having an id portion and a portion having a unique value, the method further comprising determining whether two documents are different versions of one document by comparing the id portions of the two documents to one another.

11. A method for tracking documents stored on behalf of a plurality of tenants, comprising:

sending, from a host, a user interface associated with Customer Relations Management (CRM) software to a client system, the user interface having one or more links which when activated cause the generation of database commands at the host, the host being a multi-organizational on-demand database resident at the host system;

as a result of input received via the user interface, receiving at the host system, an original document to store on behalf of a first tenant;

storing a copy of the original document to a document management storage in a storage accessible to the host system; and

tracking, at the host system, the original document and the copy of the original document in the document management storage by a unique identifier assigned to the original document and a corresponding unique identifier assigned to the copy of the original document stored in the document management storage;

wherein the unique identifier assigned to the copy of the original document stored in the document management storage is tracked using a portion of a multi-tenant, on demand database resident at the host system limited to information of the first tenant.

35. A computer readable medium storing thereon one or more instruction for implementing a method for tracking documents stored on behalf of a plurality of tenants, the method of claim 11.

47. A host system for tracking documents stored on behalf of a plurality of tenants, the system comprising:

a database system having

a processor system,

volatile memory, and

non-volatile memory;

the non-volatile memory including at least one machine readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for which when implemented causes the processor system to implement the method of claim 11.

12. A method of configuring a host system for tracking documents stored on behalf of a plurality of tenants, comprising:

installing on the host system one or more instructions which when implemented cause a processor system of the host system, having one or more processors, to invoke a method including at least

receiving at a host system, an original document to store on behalf of a first tenant;

storing a copy of the original document to a document management storage in a storage accessible to the host system; and

tracking, at the host system, the original document and the copy of the original document in the document management storage by a unique identifier assigned to the original document and a corresponding unique identifier assigned to the copy of the original document stored in the document management storage;

wherein the unique identifier assigned to the copy of the original document stored in the document management storage is tracked using a portion of a database resident at the host system limited to information of the first tenant;

allowing a level of access to be granted to the document that allows a plurality of users of the first tenant to at least edit the document.

13. A method comprising:

tracking a copy of a document at a client system having a processor system with one or more processors, the copy of the document being a copy of an original document from a document management storage on another system that serves multiple organizations, the copy including an unique identifier, the tracking including at least the processor system determining when the copy is opened,

when it is determined that the copy is opened, the processor system sending a message to the other system that includes at least the unique identifier, and

in response to the sending of the message, receiving a reply to the message indicating whether the copy is current, the reply being based on the unique identifier sent in the message and a corresponding unique identifier in the original document.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the unique identifier comprises an identification portion and a version portion.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the identification portion allows the identification of more than one version of the document.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising

detecting when a version of a document is opened;

sending a message to the host to check whether the version is the current version; and

obtaining an updated version.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising automatically connecting to the other system.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving a message to the other system that the documents opened is not the newest version.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein if a first user opens the document, the first user will not be notified of changes made by a second user prior to the changes being approved.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether two documents are different version of one document by comparing the identification portions of the two documents to one another.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising at a file-system level hooking the document in conjunction with storing the document on the client machine, and the determining of whether a document is opening includes at least determining whether a hook associated with the document was activated.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing the document in a portion of the memory of system of the client machine reserved for documents from the document management system and the determining of whether a document is opening includes at least monitoring that portion of the memory system for documents.

24. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

receiving the copy of the original document.

36. A computer readable medium storing one or more machine instructions, which when implemented case a processor system to implement the method of claim 13.

48. A host system comprising:

a host processor system having the one more processors; and

a host memory system having one or more computer readable media;

the computer readable media storing at least

a first set of instructions including one or more instructions which when implemented cause the client processor system to implement the method of claim 13; and

a second set of instructions including one or more instructions which when implemented cause the host processor system to send the first set of instructions to the client machine.