ASSOCIATING OBJECTS IN MULTI-TENANT SYSTEMS

• US 20130031496A1
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Mathrubootham, Ganesh, Lu, Qian, Chen, Lu Ping, Khatri, Shahid H., Kwong, Hui Fung Herman, Ghassemieh, Kayvaan
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for associating objects in a database. An exemplary method involves identifying one or more objects in the database that are likely to be related to a first object in the database that is based on data obtained from a local application associated with a user and displaying the identified objects on a client device associated with the user. In exemplary embodiments, the identified objects are displayed in response to selection of a graphical user interface element enabling indication of a second object from among the one or more objects, wherein the first object is associated with the second object in the database after receiving indication of the second object. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the database is a multi-tenant database in a multi-tenant system providing instances of a virtual application to multiple tenants.

Claims

1. A method of associating objects in a database, the method comprising:

identifying one or more objects in the database that are likely to be related to a first object in the database, the first object being based on data obtained from a first application associated with a user; and

displaying the one or more objects on a client device associated with the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, within a second application on the client device, a first graphical user interface element enabling indication of a second object of the one or more objects, wherein displaying the one or more objects comprises displaying, within the second application, a list including the one or more objects in response to selection of the first graphical user interface element.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising associating the first object with the second object in the database after receiving indication of the second object by the first graphical user interface element.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising graphically indicating an association between the first object and the second object within the second application.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing, within the second application, a second graphical user interface element enabling indication of a third object in the database, wherein:

identifying the one or more objects comprises identifying a set of objects in the database associated with the third object; and

the list includes the set of objects in response to selection of the first graphical user interface element after receiving indication of the third object.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising graphically indicating an association between the first object, the second object, and the third object within the second application.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, within a second application on the client device, a first graphical user interface element enabling indication of a primary database object for association with the first object, wherein identifying the one or more objects comprises identifying a set of objects in the database associated with the primary database object.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing, within the second application, a second graphical user interface element enabling indication of a secondary database object for association with the first object, wherein displaying the one or more objects comprises displaying the set of objects associated with the primary database object in response to selection of the second graphical user interface element.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising associating the first object, the primary database object, and the secondary database object after receiving, via the second graphical user interface element, indication of the secondary database object from among the set of objects.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the database comprises a multi-tenant database;

the first application comprises an e-mail application executing on the client device, the first object being based on an e-mail obtained from the e-mail application;

the second application comprises a virtual customer relationship management application provided within a browser application executing on the client device;

the primary database object comprises a person object; and

the secondary database object comprises a business object associated with the person object.

11. A method of associating an activity object in a multi-tenant database based on data obtained from a local application executing on a client device in a multi-tenant system providing a virtual application over a network to a plurality of tenants, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of objects in the multi-tenant database that are likely to be related to the activity object;

providing, by the virtual application within a second application executing on the client device, a first graphical user interface element enabling indication of a first object of the plurality of objects;

displaying, by the virtual application within the second application, the plurality of objects in response to selection of the first graphical user interface element; and

associating the activity object with the first object in the multi-tenant database after receiving indication of the first object from among the plurality of objects.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing, by the virtual application within the second application, a second graphical user interface element enabling indication of a second object in the multi-tenant database, wherein:

identifying the plurality of objects comprises identifying a set of objects in the multi-tenant database associated with the second object; and

displaying the plurality of objects comprises displaying the set of objects in response to selection of the first graphical user interface element.

13. The method of claim 12, the second object comprising a person object in the multi-tenant database, wherein identifying the set of objects comprises identifying a plurality of business objects in the multi-tenant database associated with the person object.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

identifying the set of objects further comprises identifying a subset of the plurality of business objects based on one or more relevancy criteria; and

displaying the set of objects comprises displaying only the subset of the plurality of business objects.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

associating the activity object with the second object in the multi-tenant database; and

displaying, by the virtual application within the second application, a graphical representation of the first object including an entry corresponding to the activity object, wherein the entry indicates an association between the activity object and the second object.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying, by the virtual application within the second application, a graphical representation of the first object, wherein the graphical representation of the first object indicates an association with the activity object.

17. A computer system comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to:

identify one or more objects in a database coupled to the computer system that are likely to be related to a first object in the database, the first object being based on data obtained from a first application associated with a user; and

provide, within a second application executing on a client device associated with the user, a first graphical user interface element enabling indication of a second object from among the one or more objects, the client device being coupled to the computer system over a network, wherein the one or more objects are displayed within the second application in response to selection of the first graphical user interface element.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the computer system to associate the first object and the second object in the database after receiving indication of the second object from among the one or more objects.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the computer system to graphically indicate, within the second application, an association between the first object and the second object after associating the first object and the second object in the database.

20. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the computer system to:

provide, within the second application, a second graphical user interface element enabling indication of a third object in the database; and

identify the one or more objects by identifying a set of objects in the database associated with the third object after receiving indication of the third object, wherein the set of objects are displayed within the second application in response to selection of the first graphical user interface element.