SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CROSS-PLATFORM SYNCHRONIZATION OF DATA OBJECTS IN A MULTI-TENANT ENVIRONMENT

• US 20130304697A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Movida, Mark
• Application Number:
  US13/834,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304697A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for synchronizing files in a multi-tenant computing environment of the type including a server, a multi-tenant database, and a local computer connected to the multi-tenant database through a network cloud. The method seamlessly synchronizes data objects in the multi-tenant database with corresponding data objects on the local computing device. The method includes running a client application on a local computing device, updating a first file on the local computing device, and automatically updating a second file in a remote multi-tenant database corresponding to the first file upon updating the first file.

Claims

1. A computer implemented application for automatically synchronizing data objects between a local computing device and a remote multi-tenant database, comprising:

a user interface module including a file manager configured to present a list of data objects to a user;

a cross platform module configured to run the file management application on one of a plurality of operating systems;

an authorization module configured to authenticate the user for access to a subset of the multi-tenant database;

an application protocol interface (API) toolkit configured to perform user-selected functions on the data objects; and

a file synchronizing engine configured to automatically synchronize the list of data objects with respective data objects in the multi-tenant database.

2. The application of claim 1, wherein the user-selected functions include creating, deleting, and updating the data objects.

3. The application of claim 2, wherein the data objects comprise text files containing customer information including name, address, title, city, and state.

4. The application of 1, wherein automatically synchronize comprises reconciling the current state of the list of data objects with corresponding data objects in the multi-tenant database independent of user action.

5. The application of 1, wherein the local computing device and the multi-tenant database are configured to communicate with each other through a network.

6. The application of 5, wherein the network is the internet.

7. The application of 1, wherein the computing device comprises one of a desk top computer, lap top computer, tablet, and a mobile computing device.

8. The application of 1, wherein the application comprises a single integrated code base configured to run on at least one of Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.

9. The application of 1, wherein the subset comprises tenant specific files within the multi-tenant database.

10. The application of 1, wherein the user interface module is further configured to display a synchronization file icon to the user.

11. The application of 10, wherein the user interface module is further configured to display a context specific menu to the user upon selection of the synchronization file icon, the menu including a website key and a file manager key.

12. The application of 1, wherein the file synchronizing engine is configured to monitor files and directories in the subset of the multi-tenant database and in the local computing device, and to reconcile updated files in real time.

13. In a multi-tenant computing environment of the type including a server, a multi-tenant database, and a local computer connected to the multi-tenant database through a network cloud, a method of automatically synchronizing data objects in the multi-tenant database with corresponding data objects on the local computing device, the method comprising:

running a client application on a local computing device, the client application including a file synchronizing module configured to maintain persistent connectivity between the multi-tenant database and the local computing device;

displaying a synchronization icon on the local computing device;

displaying a list of files on the local computing device in response to selection of the synchronization icon;

displaying, on the local computing device, a first file selected from the list;

updating the displayed first file on the local computing device; and

automatically updating, in the multi-tenant database, a second file corresponding to the first file upon updating the first file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein running the client application comprises monitoring file creation, deletion, and revision for first files located on the local computing device and corresponding second files located in the multi-tenant database.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

creating a third local file on the local computing device;

dragging and dropping indicia of the third file into the list of files; and

automatically creating a third remote file in the multi-tenant database corresponding to the third local file in response to the dragging and dropping.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying a context specific menu on the local computing device in response to selection of the synchronization icon, the menu including a web access key and a file manager key; and

accessing a web-based portal associated with the multi-tenant database in response to user selection of the web access key.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying an interactive file management user interface in response to user selection of the file manager key.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein updating the displayed first file on the local computing device comprises revising a text file associated with the first file using an API tool kit associated with the client application.

19. A computer application embodied in a non-transitory medium for operation by a computer processor for performing the steps of:

running a client application on a local computing device;

updating a first file on the local computing device; and

automatically updating a second file in a remote multi-tenant database corresponding to the first file upon updating the first file.

20. The computer application of claim 19, wherein the client application includes a file synchronizing module configured to maintain persistent connectivity between the multi-tenant database and the local computing device, and further wherein automatically updating comprises updating the second file user action.