AUTOMATICALLY SUBSCRIBING USERS OF AN ENTERPRISE NETWORK TO A RECORD

• US 20140289272A1
• Filed: 03/21/2014
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Nahm, Stephen Xavier
• Granted Patent: US 9,483,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution

Abstract

Various implementations are directed to systems, apparatus, computer-implemented methods and storage media for detecting a change in a status of a record and, in response to the detection of the change in status, identifying related users that are currently relevant to the record based on the change in the status. The identified users are subscribed to the record, and as a result, communications generated for the record are distributed to them. In some implementations, currently relevant users are users that have a role in developing, working with or supervising the record in the record'"'"'s current status, or a role in transitioning the record from its current status to another status. It can be desirable to subscribe currently relevant users because the distribution of communications concerning the record in its current status to these users can benefit an enterprise by virtue of these users knowing the information in the communications.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for associating users of an enterprise network to a record stored in a database of records, the method comprising:

detecting, by one or more computing systems, a change in a status of a first record in the database of records, the first record including enterprise-related information, the first record having an associated state field having one of two or more possible states, each of the two or more states representing a respective status of the first record, the detection of the change in the status including detecting a change of the state in the state field; and

in response to the detection of the change in status;

identifying, by the one or more computing systems, one or more related users in the enterprise network that are currently relevant to the first record based on the change in the status, the identifying including;

identifying one or more other records in the database that are related to the first record; and

identifying, for each of the one or more identified records, one or more users in the enterprise network that are related to the respective identified record; and

subscribing, by the one or more computing systems, each of the one or more identified related users to the first record.

2. The method of claim 1, further including, in response to the detection of the change in status:

identifying, by the one or more computing systems, one or more related users in the enterprise network that are no longer relevant to the first record based on the change in the status; and

unsubscribing each of the one or more identified no longer relevant related users from the first record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each record in the database of records is stored as a respective record data object in the database;

each record data object includes a respective state field associated with the record;

each record data object further includes a record identifier field that identifies the record with a respective record identifier;

each record data object further includes one or more related record fields, each related record field having one or more record identifiers for one or more respective related records; and

identifying the one or more other related records in the database that are currently relevant to the first record includes;

accessing the record data object associated with the first record;

selecting one or more of the one or more related record fields in the record data object;

accessing the one or more selected record fields; and

identifying the one or more record identifiers in each of the selected record fields.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more selected record fields are selected based on a current relevance of each of the respective related records identified in the selected record fields, the relevance of each of the respective related records being associated with a relationship between information in the respective related record and information in the first record.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

each user of the enterprise network is associated with a respective user identifier;

each record data object further includes one or more related user fields, each related user field having one or more user identifiers for one or more respective related users; and

identifying the one or more related users in the enterprise network that are currently relevant to the respective identified record includes;

accessing the record data object associated with the respective identified related record;

selecting one or more of the one or more related user fields in the record data object;

accessing the one or more selected user fields; and

identifying the one or more user identifiers in each of the selected user fields.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more selected user fields are selected based on a current relevance of each of the respective related users identified in the selected user fields, the relevance of each of the respective related users being associated with a role of the respective related user in developing or working with the record in the record'"'"'s current status or a role in transitioning the record from the current status to another status.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more selected user fields of each identified related record are selected based on a status of the respective identified related record or a combination of the status of the first record and the status of the respective identified related record.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each user of the enterprise network is associated with a respective user identifier;

each record data object further includes one or more related user fields, each related user field having one or more user identifiers for one or more respective related users; and

identifying the one or more related users in the enterprise network that are currently relevant to the first record includes;

accessing the record data object associated with the first record;

selecting one or more of the one or more related user fields in the record data object;

accessing the one or more selected user fields; and

identifying the one or more user identifiers in each of the selected user fields.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the state field includes a picklist including two or more possible items, each item in the picklist representing a respective one of the two or more states.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more possible states are fixed.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the change in status is a change from a non-actionable status to an actionable status; and

the method further includes;

detecting a second change in the status of the first record, the second change in the status being a change from the actionable status to a non-actionable status; and

in response to the detection of the second change in status, unsubscribing one or more of the subscribed users that are not currently relevant to the first record.

12. A system for associating users of an enterprise network to a record stored in a database of records, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more storage devices for storing the database of records; and

one or more storage devices for storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform operations including;

detecting a change in a status of a first record in the database of records, the first record including enterprise-related information, the first record having an associated state field having one of two or more possible states, each of the two or more states representing a respective status of the first record, the detection of the change in the status including detecting a change of the state in the state field; and

in response to the detection of the change in status;

identifying one or more related users in the enterprise network that are currently relevant to the first record based on the change in the status, the identifying including;

identifying one or more other records in the database that are related to the first record; and

identifying, for each of the one or more identified records, one or more users in the enterprise network that are related to the respective identified record; and

subscribing each of the one or more identified related users to the first record.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further include, in response to the detection of the change in status:

identifying one or more related users in the enterprise network that are no longer relevant to the first record based on the change in the status; and

unsubscribing each of the one or more identified no longer relevant related users from the first record.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein:

each record in the database of records is stored as a respective record data object in the database;

each record data object includes a respective state field associated with the record;

each record data object further includes a record identifier field that identifies the record with a respective record identifier;

each record data object further includes one or more related record fields, each related record field having one or more record identifiers for one or more respective related records; and

identifying the one or more other related records in the database that are currently relevant to the first record includes;

accessing the record data object associated with the first record;

selecting one or more of the one or more related record fields in the record data object;

accessing the one or more selected record fields; and

identifying the one or more record identifiers in each of the selected record fields.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more selected record fields are selected based on a current relevance of each of the respective related records identified in the selected record fields, the relevance of each of the respective related records being associated with a relationship between information in the respective related record and information in the first record.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein:

each user of the enterprise network is associated with a respective user identifier;

each record data object further includes one or more related user fields, each related user field having one or more user identifiers for one or more respective related users; and

identifying the one or more related users in the enterprise network that are currently relevant to the respective identified record includes;

accessing the record data object associated with the respective identified related record;

selecting one or more of the one or more related user fields in the record data object;

accessing the one or more selected user fields; and

identifying the one or more user identifiers in each of the selected user fields.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more selected user fields are selected based on a current relevance of each of the respective related users identified in the selected user fields, the relevance of each of the respective related users being associated with a role of the respective related user in developing or working with the record in the record'"'"'s current status or a role in transitioning the record from the current status to another status.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more selected user fields of each identified related record are selected based on a status of the respective identified related record or a combination of the status of the first record and the status of the respective identified related record.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein:

each user of the enterprise network is associated with a respective user identifier;

each record data object further includes one or more related user fields, each related user field having one or more user identifiers for one or more respective related users; and

identifying the one or more related users in the enterprise network that are currently relevant to the first record includes;

accessing the record data object associated with the first record;

selecting one or more of the one or more related user fields in the record data object;

accessing the one or more selected user fields; and

identifying the one or more user identifiers in each of the selected user fields.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the state field includes a picklist including two or more possible items, each item in the picklist representing a respective one of the two or more states.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the two or more possible states are fixed.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the change in status is a change from a non-actionable status to an actionable status; and

the operations further include;

detecting a second change in the status of the first record, the second change in the status being a change from the actionable status to a non-actionable status; and

in response to the detection of the second change in status, unsubscribing the one or more subscribed users.