Systems and methods for deploying a tenant in a provider-tenant environment

• US 7,698,284 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Gruener, Alex, Becker, Wolfgang A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B
• Application Number:
  US11/320,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

The present invention discloses methods and systems for hosting tenants over a network in a computer-based environment in which a provider may receive data structures corresponding to a first tenant, determine which of the data structures are specific to the first tenant and which the data structures are shared with the other tenant; generate a tenant template that stores the data structures specific to the first tenant, and use the tenant template to generate a tenant database corresponding to the first tenant and storing the data structures specific to the first tenant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing a provider-tenant system where a provider communicates with a plurality of tenants over a network, the method comprising:

receiving at a provider a plurality of data structures corresponding to a first tenant;

analyzing, using a processor, attributes of the plurality of data structures;

based on the analysis, determining which of the plurality of data structures are specific to the first tenant and which of the plurality of data structures are shared by the plurality of tenants;

appending designations to the plurality of data structures, based on the determination;

generating a tenant template that stores at least one of the plurality of data structures having an appended designation, the at least one data structure being specific to the first tenant;

using the tenant template to generate a tenant database corresponding to the first tenant;

storing the at least one appended data structure specific to the first tenant in the tenant database; and

storing a data structure that is specific to the first tenant at a second location in the provider.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the first tenant to access the at least one data structure specific to the first tenant at the first tenant and to access at least one shared data structure stored at the provider.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second copy of the tenant template;

using the second copy of the tenant template to generate a second tenant database corresponding a second tenant at the second tenant; and

enabling the second tenant to access data structures specific to the second tenant at the second tenant and to access at least one shared data structure stored at the provider.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising:

enabling the first tenant to have access to shared data structures stored at the provider based on data defined in the tenant template.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first tenant is a new tenant.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first tenant is different than any of the plurality of tenants.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tenant template is a database schema.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein generating a tenant database further includes copying the database schema.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tenant template is stored in a template database and generating a tenant database further includes creating a copy of the template database.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tenant template is stored in at least one data volume and generating a tenant database further includes creating a snapshot of the data volume.

11. A system for managing a provider-client system comprising at least a processor and a database, the system comprising:

means for receiving, at a provider, a plurality of data structures corresponding to a first tenant;

means for analyzing attributes of the plurality of data structures and determining, based on the analysis, which of the plurality of data structures are specific to the first tenant and which of the plurality of data structures are shared by the plurality of tenants;

means for appending designations to the plurality of data structures based on the determination;

means for generating a tenant template that stores at least one of the plurality of data structures having an appended designation, the at least one data structure being specific to the first tenant;

means for using the tenant template to generate a tenant database corresponding to the first tenant and storing the at least one data structure specific to the first tenant in the tenant database; and

means for storing a data structure that is specific to the first tenant at a second location in the provider.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for enabling the first tenant to access the at least one data structure specific to the first tenant at the first tenant and to access at least one shared data structure stored at the provider.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for generating a second copy of the tenant template;

means for using the second copy of the tenant template to generate a second tenant database corresponding to a second tenant at the second tenant; and

means for enabling the second tenant to access data structures specific to the second tenant at the second tenant and to access at least one shared data structure stored at the provider.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for enabling the first tenant to have access to the shared data structures at the provider based on data defined in the tenant template.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first tenant is a new tenant.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the first tenant is different than any of the plurality of tenants.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the tenant template is a database schema.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for generating a tenant database further includes means for creating a copy of the database schema.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the tenant template is stored in a template database and the means for generating a tenant database further includes means for creating a copy of the template database.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the tenant template is stored in at least one data volume and the means for generating a tenant database further includes means for creating a snapshot of the data volume.