Systems and methods for accessing a shared space in a provider-tenant environment by using middleware

• US 7,739,348 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Becker, Wolfgang A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tammy T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cheema; Umar
• Application Number:
  US11/647,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 709/213, 709/214, 709/215, 709/216, 717/171
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

The present invention discloses methods and systems for hosting tenants in a computer-based environment in which a provider stores a shared data structure. Each of the tenants may communicate with a middleware module storing metadata referencing the shared data structure and a tenant-specific data structure specific to the first tenant for access by the first tenant. Based on the metadata and in response to a data request from the first tenant, the system may the query the provider or the first tenant for requested data and provide the requested data based on the querying.

Claims

1. A method for hosting, at a provider, a plurality of tenants over a network, the method comprising:

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

generating a shared designation to identify a data structure as being shared by the plurality of tenants, and generating a tenant-specific designation to identify a data structure as being specific to the first tenant;

appending the shared designation to a shared data structure determined as being shared by the plurality of tenants, and appending the tenant-specific designation to a tenant-specific data structure determined as being specific to the first tenant;

storing, at the provider, the shared data structure;

storing, at a tenant server of the first tenant, the tenant-specific data structure for access by the first tenant;

storing, at a module, metadata including locations of the shared data structure and the tenant-specific data structure;

receiving, at the module, a data request from a tenant terminal of the first tenant;

retrieving, in response to the data request and based on the metadata;

the shared data structure from the provider when the data request is for the shared data structure; and

the tenant-specific data structure from the tenant server when the data request is for the tenant-specific data structure; and

sending the retrieved data structure to the tenant terminal in response to the data request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata defines an attribute of at least one of the shared data structure and the tenant-specific data structure.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

querying, based on the attribute, the provider or the tenant server for the requested data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein querying further comprises:

querying the provider if the attribute indicates the requested data structure is a shared data structure; and

querying the tenant server if the attribute indicates the requested data is a tenant-specific data structure.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein querying further comprises:

querying the provider if the attribute indicates the requested data structure is a stored at the provider; and

querying the tenant server if the attribute indicates the requested data is stored at the tenant server.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the attribute indicates whether a particular data structure is shared by the plurality of tenants or specific to the first tenant.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing, at a tenant server of a second tenant of the plurality of tenants, a tenant-specific data structure specific to the second tenant for access by the second tenant; and

storing, at the provider, the tenant-specific data structure specific to the first tenant and the tenant-specific data structure specific to the second tenant;

wherein storing the metadata further includes generating the metadata based on the data structures stored at the provider.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the metadata by the provider based on data structure changes at the provider.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the first tenant to have read-only access to the shared data structure.

10. A system for hosting, at a provider, a plurality of tenants over a network, the system comprising:

means for determining which of a plurality of data structures are shared by the plurality of tenants, and determining which of the plurality of data structures are specific to a first tenant of the plurality of tenants;

means for generating a shared designation to identify a data structure as being shared by the plurality of tenants, and generating a tenant-specific designation to identify a data structure as being specific to the first tenant;

means for appending the shared designation to a shared data structure determined as being shared by the plurality of tenants, and appending the tenant-specific designation to a tenant-specific data structure determined as being specific to the first tenant;

means for storing, at the provider, the shared data structure;

means for storing, at a tenant server of the first tenant, the tenant-specific data structure for access by the first tenant;

means for storing, at a module, metadata including locations of the shared data structure and the tenant-specific data structure;

means for receiving, at the module, a data request from a tenant terminal of the first tenant;

means for retrieving, in response to the data request and based on the metadata;

the shared data structure from the provider when the data request is for the shared data structure; and

the tenant-specific data structure from the tenant server when the data request is for the tenant-specific data structure; and

means for sending the retrieved data structure to the tenant terminal in response to the data request.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the metadata defines an attribute of at least one of the shared data structure and the tenant-specific data structure.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for querying, based on the attribute, the provider or the tenant server for the requested data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for querying further comprises:

means for querying the provider if the attribute indicates the requested data structure is a shared data structure; and

means for querying the tenant server if the attribute indicates the requested data is a tenant-specific data structure.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for querying further comprises:

means for querying the provider if the attribute indicates the requested data structure is a stored at the provider; and

means for querying the tenant server if the attribute indicates the requested data is stored at the tenant server.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute indicates whether a particular data structure is shared by the plurality of tenants or specific to the first tenant.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for storing, at a tenant server of a second tenant of the plurality of tenants, a tenant-specific data structure specific to the second tenant for access by the second tenant; and

means for storing, at the provider, the tenant-specific data structure specific to the first tenant and the tenant-specific data structure specific to the second tenant;

wherein storing the metadata further includes generating the metadata based on the data structures stored at the provider.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

means for updating the metadata by the provider based on data structure changes at the provider.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

means for enabling the first tenant to have read-only access to the shared data structure.

19. A system for hosting a plurality of tenants over a network, the system comprising:

means for determining which of a plurality of data structures are shared by the plurality of tenants, and determining which of the plurality of data structures are specific to a first tenant of the plurality of tenants;

means for generating a shared designation to identify a data structure as being shared by the plurality of tenants, and generating a tenant-specific designation to identify a data structure as being specific to the first tenant;

means for appending the shared designation to a shared data structure determined as being shared by the plurality of tenants, and appending the tenant-specific designation to a tenant-specific data structure determined as being specific to the first tenant;

a provider that stores a shared data structure;

a tenant server of the first tenant that stores a tenant-specific data structure for access by the first tenant; and

a module for;

storing metadata including locations of the shared data structure and the tenant-specific data structure;

receiving a data request from a tenant terminal of the first tenant;

retrieving;

in response to the data request and based on the metadata;

the shared data structure from the provider when the data request is for the shared data structure; and

the tenant-specific data structure from the tenant server when the data request is for the tenant-specific data structure; and

sending the retrieved data structure to the tenant terminal in response to the data request.