Method and system for synchronizing a server and an on-demand database service

• US 7,827,138 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Verma, Anant, Weissman, Craig, Hopkins, Chris, Collins, Jesse, Salmon, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• Application Number:
  US11/848,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/200, 707/203, 707/204, 707/610, 707/612, 707/617, 707/620, 707/623, 707/999.01, 707/999.107
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for synchronizing a server and an on-demand database service. These mechanisms and methods for synchronizing a server and an on-demand database service can enable embodiments to synchronize a larger amount of data. The ability of embodiments to provide such feature can enable more effective synchronization of a user-level sharing entity database with a multi-user on-demand database service.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a difference between data stored on a first server and by an on-demand database service utilizing a data structure stored on a computer readable medium, the data structure including a plurality of user identifiers each identifying one of a plurality of users of the on-demand database service and a plurality of data identifiers each correlated with at least one of the user identifiers, the data identifiers for identifying data accessible to the user associated with the correlated user identifier; and

synchronizing the first server and the on-demand database service, based on the difference;

wherein the on-demand database service includes an application platform that enables creation, management and execution of one or more applications that are developed by at least one of;

a provider of the on-demand database service, users accessing the on-demand database service via user systems, and third party application developers accessing the on-demand database service via the user systems;

wherein the first server communicates data to at least one second server;

wherein the on-demand database service communicates data to a third server;

wherein the at least one second server includes at least one slave server, and the third server includes a master server;

wherein in response to receipt of a request to update data of at least one of the plurality of users, configuration data is sent from the on-demand database service to the master server, the configuration data including rules utilized for configuring the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service;

wherein the configuration data indicates at least one of the plurality of users that is subjected to the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service, user-specific synchronization profiles for each of the at least one of the plurality of users, and field maps indicating specific fields on the on-demand database service that are mapped to specific fields on another server.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the second servers are in communication with the at least one first server.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein each of the second servers is allocated to a different subset of the users.

4. A method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second server and the third server each communicate with a database server.

5. A method of claim 4, wherein the database server is coupled between the at least one second server and the third server.

6. A method of claim 4, wherein the computer readable medium is a component of the database server.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein the first server and the second server communicate utilizing a collaborative authoring protocol.

8. A method of claim 1, wherein the third server and the on-demand database service communicate utilizing a web service.

9. A method of claim 1, wherein the difference is determined in response to receiving a request to update the data of at least one of the users.

10. A method of claim 9, wherein the difference is determined by identifying a subset of the data that is accessible to the at least one user, utilizing the data structure.

11. A method of claim 10, wherein the difference is further determined by comparing a current state of the data subset with a previous state of the data subset.

12. A method of claim 1, wherein the data structure includes a first table.

13. A method of claim 12, wherein a second table includes the data identifiers each correlated with corresponding data.

14. A method of claim 13, wherein the second table is used in conjunction with the first table for accessing the data using the user identifiers.

15. A method of claim 1, wherein the first server includes a user-level sharing entity.

16. A method of claim 1, wherein the on-demand database service includes a multi-tenant database system.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the master server conditionally disables the at least one slave server.

18. A computer program product embodied on a machine-readable medium, carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

determining a difference between data stored on a first server and by an on-demand database service utilizing a data structure stored on a computer readable medium, the data structure including a plurality of user identifiers each identifying one of a plurality of users of the on-demand database service and a plurality of data identifiers each correlated with at least one of the user identifiers, the data identifiers for identifying data accessible to the user associated with the correlated user identifier; and

synchronizing the first server and the on-demand database service, based on the difference;

wherein the on-demand database service includes an application platform that enables creation, management and execution of one or more applications that are developed by at least one of;

a provider of the on-demand database service, users accessing the on-demand database service via user systems, and third party application developers accessing the on-demand database service via the user systems;

wherein the first server communicates data to at least one second server;

wherein the on-demand database service communicates data to a third server;

wherein the at least one second server includes at least one slave server, and the third server includes a master server;

wherein in response to receipt of a request to update data of at least one of the plurality of users, the computer program product operates to send configuration data from the on-demand database service to the master server, the configuration data including rules utilized for configuring the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service;

wherein the configuration data indicates at least one of the plurality of users that is subjected to the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service, user-specific synchronization profiles for each of the at least one of the plurality of users, and field maps indicating specific fields on the on-demand database service that are mapped to specific fields on another server.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

determining a difference between data stored on a first server and by an on-demand database service utilizing a data structure stored on a computer readable medium, the data structure including a plurality of user identifiers each identifying one of a plurality of users of the on-demand database service and a plurality of data identifiers each correlated with at least one of the user identifiers, the data identifiers for identifying data accessible to the user associated with the correlated user identifier; and

synchronizing the first server and the on-demand database service, based on the difference;

wherein the on-demand database service includes an application platform that enables creation, management and execution of one or more applications that are developed by at least one of;

a provider of the on-demand database service, users accessing the on-demand database service via user systems, and third party application developers accessing the on-demand database service via the user systems;

wherein the first server communicates data to at least one second server;

wherein the on-demand database service communicates data to a third server;

wherein the at least one second server includes at least one slave server, and the third server includes a master server;

wherein in response to receipt of a request to update data of at least one of the plurality of users, the apparatus operates to send configuration data from the on-demand database service to the master server, the configuration data including rules utilized for configuring the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service;

wherein the configuration data indicates at least one of the plurality of users that is subjected to the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service, user-specific synchronization profiles for each of the at least one of the plurality of users, and field maps indicating specific fields on the on-demand database service that are mapped to specific fields on another server.

20. A data structure embodied on a computer readable medium, comprising:

a plurality of user identifier objects, each of the user identifier objects identifying one of a plurality of users of an on-demand database service;

a plurality of data identifier objects, each of the data identifier objects correlated with at least one of the user identifier objects, and each of the data identifier objects for identifying data accessible to the user associated with the correlated user identifier object; and

logic, carrying one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to synchronize a server and the on-demand database service utilizing the user identifier objects and the data identifier objects;

wherein the on-demand database service includes an application platform that enables creation, management and execution of one or more applications that are developed by at least one of;

a provider of the on-demand database service, users accessing the on-demand database service via user systems, and third party application developers accessing the on-demand database service via the user systems;

wherein the data structure is utilized whereby the first server communicates data to at least one second server;

wherein the data structure is utilized whereby the on-demand database service communicates data to a third server;

wherein the data structure is utilized whereby the at least one second server includes at least one slave server, and the third server includes a master server;

wherein in response to receipt of a request to update data of at least one of the plurality of users, the data structure is utilized whereby configuration data is sent from the on-demand database service to the master server, the configuration data including rules utilized for configuring the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service;

wherein the configuration data indicates at least one of the plurality of users that is subjected to the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service, user-specific synchronization profiles for each of the at least one of the plurality of users, and field maps indicating specific fields on the on-demand database service that are mapped to specific fields on another server.

21. A system, comprising:

a first server;

a second server coupled to the first server;

a third server coupled to an on-demand database service; and

a database server coupled to the second server and the third server, the database server for determining a difference between data stored on the first server and by the on-demand database service, and synchronizing the first server and the on-demand database service based on the difference;

wherein the on-demand database service includes an application platform that enables creation, management and execution of one or more applications that are developed by at least one of;

a provider of the on-demand database service, users accessing the on-demand database service via user systems, and third party application developers accessing the on-demand database service via the user systems;

wherein the first server communicates data to the second server;

wherein the on-demand database service communicates data to the third server;

wherein the second server includes at least one slave server, and the third server includes a master server;

wherein in response to receipt of a request to update data of at least one of the plurality of users, the system operates to send configuration data from the on-demand database service to the master server, the configuration data including rules utilized for configuring the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service;

wherein the configuration data indicates at least one of the plurality of users that is subjected to the synchronizing of the first server and the on-demand database service, user-specific synchronization profiles for each of the at least one of the plurality of users, and field maps indicating specific fields on the on-demand database service that are mapped to specific fields on another server.