Systems and methods for implementing a tenant space in a provider-tenant environment

• US 7,930,318 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Becker, Wolfgang A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B
• Application Number:
  US12/552,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/229, 711/154, 711/155
• US Class Current: 707/795
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

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 store shared-metadata referencing the shared data structure, while a first tenant may store a tenant-specific data structure specific to the first tenant for access by the first tenant. Based on the shared-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 computer-implemented method for a plurality of tenants to execute application software hosted by a server, the method comprising:

receiving a data request identifying a particular data structure associated with the application software and to be used by a first tenant of the plurality of tenants;

analyzing attributes of the particular data structure;

determining, based on the analysis, whether the particular data structure is a tenant-specific data structure specific to the first tenant or a shared data structure shared by the plurality of tenants;

retrieving, when the particular data structure is a shared data structure, the particular data structure from a first storage location accessible by the plurality of tenants, the first storage location storing a shared data structure having a shared designation that identifies the shared data structured as being shared by the plurality of tenants;

retrieving, when the particular data structure is a tenant-specific data structure, the particular data structure from a second storage location accessible by the first tenant, the second storage location storing a tenant-specific data structure having a tenant-specific designation that identifies the tenant-specific data structure as being specific to the first tenant; and

storing data structure identifiers having data that associates a shared data structure with a pointer to data of the shared data structure.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tenant-specific data structure includes data relating to at least one of configuration data or transactional data unique to the first tenant.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first storage location of the shared data structure is at the server.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the particular data structure when the particular data structure is a shared data structure, further includes:

redirecting the data request, based on the data structure identifiers, to the first storage location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data structure identifiers include an alternate name for the shared data structure.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data structure identifiers include a reference to the first storage location of the shared data structure.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further including:

storing shared-metadata describing the first storage location of the shared data structure.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein determining whether the particular data structure is a tenant-specific data structure or a shared data structure, further includes:

determining, based on the shared-metadata, whether the particular data structure is a tenant-specific data structure or a shared data structure.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the particular data structure when the particular data structure is a shared data structure, further includes:

retrieving the shared data structure from the server.

10. A system for a plurality of tenants to execute application software hosted by a server, the system comprising:

means for receiving a data request identifying a particular data structure associated with application software and to be used by a first tenant of the plurality of tenants;

means for analyzing attributes of the particular data structure;

means for determining, based on the analysis, whether the particular data structure is a tenant-specific data structure specific to the first tenant or a shared data structure shared by the plurality of tenants;

means for retrieving, when the particular data structure is a shared data structure, the particular data structure from a first storage location accessible by the plurality of tenants, the first storage location storing a shared data structure having a shared designation that identifies the shared data structure as being shared by the plurality of tenants;

means for retrieving, when the particular data structure is a tenant-specific data structure, the particular data structure from a second storage location accessible by the first tenant, the second storage location storing a tenant-specific data structure having a tenant-specific designation that identifies the tenant-specific data structure as being specific to the first tenant; and

means for storing data structure identifiers having data that associates a shared data structure with a pointer to data of the shared data structure.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first storage location of the shared data structure is at the server.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for retrieving the particular data structure when the particular data structure is a shared data structure, further includes:

means for redirecting the data request, based on the data structure identifiers, to the first storage location.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the data structure identifiers include an alternate name for the shared data structure.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the data structure identifiers include a reference to the first storage location of the shared data structure.

15. The system of claim 10, further including:

means for storing shared-metadata describing the first storage location of the shared data structure.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for determining whether the particular data structure is a tenant-specific data structure or a shared data structure, further includes:

means for determining, based on the shared-metadata, whether the particular data structure is a tenant-specific data structure or a shared data structure.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for retrieving the particular data structure when the particular data structure is a shared data structure, further includes:

means for retrieving the shared data structure from the server.