Multi-client generic persistence for extension fields

• US 8,224,828 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Figus, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Badawi, Sherief
• Application Number:
  US12/644,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20110153576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 707/692, 707/602, 707/609, 707/756, 707/755, 707/682, 717/168
• US Class Current: 707/756
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web

Abstract

Access to a networked application can be provided to multiple users while allowing user-specific extension fields to be created and maintained for exclusive access by the user creating the extension field. A user-customized data object that includes a standard field value of a standard field of a standard data object defined by the networked application and a user-specific extension field value of a user-specific extension field that modifies operation of the networked application for the user and that is not available to other users of the plurality of users can be received from a user for writing to memory. The user-specific extension field value can be separated from the standard field value. The standard field value and the user-specific extension field value can be persisted in a first database table and a second database table, respectively. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a physical system comprising a processor and a memory, a user-customized data object to be written to the memory, the physical system providing access to a networked application for a plurality of users, the user-customized data object comprising a standard field value of a standard field of a standard data object defined by the networked application and a user-specific extension field value of a user-specific extension field that modifies operation of the networked application for a user of the plurality of users and that is not available to other users of the plurality of users;

separating the user-specific extension field value from the standard field value;

persisting the standard field value in a first database table at the physical computing system and the user-specific extension field value in a second database table at the physical computing system, the persisting of the user-specific extension field value comprising creating, deleting, or modifying an extension field data record in the second database table, the extension field data record comprising the user-specific extension field value and at least one key value that references the one of the plurality of users, the standard data object, an instance of the standard data object with which the user-specific extension field value is associated, and the user-specific extension field; and

producing the user-customized data object for use by the user with the networked application, the producing comprising reading the extension field data record from the second database table and the standard field value from the first database table;

converting the extension field data record to the user-specific extension field value; and

combining the user-specific extension field value and the standard field value into the user-customized data object.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the user-customized data object comprises an additional user-specific extension field value, the method further comprising:

separating the additional user-specific extension field value from the standard field value; and

persisting the additional user-specific extension field value in the second database table, the persisting of the additional user-specific extension field value comprising creating, deleting, or modifying an additional extension field data record in the second database table, the additional extension field data record comprising the additional user-specific extension field value and at least one additional key value that references the one of the plurality of users, the standard data object, the instance of the standard data object, and the additional user-specific extension field.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the second database table comprises a first row that comprises the extension field data record and a second row that comprises the additional extension field data record.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the second database table comprises a first row that comprises the extension field data record and a second row that comprises a second extension field data record of a second user of the networked application.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the persisting of the user-specific extension field value comprises modifying the extension field data record in the second database table to replace a previous user-specific extension field value in the extension field data record with the user-specific extension field value when the extension field data record already exists in the second database table.

6. A computer-implemented method as in claim 1, wherein the persisting of the user-specific extension field value comprises deleting the extension field data record in the second database table when the user-specific extension field value is equivalent to a default value of the user-specific extension field.

7. An article comprising a machine-readable medium encoding instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a physical system comprising the at least one processor and a memory, a user-customized data object to be written to the memory, the physical system providing access to a networked application for a plurality of users, the user-customized data object comprising a standard field value of a standard field of a standard data object defined by the networked application and a user-specific extension field value of a user-specific extension field that modifies operation of the networked application for a user of the plurality of users and that is not available to other users of the plurality of users;

separating the user-specific extension field value from the standard field value;

persisting the standard field value in a first database table at the physical computing system and the user-specific extension field value in a second database table at the physical computing system, the persisting of the user-specific extension field value comprising creating, deleting, or modifying an extension field data record in the second database table, the extension field data record comprising the user-specific extension field value and at least one key value that references the one of the plurality of users, the standard data object, an instance of the standard data object with which the user-specific extension field value is associated, and the user-specific extension field; and

producing the user-customized data object for use by the user with the networked application, the producing comprising reading the extension field data record from the second database table and the standard field value from the first database table;

converting the extension field data record to the user-specific extension field value; and

combining the user-specific extension field value and the standard field value into the user-customized data object.

8. An article as in claim 7, wherein the user-customized data object comprises an additional user-specific extension field value, the method further comprising:

separating the additional user-specific extension field value from the standard field value; and

persisting the additional user-specific extension field value in the second database table, the persisting of the additional user-specific extension field value comprising creating, deleting, or modifying an additional extension field data record in the second database table, the additional extension field data record comprising the additional user-specific extension field value and at least one additional key value that references the one of the plurality of users, the standard data object, the instance of the standard data object, and the additional user-specific extension field.

9. An article as in claim 8, wherein the second database table comprises a first row that comprises the extension field data record and a second row that comprises the additional extension field data record.

10. An article as in claim 7, wherein the second database table comprises a first row that comprises the extension field data record and a second row that comprises a second extension field data record of a second user of the networked application.

11. An article as in claim 7, wherein the persisting of the user-specific extension field value comprises modifying the extension field data record in the second database table to replace a previous user-specific extension field value in the extension field data record with the user-specific extension field value when the extension field data record already exists in the second database table.

12. An article as in claim 7, wherein the persisting of the user-specific extension field value comprises deleting the extension field data record in the second database table when the user-specific extension field value is equivalent to a default value of the user-specific extension field.

13. A system comprising:

at least one processor, and

at least one memory encoding instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at the physical system, a user-customized data object to be written to the memory, the physical system providing access to a networked application for a plurality of users, the user-customized data object comprising a standard field value of a standard field of a standard data object defined by the networked application and a user-specific extension field value of a user-specific extension field that modifies operation of the networked application for a user of the plurality of users and that is not available to other users of the plurality of users;

separating the user-specific extension field value from the standard field value;

persisting the standard field value in a first database table at the physical computing system and the user-specific extension field value in a second database table at the physical computing system, the persisting of the user-specific extension field value comprising creating, deleting, or modifying an extension field data record in the second database table, the extension field data record comprising the user-specific extension field value and at least one key value that references the one of the plurality of users, the standard data object, an instance of the standard data object with which the user-specific extension field value is associated, and the user-specific extension field; and

producing the user-customized data object for use by the user with the networked application, the producing comprising reading the extension field data record from the second database table and the standard field value from the first database table;

converting the extension field data record to the user-specific extension field value; and

combining the user-specific extension field value and the standard field value into the user-customized data object.

14. A system as in claim 13, wherein the user-customized data object comprises an additional user-specific extension field value, the method further comprising:

separating the additional user-specific extension field value from the standard field value; and

persisting the additional user-specific extension field value in the second database table, the persisting of the additional user-specific extension field value comprising creating, deleting, or modifying an additional extension field data record in the second database table, the additional extension field data record comprising the additional user-specific extension field value and at least one additional key value that references the one of the plurality of users, the standard data object, the instance of the standard data object, and the additional user-specific extension field.

15. A system as in claim 14, wherein the second database table comprises a first row that comprises the extension field data record and a second row that comprises the additional extension field data record.

16. A system as in claim 13, wherein the second database table comprises a first row that comprises the extension field data record and a second row that comprises a second extension field data record of a second user of the networked application.

17. A system as in claim 13, wherein the persisting of the user-specific extension field value comprises modifying the extension field data record in the second database table to replace a previous user-specific extension field value in the extension field data record with the user-specific extension field value when the extension field data record already exists in the second database table.

18. A system as in claim 13, wherein the persisting of the user-specific extension field value comprises deleting the extension field data record in the second database table when the user-specific extension field value is equivalent to a default value of the user-specific extension field.