Enterprise level business information networking for changes in a database

• US 8,478,722 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Peter, Mehra, Vinod, Woollen, Rob
• Primary Examiner(s): Shmatov, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US12/945,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 707/628, 707/636, 707/622, 707/999.009
• US Class Current: 707/622
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/185 Hierarchical storage management [HSM] systems, e.g. file migration or policies thereof details of archiving G06F16/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2282 Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods for implementing enterprise level social and business information networking are provided. Users can receive relevant information about a database system and its users at an appropriate time. Users can then use this relevant information to reduce errors and limit redundant efforts. For example, an update of a record in the database can be identified, and a story created automatically about the update and sent to the users that are following the record. Which updates have stories created and which stories are to be sent to which users can be configured. Other events besides updating of records can also be tracked. For example, actions of a user that result in an event can be tracked, where such tracking can also be configurable. Subscriptions to follow an object can be automatic, and access checks can be used to ensure that unauthorized users do not see certain data.

Claims

1. A method of tracking updates in a database system for enterprise level social and business information networking, the method comprising:

the database system receiving a request to update a first one of a plurality of fields of a first record of a database, the first record being a business record related to a business activity of an organization and being differentiated from a user'"'"'s profile, the first record being followed and editable by a plurality of users including a first level of one or more users in a hierarchy of individuals operating on behalf of the organization and a second level of one or more users in the organizational hierarchy, the first level and the second level having a management relationship with each other regarding the business activity of the organization;

determining that the request to update the first field of the first record is associated with a first level user;

determining that the update is associated with a value change of the first field of the first record and that the value change is above a threshold;

the database system generating a story about the update;

adding the story to a first feed; and

providing data including at least a portion of the first feed to a first computing device associated with a second level user, the first computing device configured to display the first feed in a user interface, the displayed first feed including the story and one or more first level user-submitted messages about the story, the first feed being accessible by computing devices associated with second level users to interact with the story and the one or more first level user-submitted messages.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a level of importance for the story; and

marking the story with the level of importance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to update the first record is received from the first level user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first feed includes a list of recent updates requested by the first level user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feed includes a list of recent updates made to the first record.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying one or more additional feeds that subscribe to the first feed; and

posting the story to the identified additional feeds.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a story about the update is performed only when the update satisfies certain criteria.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the criteria requires that the update is for one of a group of selected fields of the first record.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving selected fields of the first record from a user of a first tenant to which the first record belongs.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the criteria includes that the update be of a certain type.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein certain type includes additions, but not deletions of a record related to the first record.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

keeping only the most recent N stories in the first feed, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 10.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the update includes a change to a record that is related to the first record.

14. The method of claim 13, where the related record is a child of the first record.

15. The method of claim 13, where the related record is a parent of the first record.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

posting the story to a second feed associated with the record that is related to the first record.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feed is a feed for the first record.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feed is an entity feed for a record that is related to the first record.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein posting the first feed for the entity feed for a record that is related to the first record is performed only when the update is the creation of the first record.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feed is a profile feed for a user that sent the request to update the first record.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the users following the first record are subscribed to the first record or the first feed.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining whether a third user is allowed to view the message, wherein adding the message to the news feed is conditional on whether the third user is allowed to view the message.

22. A method of tracking users'"'"' interactions with other users of an enterprise level social and business information networking system, the method comprising:

receiving a message requesting an update to a first one of a plurality of fields of a first record stored in a database, the first record being a business record related to a business activity of an organization and being differentiated from a user'"'"'s profile, the first record being followed and editable by the plurality of users including a first level of one or more users in a hierarchy of individuals operating on behalf of the organization and a second level of one or more users in the organizational hierarchy, the first level and the second level having a management relationship with each other regarding the business activity of the organization;

determining that the request to update the first field of the first record is associated with a first level user;

determining that the update is associated with a value change of the first field of the first record and that the value change is above a threshold;

adding the message as a feed item to a profile feed of a second level user; and

providing data including at least a portion of one of the feeds to a computing device associated with the second level user, the computing device configured to display the one feed in a user interface, the displayed feed including an indication of the record update and the message, the one feed being accessible by computing devices associated with respective users to interact with the indication of the record update and the message.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein determining whether the third user is allowed to view the message includes:

identifying whether the message includes data of the record;

identifying an access level of the third user; and

determining if the access level includes the record.

25. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a processor to perform an operation of tracking updates in a database system for enterprise level social and business information networking, the instructions comprising:

receiving a request to update a first one of a plurality of fields of a first record of a database of the database system, the first record being a business record related to a business activity of an organization and being differentiated from a user'"'"'s profile, the first record being followed and editable by a plurality of users including a first level of one or more users in a hierarchy of individuals operating on behalf of the organization and a second level of one or more users in the organizational hierarchy, the first level and the second level having a management relationship with each other regarding the business activity of the organization;

determining that the request to update the first field of the first record is associated with a first level user;

determining that the update is associated with a value change of the first field of the first record and that the value change is above a threshold;

the database system generating a story about the update;

adding the story to a first feed; and

providing data including at least a portion of the first feed to a first computing device associated with a second level user, the first computing device configured to display the first feed in a user interface, the displayed first feed including the story and one or more user-submitted messages about the story, the first feed being accessible by computing devices associated with second level users to interact with the story and the one or more first level user-submitted messages.

26. A database system comprising:

a database storing a plurality of records;

a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a processor to perform an operation of tracking updates in a database system for enterprise level social and business information networking, the instructions comprising;

receiving a request to update a first one of a plurality of fields of a first record of a database, the first record being a business record related to a business activity of an organization and being differentiated from a user'"'"'s profile, the first record being followed and editable by a plurality of users including a first level of one or more users in a hierarchy of individuals operating on behalf of the organization and a second level of one or more users in the organizational hierarchy, the first level and the second level having a management relationship with each other regarding the business activity of the organization,

determining that the request to update the first field of the first record is associated with a first level user,

determining that the update is associated with a value change of the first field of the first record and that the value change is above a threshold,

the database system generating a story about the update,

adding the story to a first, and

providing data including at least a portion of the first feed to a first computing device associated with a second level user, the first computing device configured to display the first feed in a user interface, the displayed first feed including the story and one or more first level user-submitted messages about the story, the first feed being accessible by computing devices associated with second level users to interact with the story and the one or more first level user-submitted messages; and

one or more processors configured to execute instructions stored in the computer program product.