System, method and computer program product for resolving a data conflict

• US 8,489,974 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2011
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Movida, Mark, Prophete, Didier, Fischer, Ronald F., Gasn, Marni, Agarwal, Anshu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, David
• Application Number:
  US13/116,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 370/513, 709/248, 709/221, 707/610, 707/201, 707/611, 714/798, 714/775, 714/789, 714/707
• US Class Current: 714/798
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; 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], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• 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

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for resolving a data conflict. These mechanisms and methods for resolving a data conflict can enable an improved user experience, increased efficiency, time savings, etc.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for resolving a data conflict, the method comprising:

detecting a synchronization error within a system;

determining that the synchronization error includes a data conflict;

determining whether a fault handler is registered within the system;

if it is determined that a fault handler is registered within the system, passino the data conflict to the fault handler; and

if it is determined that a fault handler is not registered within the system, placing the data conflict in a conflict queue.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the synchronization includes an exchange of data between a client of the system and a server of the system.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein a copy of the same data is stored at both the client and the server of the system, and both copies are periodically synchronized.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the synchronization is performed utilizing one or more application programming interface (API) calls.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein an error message is received in response to a failed synchronization between a client and server within the system.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein an error message received in response to the synchronization error indicates that such synchronization error is the result of the data conflict.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the data conflict includes a conflict of data between a server of the system and a client of the system.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer program product is operable such that identical copies of data are stored at both the client and the server of the system, and after a first synchronization is performed, the data copy stored on the client is altered and the data copy stored on the server is also altered in a different manner than the data copy stored on the client.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the fault handler resolves the data conflict by determining which of two conflicting copies of data is to be stored within the system.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the fault handler resolves the data conflict by determining whether a data copy stored on a client or a data copy stored on a server is to be saved in the system if identical copies of data stored on both the client and the server of the system are both independently altered before a synchronization is performed.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the data conflict is resolved utilizing a user interface (UI).

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the data conflict is presented to, and manually resolved by, a user of the system utilizing a conflict resolution UI.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the UI lists a plurality of data conflicts, and a user chooses which data conflicts to manually address.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the user selects from one or more possible resolutions for the data conflict from within the UI.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the user performs one or more additional operations associated with resolving the data conflict utilizing the UI.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the data conflict is resolved automatically.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product is operable such that one or more programs are created utilizing a toolkit as part of an application programming interface (API) to address the data conflict.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the one or more programs automatically resolve the data conflict based on one or more criteria.

19. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the fault handler, in response to receipt of the data conflict, resolves the data conflict based on a time and date of data modification.

20. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the fault handler, in response to receipt of the data conflict, resolves the data conflict based on an entity priority within the system.

21. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the fault handler, in response to receipt of the data conflict, resolves the data conflict based on a type of the data in conflict.

22. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the fault handler, in response to receipt of the data conflict, resolves the data conflict based on an organization associated with the data conflict.

23. A method, comprising:

detecting a synchronization error within a system;

determining that the synchronization error includes a data conflict; and

determining whether a fault handler is registered within the system;

if it is determined that a fault handler is registered within the system, passing the data conflict to the fault handier; and

if it is determined that a fault handler is not registered within the system, placing the data conflict in a conflict queue,

utilizing a processor.

24. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor for;

detecting a synchronization error within a system;

determining that the synchronization error includes a data conflict; and

determining whether a fault handler is registered within the system;

if it is determined that a fault handler is registered within the system, passing the data conflict to the fault handler; and

if it is determined that a fault handler is not registered within the system, placing the data conflict in a conflict queue.

25. A method for transmitting code for use in a multi-tenant database system on a transmission medium, the method comprising:

transmitting code for detecting a synchronization error within a system;

determining that the synchronization error includes a data conflict; and

determining whether a fault handler is registered within the system;

if it is determined that a fault handler is registered within the system, passing the data conflict to the fault handler; and

if it is determined that a fault handler is not registered within the system, placing the data conflict in a conflict queue,

utilizing a processor.