Implementing enterprise level business information networking

• US 8,738,620 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• 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): Lu, Charles
• Application Number:
  US12/945,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 707/793, 707/667, 707/736, 705/1.1
• US Class Current: 707/736
• 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 events in a database system to provide feeds to users of the database system, the method comprising:

receiving data indicative of a plurality of events, one of the events being a change in a field of a first record from an old value to a new value, the first record being a customer relationship management (CRM) record storing CRM data, the change being associated with a first user, the first user at a first level of an organizational hierarchy;

the database system determining when the one event is being tracked by analyzing the event; and

when the event is being tracked, adding a new entry into an event history table, the new entry including;

an event identifier that identifies the event; and

an object identifier that identifies an object updated by the event, the object updated by the event being the first record;

the field change being indicated by one of a plurality of feed items of a feed associated with a second user, the feed configured to be displayed on a display of a computing device, the one feed item being positioned relative to other feed items in the display of the feed according to an importance level determined by application of one or more criteria to the event, one of the criteria being a change in percentage of the old value to the new value of the field of the first record being above a threshold percentage, the second user being at a second level of the organizational hierarchy, the first level of the organizational hierarchy being at a lower level than the second level of the organizational hierarchy.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

storing the old value of the field and the new value of the field in a field change table.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the old value and the new value are stored in the field change table along with the event identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the object updated by a first event is a first user'"'"'s profile, and wherein the first event is a message to first user'"'"'s profile, the method further comprising:

storing text of the message in a second table along with the event identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an event that includes a comment on another event; and

storing the comment into a third table along with the event identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a first tenant, criteria that specifies events in the event history table as tracked events.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the event is being tracked, determining one or more users following the object updated by the event; and

associating the one or more users with the event.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein associating a user with the event includes:

adding a user identifier and the event identifier to a same entry of a table.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each user following the object is added as a separate entry to a news feed table, wherein each separate entry includes the respective user identifier and the event identifier.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria include one or more of:

an identification of a user who posted a feed item, a time a feed item was posted, and an indication of a first feed item as being related to a second feed item.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the CRM record is one of:

an account, a case, a contact, a lead, and an opportunity.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a processor to perform an operation of tracking events in a database system to provide feeds to users of the database system, the instructions comprising:

determining when one of a plurality of events is being tracked by analyzing the event, the event being a change in a field of a first record from an old value to a new value, the first record being a customer relationship management (CRM) record storing CRM data, the change being associated with a first user, the first user at a first level of an organizational hierarchy; and

when the event is being tracked, adding a new entry into an event history table, the new entry including;

an event identifier that identifies the event; and

an object identifier that identifies an object updated by the event, the object updated by the event being the first record;

the field change being indicated by one of a plurality of feed items of a feed associated with a second user, the feed configured to be displayed on a display of a computing device, the one feed item being positioned relative to other feed items in the display of the feed according to an importance level determined by application of one or more criteria to the event, one of the criteria being a change in percentage of the old value to the new value of the field of the first record being above a threshold percentage, the second user being at a second level of the organizational hierarchy, the first level of the organizational hierarchy being at a lower level than the second level of the organizational hierarchy.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the instructions further comprise:

receiving, from a first user, a request to view a feed of one or more objects;

querying the event history table using identifiers associated with the one or more objects to obtain a plurality of events;

obtaining one or more feed items corresponding to each event; and

displaying the obtained one or more feed items.

12. A database system comprising:

a database storing an event history table; and

a server including one or more processors configured to execute instructions to;

determine when one of a plurality of events is being tracked by analyzing the event, the event being a change in a field of a first record from an old value to a new value, the first record being a customer relationship management (CRM) record storing CRM data, the change being associated with a first user, the first user at a first level of an organizational hierarchy; and

when the event is being tracked, providing an entry in the event history table, the entry including;

an event identifier that identifies the event, and

an object identifier that identifies an object updated by the event, the object updated by the event being the first record;

the field change being indicated by one of a plurality of feed items of a feed associated with a second user, the feed configured to be displayed on a display of a computing device, the one feed item being positioned relative to other feed items in the display of the feed according to an importance level determined by application of one or more criteria to the event, one of the criteria being a change in percentage of the old value to the new value of the field of the first record being above a threshold percentage, the second user being at a second level of the organizational hierarchy, the first level of the organizational hierarchy being at a lower level than the second level of the organizational hierarchy.