Virtual objects in an on-demand database environment

• US 8,819,060 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Tamm, Steven, Kimberlin, Susan
• Primary Examiner(s): Casanova, Jorge A
• Application Number:
  US13/088,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20120130973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 707/770
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments disclosed herein, there are provided mechanisms and methods for implementing virtual objects in an on-demand database environment. For example, in one embodiment, mechanisms include receiving a data request at a host organization, wherein the data request specifies a first data source internal to the host organization and further specifies a second data source external to the host organization; retrieving first data results from the first data source based on the data request; retrieving second data results from the second data source based on the data request; and returning aggregated data results responsive to the data request based on the first data results and the second data results retrieved. In one embodiment, the internal data source is a multi-tenant database within the host organization.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a single data request at a host organization from a remote client device communicatively interfaced with the host organization over a network, wherein the single data request specifies both a first data source internal to the host organization and further specifies a second data source external to the host organization;

retrieving first data results at the host organization from the first data source on behalf of the remote client device based on the single data request;

retrieving second data results at the host organization from the second data source on behalf of the remote client device based on the single data request;

generating an aggregated results page at the host organization having both the first data results and the second data results represented therein for display at the remote client device; and

returning the aggregated results page generated at the host organization to the remote client device responsive to the single data request received from the remote client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein returning the aggregated data results comprises:

generating the aggregated results page at the host organization based at least in part on the second results set retrieved from the second data source external to the host organization by executing a query against a search index of a publicly accessible social network external to the host organization.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregated results page comprises:

at least a portion of the first data results retrieved;

at least a portion of the second data results retrieved; and

presentation logic to be interpreted by the remote client device pursuant to the remote client device displaying the aggregated results page generated by the host organization.

4. The method of claim 1:

wherein receiving the single data request at the host organization comprises receiving the single data request at a web-server operating within the host organization; and

wherein transmitting the aggregated results page from the host organization to the remote client device for display comprises transmitting the aggregated results page from the web-server operating within the host organization to the remote client device for display, wherein both the single data request received and the aggregated results page transmitted are associated with a single user-session.

5. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first data source internal to the host organization comprises data stored within a multi-tenant database of the host organization; and

wherein the single data request specifies one or both of;

a structured query against the multi-tenant database and/or a text based search against a search index of the multi-tenant database.

6. The method of claim 5:

wherein the second data source external to the host organization comprises a publicly accessible search engine which provides search results responsive to text based search queries without requiring authentication;

wherein retrieving the second data results from the second data source based on the single data request comprises;

generating a search request for the second data source based on the single data request received;

transmitting the search request to the second data source; and

receiving the second data results from the second data source responsive to the search request transmitted to the second data source.

7. The method of claim 5:

wherein the second data source external to the host organization comprises a publicly accessible search engine which provides search results responsive to text based search queries;

wherein retrieving the second data results from the second data source based on the single data request comprises;

retrieving authentication data for the second data source based on the single data request received;

generating a search request for the second data source based on the single data request received, wherein the search request comprises at least, the authentication data and one or more search parameters specified within the single data request received by the host organization;

transmitting the search request to the second data source; and

receiving the second data results from the second data source responsive to the search request transmitted to the second data source.

8. The method of claim 5:

wherein the single data request specifies one or more strings for use as search parameters via a text based search request;

wherein retrieving the first data results from the first data source comprises performing the text based search against the search index of the multi-tenant database using the one or more strings specified for use as search parameters; and

wherein retrieving the second data results from the second data source comprises performing a separate text based search against a second search index available via the second data source using the same one or more strings specified for use as search parameters.

9. The method of claim 5:

wherein the single data request specifies a database query and further wherein the single data request specifies two or more queryable objects;

wherein a first of the two or more queryable objects resolves to a queryable table within the multi-tenant database of the host organization; and

wherein a second of the two or more queryable objects resolves to a queryable table accessible via the second data source.

10. The method of claim 1:

wherein the single data request which specifies the first data source internal to the host organization and further specifies the second data source external to the host organization comprises the single data request specifying a first queryable object which resolves to a queryable table within a multi-tenant database internal to the host organization and a second queryable object which resolves to a queryable table accessible via the second data source, external to the host organization; and

wherein each queryable object defines at least;

1) an Application Programming Interface (API) end-point via which an underlying data source associated with the respective queryable object may be communicated with;

2) an API type identifying one of a plurality of enumerated transaction formats selected from the API types comprising;

an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed;

a publicly accessible non-authenticated data source;

a publicly accessible per-user-authenticated data source;

a publicly accessible license based authenticated data source;

a publicly accessible search engine;

a private data source located at a customer organization remote from the host organization; and

an internal multi-tenant database transaction within the host organization;

3) an authentication type for accessing the underlying data source associated with the respective queryable object; and

4) one or more queryable fields within the underlying data source associated with the respective queryable object.

11. The method of claim 1:

wherein retrieving first data results from the first data source based on the single data request comprises retrieving a first authentication data for accessing the first data source based on the single data request; and

wherein retrieving second data results from the second data source based on the single data request comprises retrieving a second authentication data for accessing the second data source based on the single data request, wherein the first authentication data and the second authentication data are separate and distinct from one another.

12. The method of claim 11:

wherein retrieving the first authentication data and/or retrieving the second authentication data based on the single data request comprises one or more of;

performing a lookup internal to the host organization based on the single data request received and based further on an originating source of the single data request;

extracting the first authentication data and/or the second authentication data from the single data request received; and

retrieving default authentication parameters for use as the second authentication data based on the second data source specified by the single data request.

13. The method of claim 1:

wherein receiving the single data request at the host organization comprises receiving the single data request from one of a plurality of customer organizations;

wherein the method further comprises deploying an Application Programming Interface (API) to the one customer organization for installation, wherein the API exposes access methods for the second data source, located at the one customer organization, to the host organization, via the API; and

wherein retrieving the second data results from the second data source based on the single data request comprises retrieving the second data results from the second data source at the one customer organization via the exposed access methods of the API.

14. The method of claim 13:

wherein the second data source at the one customer organization comprises a queryable database operated and controlled by the one customer organization; and

wherein the single data request from the customer organization specifies a database query having a query scope that encompasses at least a portion of the queryable database operated and controlled by the one customer organization and that further encompasses at least a portion of data stored within a multi-tenant database located internally to the host organization and operated and controlled by the host organization.

15. The method of claim 13:

wherein the second data source at the one customer organization comprises a queryable database operated and controlled by the one customer organization; and

wherein the single data request which specifies the first data source internal to the host organization comprises the single data request specifying a database query to a table within a multi-tenant database internal to the host organization, wherein the table comprises an external foreign key which resolves to the queryable database operated and controlled by the one customer organization; and

wherein the single data request which further specifies the second data source external to the host organization comprises the single data request specifying, within the database query to the table within the multi-tenant database, the external foreign key requiring retrieval of the second data results from the queryable database operated and controlled by the one customer organization.

16. The method of claim 1:

wherein retrieving the first data results from the first data source comprises retrieving a first results set from the first data source in a first format;

wherein retrieving the second data results from the second data source comprises retrieving a second results set from the second data source in a second format different from the first format; and

wherein the method further comprises transforming the second results set in the second format into the second results set formatted in accordance with the first format, including at least a pointer to a first of a plurality of rows within the second results set.

17. The method of claim 1:

wherein retrieving the first data results from the first data source comprises retrieving a plurality of search results from a search index located internally within the host organization;

wherein retrieving the second data results from the second data source comprises retrieving a second plurality of search results from a second search index located externally from the host organization; and

wherein aggregated data results returned responsive to the single data request comprises at least a portion of the first plurality of search results and at least a portion of the second plurality of search results.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

implementing pagination of the aggregated data results using one or more of;

     1) a pagination method exposed via a first API of the first data source and/or a second API of the second data source;

     2) a record offset request method exposed via the first API of the first data source and/or the second API of the second data source; and

     3) a stored query locator method exposed via the first API of the first data source and/or the second API of the second data source;

receiving a second single data request at the host organization; and

returning additional aggregated data results responsive to the second single data request, wherein the additional aggregated data results comprises at least a second portion of the first plurality of search results and at least a second portion of the second plurality of search results.

19. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first data source internal to the host organization comprises a multi-tenant database having elements of hardware and software that are shared by a plurality of separate and distinct customer organizations, each of the separate and distinct customer organizations being remotely located from the host organization having the multi-tenant database operating therein; and

wherein the single data request is received at the host organization from one of the plurality of customer organizations.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a system in a host organization having a processor and memory therein, the instructions cause the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a single data request at a host organization from a remote client device communicatively interfaced with the host organization over a network, wherein the single data request specifies both a first data source internal to the host organization and further specifies a second data source external to the host organization;

retrieving first data results at the host organization from the first data source on behalf of the remote client device based on the single data request;

retrieving second data results at the host organization from the second data source on behalf of the remote client device based on the single data request;

generating an aggregated results page at the host organization having both the first data results and the second data results represented therein for display at the remote client device; and

returning the aggregated data results page generated at the host organization to the remote client device responsive to the single data request received from the remote client device.

21. A system in a host organization, the system comprising:

a processor and memory to execute instructions;

a request interface to receive a single data request at the host organization from a remote client device communicatively interfaced with the host organization over a network, wherein the single data request specifies both a first data source internal to the host organization and further specifies a second data source external to the host organization;

an internal data retriever to retrieve first data results at the host organization from the first data source on behalf of the remote client device based on the single data request;

an external data retriever to retrieve second data results at the host organization from the second data source on behalf of the remote client device based on the single data request;

a results aggregator to generate an aggregated results page at the host organization having both the first data results and the second data results represented therein for display at the remote client device; and

the results aggregator to return the aggregated results page generated at the host organization to the remote client device responsive to the single data request received from the remote client device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the system further comprises a web server, wherein the web server implements the request interface to receive the single data request at the host organization, and wherein the web server further transmits the aggregated results page from the host organization to the remote client device for display at the remote client device, the aggregated results page having all or a portion of the aggregated data results therein and further having presentation logic embedded therein.