System, method and computer program product for sharing tenant information utilizing a multi-tenant on-demand database service

• US 8,868,605 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2013
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuruganti, Aditya S., Doshi, Kedar, Bhatt, Chaitanya, Lai, Sanjaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Jessica N
• Application Number:
  US13/886,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20130246475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for sharing tenant information utilizing a multi-tenant on-demand database service. These mechanisms and methods for sharing tenant information utilizing a multi-tenant on-demand database service can allow automatic sharing of information owned by a first tenant with other tenants of the multi-tenant on-demand database service. In this way, collaboration among tenants of the multi-tenant on-demand database service may be enabled via the sharing of the tenant information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving from a first tenant an indication of permission to share a portion of first tenant information with a second tenant, the first tenant information managed using a multi-tenant on-demand database service, wherein the second tenant is otherwise blocked from accessing the portion of first tenant information absent the indication of permission;

permitting the second tenant to access the portion of first tenant information based on the indication of permission, utilizing a processor;

receiving from the second tenant another indication of permission to share a portion of information of the second tenant with the first tenant, wherein the first tenant is otherwise blocked from accessing the portion of the information of the second tenant absent the other indication of permission; and

permitting the first tenant to access the portion of the information of the second tenant based on the other indication of permission, to provide reciprocity of sharing of tenant information between the first tenant and the second tenant;

wherein the indication of permission is received from the first tenant via a graphical user interface of the multi-tenant on-demand database service;

wherein, after receiving the indication of permission, the graphical user interface allows the first tenant to subsequently block the second tenant from accessing the portion of first tenant information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tenant and the second tenant include different tenants of the multi-tenant on-demand database service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the access to the portion of the first tenant information is provided utilizing a mark-up language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tenant information includes at least one of tasks, accounts, contacts, products, opportunities, cases, and comments.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tenant information includes at least two of tasks, accounts, contacts, products, opportunities, cases, and comments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tenant information is stored in a database of the multi-tenant on-demand database service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tenant information includes a plurality of records.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein indicating permission to share a parent record automatically includes an indication of permission to share child records of the parent record.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein permitting the second tenant to access the portion of the first tenant information includes permitting the second tenant to view the portion of the first tenant information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein permitting the second tenant to access the portion of the first tenant information includes permitting the second tenant to update the portion of the first tenant information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the first tenant a second indication of permission to share the portion of first tenant information with a third tenant.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising permitting the third tenant to access the portion of first tenant information based on the second indication of permission.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein permitting the second tenant to access the portion of first tenant information and permitting the third tenant to access the portion of first tenant information are separate such that subsequently blocking one of the permission of the second tenant and the permission of the third tenant prevents an impact on the other one of the permission of the second tenant and the permission of the third tenant.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

receiving from a first tenant an indication of permission to share a portion of first tenant information with a second tenant, the first tenant information managed using a multi-tenant on-demand database service, wherein the second tenant is otherwise blocked from accessing the portion of first tenant information absent the indication of permission;

permitting the second tenant to access the portion of first tenant information based on the indication of permission, utilizing a processor;

receiving from the second tenant another indication of permission to share a portion of information of the second tenant with the first tenant, wherein the first tenant is otherwise blocked from accessing the portion of the information of the second tenant absent the other indication of permission; and

permitting the first tenant to access the portion of the information of the second tenant based on the other indication of permission, to provide reciprocity of sharing of tenant information between the first tenant and the second tenant;

wherein the indication of permission is received from the first tenant via a graphical user interface of the multi-tenant on-demand database service;

wherein, after receiving the indication of permission, the graphical user interface allows the first tenant to subsequently block the second tenant from accessing the portion of first tenant information.

15. 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 cause a computer to implement a method comprising:

receiving from a first tenant an indication of permission to share a portion of first tenant information with a second tenant, the first tenant information managed using a multi-tenant on-demand database service, wherein the second tenant is otherwise blocked from accessing the portion of first tenant information absent the indication of permission;

permitting the second tenant to access the portion of first tenant information based on the indication of permission, utilizing a processor;

receiving from the second tenant another indication of permission to share a portion of information of the second tenant with the first tenant, wherein the first tenant is otherwise blocked from accessing the portion of the information of the second tenant absent the other indication of permission; and

permitting the first tenant to access the portion of the information of the second tenant based on the other indication of permission, to provide reciprocity of sharing of tenant information between the first tenant and the second tenant;

wherein the indication of permission is received from the first tenant via a graphical user interface of the multi-tenant on-demand database service;

wherein, after receiving the indication of permission, the graphical user interface allows the first tenant to subsequently block the second tenant from accessing the portion of first tenant information.