Methods and systems for optimizing text searches over structured data in a multi-tenant environment

• US 9,037,561 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Oliver, Kevin, Hansma, Scott, Weissman, Craig, Nakada, Paul, Walters, Jeanine
• Primary Examiner(s): Willoughby, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US13/292,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking

Abstract

Search systems and methods for searching structured data and enhancing the relevancy of search results provided to a requesting user or application. Enhanced search results are provided by searching a cache of a user'"'"'s most recently used items to eliminate or reduce search indexing latency. Also, more relevant search results are provided by re-ranking results based on use history, data security models and/or hierarchical user role models. Further, enhanced search results are provided by including user information in the search index.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory memory medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code causing a computer to implement a method, the method comprising:

providing a system accessible to a plurality of subscribers, where the system provides hosted third-party applications and content for a plurality of logically separate organizations, and where each subscriber is associated with at least one of the plurality of organizations;

providing, in the system, a set of logically separated storage areas, where each logically separated storage area is associated with a corresponding organization from the plurality of organizations and is inaccessible to organizations other than the corresponding organization;

storing, in the system, information describing the plurality of subscribers associated with each of the organizations;

receiving a first search request that includes a first search term from a subscriber of a organization of the plurality of organizations;

formulating, by the system, a search query that includes the first search term and information describing the subscriber;

performing, by the system, the search query within the logically separated storage area of the organization using the first search term and the information describing the subscriber, including performing the search query within a unique search index of the organization, the search index containing a plurality of data records, each of the plurality of data records within the search index including;

a last update field indicating a time when the record was last modified by any subscriber of the organization of the system;

at least one last activity field indicating a time when an action was last performed utilizing the record;

a record owner field indicating an owner of the record within the organization, and

a record owner role field indicating a location of the owner of the record within a hierarchy of the organization; and

returning, by the system, a plurality of first data records within the unique search index that match the first search term and the information describing the subscriber, where the plurality of first data records are ordered based at least in part on one or more subscriber interactions with the plurality of first data records, the one or more interactions including actions by one or more additional subscribers of the organization of the system, and where the plurality of first data records are ordered by;

determining a normalized search relevancy score that is returned by a search engine for each of the plurality of first data records,

assigning a last update score to each of the plurality of first data records based on a value of the last update field of each of the plurality of first data records,

assigning a last activity score to each of the plurality of first data records based on a value of the last activity field of each of the plurality of first data records,

multiplying each of the normalized search relevancy score, the last update score, and the at least one last activity score for each of the plurality of first data records by a unique predetermined weight factor to determine a final relevancy score for each of the plurality of first data records, and

ordering the plurality of first data records such that data records of the plurality of first data records having a higher final relevancy score are ranked higher than data records of the plurality of first data records having a lower final relevancy score.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein formulating the first search query is performed by an application server in response to the first search request received from a subscriber system of the subscriber including the first search term.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first data records that are returned are further based on an access capability specific to the subscriber.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the system is accessible to a plurality of different devices of each of the subscribers of the organizations, such that each subscriber of a particular organization is capable of accessing the storage area of the particular organization from any one of the different devices of the subscriber.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the at least one activity field of each of the plurality of data records includes a plurality of fields each associated with activities unique to the data record.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the plurality of first data records according to values in the record owner field of each of the plurality of first data records, such that records within the plurality of first data records having a value in their record owner field matching the subscriber described in the search query are placed higher in an order than records within the plurality of first data records having a value in their record owner field that does not match the subscriber described in the search query.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the plurality of first data records according to values in the record owner role field of each of the plurality of first data records, such that records within the plurality of first data records having a value in their record owner role field indicating that the record is owned by a subordinate of the subscriber described in the search query are placed higher in an order than records within the plurality of first data records having a value in their record owner role field indicating that the record is not owned by a subordinate of the subscriber described in the search query.

8. A method, comprising:

providing a system accessible to a plurality of subscribers, where the system provides hosted third-party applications and content for a plurality of logically separate organizations, and where each subscriber is associated with at least one of the plurality of organizations;

providing, in the system, a set of logically separated storage areas, where each logically separated storage area is associated with a corresponding organization from the plurality of organizations and is inaccessible to organizations other than the corresponding organization;

storing, in the system, information describing the plurality of subscribers associated with each of the organizations;

receiving a first search request that includes a first search term from a subscriber of a organization of the plurality of organizations;

formulating, by the system, a search query that includes the first search term and information describing the subscriber;

performing, by the system, the search query within the logically separated storage area of the organization using the first search term and the information describing the subscriber, including performing the search query within a unique search index of the organization, the search index containing a plurality of data records, each of the plurality of data records within the search index including;

a last update field indicating a time when the record was last modified by any subscriber of the organization of the system;

at least one last activity field indicating a time when an action was last performed utilizing the record;

a record owner field indicating an owner of the record within the organization, and

a record owner role field indicating a location of the owner of the record within a hierarchy of the organization; and

returning, by the system, a plurality of first data records within the unique search index that match the first search term and the information describing the subscriber, where the plurality of first data records are ordered based at least in part on one or more subscriber interactions with the plurality of first data records, the one or more interactions including actions by one or more additional subscribers of the organization of the system, and where the plurality of first data records are ordered by;

determining a normalized search relevancy score that is returned by a search engine for each of the plurality of first data records,

assigning a last update score to each of the plurality of first data records based on a value of the last update field of each of the plurality of first data records,

assigning a last activity score to each of the plurality of first data records based on a value of the last activity field of each of the plurality of first data records,

multiplying each of the normalized search relevancy score, the last update score, and the at least one last activity score for each of the plurality of first data records by a unique predetermined weight factor to determine a final relevancy score for each of the plurality of first data records, and

ordering the plurality of first data records such that data records of the plurality of first data records having a higher final relevancy score are ranked higher than data records of the plurality of first data records having a lower final relevancy score.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein formulating the first search query is performed by an application server in response to the first search request received from a subscriber system of the subscriber including the first search term.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor for;

providing a system accessible to a plurality of subscribers, where the system provides hosted third-party applications and content for a plurality of logically separate organizations, and where each subscriber is associated with at least one of the plurality of organizations;

providing, in the system, a set of logically separated storage areas, where each logically separated storage area is associated with a corresponding organization from the plurality of organizations and is inaccessible to organizations other than the corresponding organization;

storing, in the system, information describing the plurality of subscribers associated with each of the organizations;

receiving a first search request that includes a first search term from a subscriber of a organization of the plurality of organizations;

formulating, by the system, a search query that includes the first search term and information describing the subscriber;

performing, by the system, the search query within the logically separated storage area of the organization using the first search term and the information describing the subscriber, including performing the search query within a unique search index of the organization, the search index containing a plurality of data records, each of the plurality of data records within the search index including;

a last update field indicating a time when the record was last modified by any subscriber of the organization of the system;

at least one last activity field indicating a time when an action was last performed utilizing the record;

a record owner field indicating an owner of the record within the organization, and

a record owner role field indicating a location of the owner of the record within a hierarchy of the organization; and

returning, by the system, a plurality of first data records within the unique search index that match the first search term and the information describing the subscriber, where the plurality of first data records are ordered based at least in part on one or more subscriber interactions with the plurality of first data records, the one or more interactions including actions by one or more additional subscribers of the organization of the system, and where the plurality of first data records are ordered by;

determining a normalized search relevancy score that is returned by a search engine for each of the plurality of first data records,

assigning a last update score to each of the plurality of first data records based on a value of the last update field of each of the plurality of first data records,

assigning a last activity score to each of the plurality of first data records based on a value of the last activity field of each of the plurality of first data records,

multiplying each of the normalized search relevancy score, the last update score, and the at least one last activity score for each of the plurality of first data records by a unique predetermined weight factor to determine a final relevancy score for each of the plurality of first data records, and

ordering the plurality of first data records such that data records of the plurality of first data records having a higher final relevancy score are ranked higher than data records of the plurality of first data records having a lower final relevancy score.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein formulating the first search query is performed by an application server in response to the first search request received from a subscriber system of the subscriber including the first search term.