System, method and computer program product for providing a team object in association with an object

• US 9,047,479 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Tsai, Benjamin, Tang, Michael, Casalaina, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIDHALM, ANGELA M
• Application Number:
  US12/559,265
• Time in Patent Office: 2,087 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/223, 709/226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for providing a team object in association with an object. These mechanisms and methods for providing a team object in association with an object can allow for centralized management of a team in association with an object. For example, members of the team may be automatically identified (e.g. without manual intervention) for receiving notifications in association with an object.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a multi-tenant on-demand database system having hardware and software shared by multiple tenants over a network, wherein the multi-tenant on-demand database system stores an object for one of the tenants of the multiple tenants and wherein a setting of the object indicates that the object is allowed to have a team associated therewith;

receiving, from a user associated with the tenant of the multiple tenants, a request to add a team to the object, wherein the team includes at least two members, the at least two members including a first member that is associated with the tenant by being a user of the tenant and being provided access to the multi-tenant on-demand database system via the tenant, and a second member that is not associated with the tenant and that is a contact of the first member, wherein;

full access is provided to the first member based on the first member being the user of the tenant, the full access including permission for the first member to define members of the team, and

less than full access is provided to the second member based on the second member being the contact of the first member, the less than full access denying the second member permission to define members of the team;

configuring in the multi-tenant on-demand database system a team object, wherein the team object includes an identifier of the at least two members of the team;

associating the team object with the object for adding the team to the object, by including a reference to the team object in the object;

identifying a modification made to the object, the modification including an electronic message added to the object;

in response to the identification of the modification made to the object, identifying the team object associated with the object;

in response to the identification of the team object associated with the object, identifying from the team object at least one of the first member and the second member of the team; and

notifying, by the multi-tenant on-demand database system, the identified at least one of the first member and the second member of the team of the electronic message added to the object using a notification associated with the object, such that the at least one of the first member and the second member of the team is notified based on the at least one of the first member and the second member being identified from the team object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the object includes a data object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the team object is configured by defining the team requested to be added to the object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the team object defines the team by assigning a role to each of the at least two members of the team.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the role defines notification settings for each of the at least two members.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the notification settings indicate actions associated with the object of which the at least one member is to be notified.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the actions include the adding of the electronic message to the object in addition to at least one of comments, activities, and status changes associated with the object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the team object is configured from a predefined team object, the predefined team object including a template of members and roles assigned to each member.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein changes made to the predefined team object are automatically propagated to the configured team object.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the team object is configured based on predefined assignment rules indicating for the object a predefined member to be automatically included in the team object.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message is a comment, and adding the comment to the object includes posting the comment to the object.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes information describing the modification made to the object.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the information describing the modification made to the object includes at least one of a type of the modification, a source of the modification, and a time of the modification.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the modification made to the object including the electronic message added to the object is made by the first member of the team, and the at least one of the first member and the second member notified of the electronic message added to the object is the second member of the team, such that the first member of the team that made the modification to the object is prevented from being notified of the electronic message added to the object.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is of a particular type.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the object stores data of the particular type.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein based on the association between the team object and the object, a selectable entry is provided on a user interface of the multi-tenant on-demand database system, and when the selectable entry is selected by at least one member of the team, a report is provided to the at least one member listing at least in part the object.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the report lists each object having an associated team object that includes the identifier of the at least one member.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a table.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the team object further includes an assignment of at least one role to each of the at least two members of the team, wherein each of the at least two members of the team is capable of being assigned a different role.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein each role defines notification settings for members assigned to the role and permissions with respect to the object.

11. 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:

providing a multi-tenant on-demand database system having hardware and software shared by multiple tenants over a network, wherein the multi-tenant on-demand database system stores an object for one of the tenants of the multiple tenants and wherein a setting of the object indicates that the object is allowed to have a team associated therewith;

receiving, from a user associated with the tenant of the multiple tenants, a request to add a team to the object, wherein the team includes at least two members, the at least two members including a first member that is associated with the tenant by being a user of the tenant and being provided access to the multi-tenant on-demand database system via the tenant, and a second member that is not associated with the tenant and that is a contact of the first member, wherein;

full access is provided to the first member based on the first member being the user of the tenant, the full access including permission for the first member to define members of the team, and

less than full access is provided to the second member based on the second member being the contact of the first member, the less than full access denying the second member permission to define members of the team;

configuring in the multi-tenant on-demand database system a team object, wherein the team object includes an identifier of the at least two members of the team;

associating the team object with the object for adding the team to the object, by including a reference to the team object in the object;

identifying a modification made to the object, the modification including an electronic message added to the object;

in response to the identification of the modification made to the object, identifying the team object associated with the object;

in response to the identification of the team object associated with the object, identifying from the team object at least one of the first member and the second member of the team; and

notifying, by the multi-tenant on-demand database system, the identified at least one of the first member and the second member of the team of the electronic message added to the object using a notification associated with the object, such that the at least one of the first member and the second member of the team is notified based on the at least one of the first member and the second member being identified from the team object.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a hardware processor for;

providing a multi-tenant on-demand database system having hardware and software shared by multiple tenants over a network, wherein the multi-tenant on-demand database system stores an object for one of the tenants of the multiple tenants and wherein a setting of the object indicates that the object is allowed to have a team associated therewith;

receiving, from a user associated with the tenant of the multiple tenants, a request to add a team to the object, wherein the team includes at least two members, the at least two members including a first member that is associated with the tenant by being a user of the tenant and being provided access to the multi-tenant on-demand database system via the tenant, and a second member that is not associated with the tenant and that is a contact of the first member, wherein;

full access is provided to the first member based on the first member being the user of the tenant, the full access including permission for the first member to define members of the team, and

less than full access is provided to the second member based on the second member being the contact of the first member, the less than full access denying the second member permission to define members of the team;

configuring in the multi-tenant on-demand database system a team object, wherein the team object includes an identifier of the at least two members of the team;

associating the team object with the object for adding the team to the object, by including a reference to the team object in the object;

identifying a modification made to the object, the modification including an electronic message added to the object;

in response to the identification of the modification made to the object, identifying the team object associated with the object;

in response to the identification of the team object associated with the object, identifying from the team object at least one of the first member and the second member of the team; and

notifying, by the multi-tenant on-demand database system, the identified at least one of the first member and the second member of the team of the electronic message added to the object using a notification associated with the object, such that the at least one of the first member and the second member of the team is notified based on the at least one of the first member and the second member being identified from the team object.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is coupled to memory via a bus.