Systems and methods for identifying contacts as users of a multi-tenant database and application system

• US 9,053,136 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuruganti, Aditya, Lai, Sanjaya, Sanikommu, Samatha, Knight, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Gee, Jason K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ullah, Sharif E
• Application Number:
  US12/985,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 709/209, 726/2, 726/21, 726/36, 380/255, 380/264, 380/276, 713/150, 713/163, 713/181
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/217 Database tuning G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409

Abstract

A system and method of identifying users of a multi-tenant database and application service is provided. The system and method is configured to generate a list of contacts from a contact database of a multi-tenant database and application service. Each contact in the list of contacts is sent a message that includes a link to web site that includes a query. Specifically, each contact visiting the web site is queried to determine if the contact is a user of a multi-tenant database and application service. Additionally, contacts are queried to determine if they are an administrator user, and if not, who is an associated administrator user. The contact database is updated to indicate contacts that are users of the multi-tenant database and application service when approved of by the associated administrator.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a server communicatively connected to the memory, the server providing a multi-tenant database and application service, the server configured to;

generate a list of contacts of a particular tenant of the multi-tenant database;

send a message to each contact of the particular tenant in the list of contacts for the particular tenant, the message including an inquiry to participate in a query as to whether the contact of the particular tenant is also a tenant of the multi-tenant database and application service, wherein the query is facilitated by the message, and wherein the contact of the particular tenant participates in the query by providing, in response to the message, information as to whether the contact is also a tenant of the multi-tenant database;

query each contact of the particular tenant responding to the message via the query to determine, based on the information provided by the contact via the contact'"'"'s participation in the query in response to the message, if the contact of the particular tenant represents another tenant of the multi-tenant database and application service; and

update the list of contacts for the particular client to indicate contacts of the particular tenant that have been determined to represent tenants of the multi-tenant database and application service based on the query.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the message to each contact includes a link to a web site, the web site configured to perform the query of each contact responding to the message by visiting the web site.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to query each contact responding to the message to determine if the contact is an administrator user of the multi-tenant database and application service.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to query each contact responding to the message to determine an associated administrator user of the multi-tenant database and application service.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to seek permission from an associated administrator user to update the contact database for users that are not administrator users.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further configured to generate a new contact for an associated administrator user to update the contact database for users that are not administrator users.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is configured to generate the list of contacts from the contact database.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to obtain an answer from the contact as to whether the contact is a user of the multi-tenant database.

18. The system of claim 2, wherein the web site provides a drop down menu for the contact to provide an answer as to whether the contact is a user of the multi-tenant database.

8. A method for identifying contacts that use a multi-tenant database and application service, comprising:

generating a list of contacts of a particular tenant of the multi-tenant database;

sending a message to each contact of the particular tenant in the list of contacts, the message including an inquiry to participate in a query as to whether the contact of the particular tenant is also a tenant of the multi-tenant database and application service, wherein the query is facilitated by the message, and wherein the contact of the particular tenant participates in the query by providing, in response to the message, information as to whether the contact is also a tenant of the multi-tenant database;

querying each contact of the particular tenant responding to the message via the query to determine, based on the information provided by the contact via the contact'"'"'s participation in the query in response to the message, if the contact of the particular tenant represents another tenant of the multi-tenant database and application; and

updating the list of contacts for the particular client to indicate contacts of the particular client that have been determined to represent tenants of the multi-tenant database and application service based on the query.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the message to each contact includes a link to a web site, the web site configured to perform the query of each contact responding to the message by visiting the web site.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of querying each contact responding to the message to determine if the contact is an administrator user of the multi-tenant database and application service.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of querying each contact to determine an associated administrator user of the multi-tenant database and application service.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of seeking permission from an associated administrator user to update the contact database for users that are not administrator users.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of generating a new contact for an associated administrator user to update the contact database for users that are not administrator users.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of generating the list of contacts comprises generating the list of contacts from the contact database.

19. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

obtaining an answer from the contact as to whether the contact is a user of the multi-tenant database.

15. A multi-tenant database system comprising:

a memory; and

a server communicatively connected to the memory, the server providing a multi-tenant database and application service, the server configured to;

generate a list of contacts of a particular tenant of the multi-tenant database from a contact database for the particular tenant in the multi-tenant database and application service;

send a message to each contact in the list of contacts for the particular tenant, the message including a link to a first web site, the message including an inquiry to participate in a query as to whether the contact of the particular tenant is also a tenant of the multi-tenant database and application service, wherein the query is facilitated by the message, and wherein the contact of the particular tenant participates in the query by providing, in response to the message, information as to whether the contact is also a tenant of the multi-tenant database;

query each contact for the particular tenant visiting the first web site via the query to determine, based on the information provided by the contact via the contact'"'"'s participation in the query in response to the message;

if the contact of the particular tenant represents another tenant of the multi-tenant database and application;

if the contact of the particular tenant is an administrator user of the multi-tenant database and application service; and

an associated administrator user for contacts of the particular tenant that represent other tenants of the multi-tenant database and application service and are not administrator users; and

update the contact database for the particular tenant to indicate contacts of the particular tenant that have been determined to represent other tenants of the multi-tenant database and application service based on the query.

16. The multi-tenant database system of claim 15 wherein the server is further configured to seek permission from the associated administrator user to update the contact database for users that are not administrator users.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the server is further configured to obtain an answer from the contact as to whether the contact is a user of the multi-tenant database.