Computer implemented methods and apparatus to interact with records using a publisher of an information feed of an online social network

• US 9,177,007 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Winters, Jason, Haynes, David, Villamor, Craig, Ball, Luke, Swinson, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Reyes, Mariela
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US13/803,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 707/803, 707/609, 707/769, 707/737, 707/802, 707/797, 707/798, 705/7.11, 705/14.49
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable storage media for interacting with records using a publisher configured to publish information to a feed of a social network. In some implementations, a computing device receives a request to interact with a child record related to a parent record stored in a database system. The request is generated via the publisher displayed in a user interface on a display device. The user interface is also configured to display the feed in association with an entity of the social network. Child record information indicating a type of the child record and field data to populate one or more fields of the child record can be received. The field data is differentiated from message content generated via the publisher to include in a feed item for presentation in the feed when displayed to one or more users following the parent record. The requested interaction with the child record can be performed using the child record information.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method to interact with database records using a publisher component of a user interface configured to present a feed associated with an entity of an enterprise social network implemented using a database system, the user interface being displayable on a display device of a user, the publisher component configured to publish information to one or more feeds of the enterprise social network, the method comprising:

receiving a request to interact with a child record related to a parent record stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) database of the database system, the request to interact with the child record having been generated via the publisher component of the user interface when displayed on a display device;

receiving child record information indicating a CRM type of the child record;

receiving data to store in association with the child record in the CRM database of the database system, the data being specific to the CRM type of the child record, the data being differentiated from social media message content capable of being generated via the publisher component to publish to one or more feeds of the enterprise social network accessible by one or more users following the parent record and/or following the child record in the enterprise social network, the data having been provided via at least one user interactable element of the publisher component configured to expose at least one field of the child record particular to the CRM type of the child record, the at least one user interactable element further configured to cause data to be provided to the CRM database for updating the at least one field of the child record; and

causing to be performed, using the database system, the requested interaction with the child record using the child record information.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the request to interact with the child record is one of:

a request to create the child record, a request to update the child record, a request to delete the child record, a request to attach a file to the child record, and a request to view information associated with the child record.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the child record information is generated via the publisher component.

4. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the entity is a collaborator of the parent record, the collaborator having permission to update the parent record and to create records related to the parent record.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the collaborator of the parent record is different from an owner of the parent record.

6. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the collaborator of the parent record is an owner of the parent record.

7. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the collaborator is one of:

a user, a group, a record and an organization of the enterprise social network.

8. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

sending feed data to the display devices of the users following the entity, the feed data including a feed item to be presented in the one or more feeds of the enterprise social network, the feed item including the child record information and the message content.

9. The method recited in claim 1, the parent record and/or the child record being a customer relationship management (CRM) object being one of:

a lead, a case, an account, an opportunity, a task and a contact.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the type of the child record indicates that the child record is one of:

a lead, a case, an account, an opportunity, a task and a contact.

11. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

sending publisher component data, based on the request to interact with the child record, to the display device at which the publisher component is displayed, the publisher component data providing one or more components operable to receive user input indicating at least a portion of the child record information.

12. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the child record information further includes record relationship information indicating a further relationship of the child record with a further record stored in the database system.

13. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a further child record related to the parent record;

determining that information related to the further child record has been updated;

selecting, in accordance with one or more factors, information related to the further child record for inclusion in a further feed item;

generating the further feed item data that includes the selected information to generate the further feed item for presentation in the one or more feeds of the enterprise social network displayed on display devices of one or more users following the parent record in the enterprise social network; and

storing the further feed item data in one or more storage mediums to generate the further feed item for presentation in the one or more feeds of the enterprise social network.

14. The method recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more factors include one or more of:

access permissions of the entity, a role of the entity, a field of the further child record, an indication that an update to the further child record was performed by a designated entity, and a timeframe.

15. The method recited in claim 13, wherein determining that the information associated with the further child record has been updated includes:

determining that the associated information meets or exceeds a designated threshold level.

16. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the designated threshold level is one of:

a number of updates to the further child record, a timeframe of the update, and a designated change in a value of a field of the further child record.

17. The method recited in claim 13, wherein the selected information includes one or more of:

a number of likes associated with the further child record, comments associated with the further child record, and a further field data of a field of the further child record.

18. The method recited in claim 13, wherein generating the further feed item data further includes:

determining one or more actions that are selectable by the entity; and

generating action data to display at the display device, the action data providing one or more components operable to receive a selection from the entity of the one or more actions.

19. The method recited in claim 18, wherein the one or more actions include one or more of:

create a task, update a task, create an opportunity, update an opportunity, create a contact, update a contact, create a case, update a case, create an account, update an account, create an event, update an event, publish to one or more feed items to other enterprise social networks, log call, create an email, create a like, and create a comment.

20. A database system implementing an enterprise social network for interacting with database records stored in one or more databases of the database system using a publisher component of a user interface configured to present a feed associated with an entity of the enterprise social network, the user interface being displayable on a display device of a user, the publisher component configured to publish information to one or more feeds of the enterprise social network, the database system configurable to:

receive a request to interact with a child record related to a parent record stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) database of the database system, the request to interact with the child record having been generated via the publisher component of the user interface when displayed on a display device;

receive child record information indicating a CRM type of the child record;

receive data to store in association with the child record in the CRM database of the database system, the data being specific to the CRM type of the child record, the data being differentiated from social media message content capable of being generated via the publisher component to publish to one or more feeds of the enterprise social network accessible by one or more users following the parent record and/or following the child record in the enterprise social network, the data having been provided via at least one user interactable element of the publisher component configured to expose at least one field of the child record particular to the CRM type of the child record, the at least one user interactable element further configured to cause data to be provided to the CRM database for updating the at least one field of the child record; and

cause to perform, using the database system, the requested interaction with the child record using the child record information.

21. The database system of claim 20, wherein the request to interact with the child record is one of:

a request to create the child record, a request to update the child record, a request to delete the child record, a request to attach a file to the child record, and a request to view information associated with the child record.

22. The database system of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of the child record information is generated via the publisher component.

23. The database system of claim 20, the database system further configurable to:

send feed data to the display devices of the users following the entity, the feed data including a feed item to be presented in the one or more feeds of the enterprise social network, the feed item including the child record information and the message content.

24. The database system of claim 20, the parent record and/or the child record being a CRM object being one of:

a lead, a case, an account, an opportunity, a task and a contact.

25. The database system of claim 20, wherein the type of the child record indicates that the child record is one of:

a lead, a case, an account, an opportunity, a task and a contact.

26. The database system of claim 20, the database system further configurable to:

send publisher component data, based on the request to interact with the child record, to the display device at which the publisher component is displayed, the publisher component data providing one or more components operable to receive user input indicating at least a portion of the child record information.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computing device to cause a method to be performed to interact with database records using a publisher component of a user interface configured to present a feed associated with an entity of an enterprise social network implemented using a database system, the user interface being displayable on a display device of a user, the publisher component configured to publish information to one or more feeds of the enterprise social network, the method comprising:

receiving a request to interact with a child record related to a parent record stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) database of the database system, the request to interact with the child record having been generated via the publisher component of the user interface when displayed on a display device;

receiving child record information indicating a CRM type of the child record;

receiving data to store in association with the child record in the CRM database of the database system, the data being specific to the CRM type of the child record, the data being differentiated from social media message content capable of being generated via the publisher component to publish to one or more feeds of the enterprise social network accessible by one or more users following the parent record and/or following the child record in the enterprise social network, the data having been provided via at least one user interactable element of the publisher component configured to expose at least one field of the child record particular to the CRM type of the child record, the at least one user interactable element further configured to cause data to be provided to the CRM database for updating the at least one field of the child record; and

causing to be performed, using the database system, the requested interaction with the child record using the child record information.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the request to interact with the child record is one of:

a request to create the child record, a request to update the child record, a request to delete the child record, a request to attach a file to the child record, and a request to view information associated with the child record.