Method, system, and computer program product for synchronizing data

• US 9,183,266 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2010
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Hopkins, Christopher D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Quoc A
• Application Number:
  US12/773,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,016 Days
• Field of Search: 715201-203, 715/736, 715/273, 709213-223, 434/362, 434/118
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2372 Updates performed during offline database operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• 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 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• 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 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system for conducting an offline session simulating an online session between a client and server in a network environment. The client imports data and functional logic from the server prior to going offline. The imported functional logic is embedded into a format or document that is capable of being interpreted and performed by the local interface at the client that is used interact with server during an online session. Whether offline or online, the user utilizes the same local interface at the client to transmit instructions to the functional logic in order to manipulate the data. In an offline session, such instructions cause the imported and embedded functional logic to execute, thereby manipulating the data that is imported at the client. Synchronization methods may also be used in order to maintain consistency and coherency between the imported data at the client and the database at the server.

Claims

1. A method for simulating an online session while offline, comprising:

establishing, at a remote system including at least one server, a connection over a network to a client device, the connection allowing the client device, when online, to communicate with the remote system;

in response to an initiation of an offline session by the client device, receiving at the remote system from the client device, via the connection, a message including a request;

in response to receiving the message from the client device;

invoking functional logic at the remote system through a server API solution and an Extensible Markup Language remote procedure call (XML-RPC) to manipulate data in a database of the remote system;

identifying criteria defined by a user of the client device for conducting an offline session;

selecting from the database a user-specified portion of the data, utilizing the criteria defined by the user of the client device;

importing to the client device from the remote system the selected user-specified portion of the data from the database;

importing to the client device from the remote system a portion of functional logic executable to access the user-specified portion of the data imported to the client device so that the client device can conduct the offline session in isolation by enabling the user to modify the user-specified portion of the data imported to the client device by using imported functional logic used to manipulate the data in the database of the remote system to access the user-specified portion of the data imported to the client device, wherein the importing to the client device further comprises establishing a directory structure in the client device;

terminating by the remote system the connection with the client device in response to the client device being offline;

after the terminating of the connection with the client device by the remote system, receiving another connection at the remote system by the client device via a network when the client device returns online; and

performing by the remote system a synchronization process with the client device via the other connection by uploading the modified data from the client device to the database of the remote system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the user to modify the user-specified portion of the data by selecting from one or more options through a web browser while offline.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is a relational database management system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the importing the at least a portion of the functional logic further comprises embedding the at least a portion of the functional logic in at least one document.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one document utilizes a markup language.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is customer data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user is the customer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is customer contacts.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria defined by the user is for conducting the offline session.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device includes a local interface that is a web browser, and wherein communication channels between the local interface of the client device that is the web browser and the remote system are governed by the HTTP protocol.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional logic is invoked through an underlying application and is utilized for accessing appropriate portions of the data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data in a database of the remote system is data of the user, and wherein the user-specified portion of the data includes contacts of the user, such that the contacts of the user are imported to the client device from the remote system so that the user can modify the contacts at the client device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional logic resides at the remote system, such that both the at least a portion of the functional logic and the selected user-specified portion of the data are imported to the client device from the remote system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the functional logic includes a subset of the functional logic at the remote system that is imported from the remote system and stored at the client device according to a formatting protocol.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional logic is capable of being interpreted at the client device and is capable of being utilized at the client device to manipulate the user-specified portion of the data.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional logic is embedded as a portion of a document and is expressed as a language within the document.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specified portion of the data is formatted with the functional logic at the client device.

18. A system for simulating an online session while offline, comprising:

a remote system including at least one server including at least one processor for;

establishing, at a remote system including at least one server, a connection over a network to a client device, the connection allowing the client device, when online, to communicate with the remote system;

in response to an initiation of an offline session by the client device, receiving at the remote system from the client device, via the connection, a message including a request;

in response to receiving the message from the client device;

invoking functional logic at the remote system through a server API solution and an Extensible Markup Language remote procedure call (XML-RPC) to manipulate data in a database of the remote system;

identifying criteria defined by a user of the client device for conducting an offline session;

selecting from the database a user-specified portion of the data, utilizing the criteria defined by the user of the client device;

importing to the client device from the remote system the selected user-specified portion of the data from the database;

importing to the client device from the remote system a portion of functional logic executable to access the user-specified portion of the data imported to the client device so that the client device can conduct the offline session in isolation by enabling the user to modify the user-specified portion of the data imported to the client device by using imported functional logic used to manipulate the data in the database of the remote system to access the user-specified portion of the data imported to the client device, wherein the importing to the client device further comprises establishing a directory structure in the client device;

terminating by the remote system the connection with the client device in response to the client device being offline;

after the terminating of the connection with the client device by the remote system, receiving another connection at the remote system by the client device via a network when the client device returns online; and

performing by the remote system a synchronization process with the client device via the other connection by uploading the modified data from the client device to the database of the remote system.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising logic for allowing the user to modify the user-specified portion of the data by selecting from one or more options through a web browser while offline.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the database is a relational database management system.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the importing the at least a portion of the functional logic further comprises embedding the at least a portion of the functional logic in at least one document.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one document utilizes a markup language.

23. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for simulating an online session while offline, comprising computer instructions causing a computer to implement a method, comprising:

establishing, at a remote system including at least one server, a connection over a network to a client device, the connection allowing the client device, when online, to communicate with the remote system;

in response to an initiation of an offline session by the client device, receiving at the remote system from the client device, via the connection, a message including a request;

in response to receiving the message from the client device;

invoking functional logic at the remote system through a server API solution and an Extensible Markup Language remote procedure call (XML-RPC) to manipulate data in a database of the remote system;

identifying criteria defined by a user of the client device for conducting an offline session;

selecting from the database a user-specified portion of the data, utilizing the criteria defined by the user of the client device;

importing to the client device from the remote system the selected user-specified portion of the data from the database;

importing to the client device from the remote system a portion of functional logic executable to access the user-specified portion of the data imported to the client device so that the client device can conduct the offline session in isolation by enabling the user to modify the user-specified portion of the data imported to the client device by using imported functional logic used to manipulate the data in the database of the remote system to access the user-specified portion of the data imported to the client device, wherein the importing to the client device further comprises establishing a directory structure in the client device;

terminating by the remote system the connection with the client device in response to the client device being offline;

after the terminating of the connection with the client device by the remote system, receiving another connection at the remote system by the client device via a network when the client device returns online; and

performing by the remote system a synchronization process with the client device via the other connection by uploading the modified data from the client device to the database of the remote system.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising computer code for allowing the user to modify the user-specified portion of the data by selecting from one or more options through a web browser while offline.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the database is a relational database management system.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the importing the at least a portion of the functional logic further comprises embedding the at least a portion of the functional logic in at least one document.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the at least one document utilizes a markup language.